‘Big names hugely positive about Commonwealth Games’

The man charged with delivering Glasgow 2026 says the city will host a “spectacular” Commonwealth Games and that key athletes have already been “hugely positive” about competing.

Phil Batty is now the CEO of the management team organizing the event, having previously served as director of Ceremonies, Culture, and Queen’s Baton Relay for the Birmingham Games.

The success of the Games will depend on the buy-in from well-known athletes like Duncan Scott and Keely Hodgkinson, who both won gold at the Olympics, and Josh Kerr, who also won silver medals at the same time. Batty says that things are getting off to a strong start in that regard.

“We’ve had a really warm reaction from athletes looking forward to competing”, he tells BBC Scotland Sport.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity in the world’s calendar of sporting events.” We look forward to welcoming you to our facility for athletes who are considering competing in 2026.

There is an incredible opportunity to advance your competition on that global stage thanks to our amazing sports and para-sport programs.

As we lock in the daily competition schedule and the medal program, we’re looking forward to having more precise plans for who will be here to compete in 2026, according to the response so far.

However, the European Championships, which are scheduled for the end of July 2026, will compete for the attention of the best athletes in a fairly crowded calendar.

Given that the “year to go” marker is only six months away, the Glasgow 2026 executive team Batty heads will have little room for error during the hectic lead-in.

“2026 is definitely a game-changing moment for the Commonwealth Sport movement”, he adds.

“We’ve had such successful Games in previous years – in Birmingham, on the Gold Coast, in Glasgow.

“I believe people will view Glasgow 2026 and the outcomes of the movement as a truly defining moment in the Commonwealth Games’ history,” said one journalist.

After Victoria resigned as host due to rising costs, there would no Commonwealth Games next year without Glasgow intervening.

This simplified version of the movement’s previous incarnations is likely to serve as a guide for its continued existence, which will celebrate its centenary in 2030.

” I feel Glasgow’s done a really important job in re-setting the Games for future host cities in 2030, 2034 and 2038, “says Batty, who is involved in a world-leading drone light show business with expertise in staging global shows and events.

This serves as a replacement for those new approaches to hosting the Olympics. Glasgow is the only place in the Commonwealth where that is possible.

“We’ve got the expertise, we’ve got the venues, we’ve got the talent. I’m confident that this will actually advance the Commonwealth sport movement. The Commonwealth Games’ future appears to be very promising, in my opinion.

Although he is only a few days into his new role, Batty already has a clear idea of what “success” for the Games will look like.