What will the legacy of the 2026 Commonwealth Games be?

IT'S BEEN 12 years since Glasgow hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 23rd iteration of the event—the 2026 Glasgow games—has now kicked off again in the city, far sooner than anyone would have predicted back in 2014.

Glasgow won in the hotly contested bid process back in 2014—against the Nigerian city Abuja—to host the games and went on to stage an impressive event, which in the end cost more than half a billion pounds.

During the process of hosting the games in 2014, much was made of creating a lasting legacy of the games, providing sporting and cultural infrastructure for future generations, and revitalising much of the east end of Glasgow, which had been in serious decline for a number of decades.

Undoubtedly, a lot of what was promised did come to fruition, most notably with the building of 700 homes in the east end which originally served as the athletes’ village for the games, but soon became 400 council homes and 300 private homes. This did transform an area of the city that had been neglected and included a brand new train station in Dalmarnock, which, to this day, is still looking relatively new.

What was also realised was the creation of a gigantic sporting arena in the east end—the newly renamed Glasgow International Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, which are fantastic facilities for the city to use.

Whilst the velodrome is an internationally recognised arena for its quality, being in such a niche sport instantly limits its use and how many people have been able to take advantage of the world-class facility.

Also, the indoor area on the same site has played host to as many election night counts as it has concerts across its current lifespan. It is used throughout the day for badminton, basketball, netball and gym sessions, but it doesn’t have the feel of a hub that serves the wider community in the area.

Failing to deliver?

From a cultural perspective, whilst many people have fond memories of the 2014 games, the legacy feels like a mixture of undelivered promises and betrayal. Many cultural organisations were hosting weekly activity across the city in primary and secondary schools and community centres, such as music classes, GAA training and matches, and language classes prior to the first games. Within a few years of the event, many had gone elsewhere for their activities.

The high cost of the games in financial terms, had a knock-on effect in ways that were not anticipated. The cost of hiring a school classroom from Glasgow Life more than doubled. Organisations providing cultural educational services to children and adults for free or very low cost either found themselves balancing charging more to those receiving services, moving out of council-run properties or even outwith the city completely.

Cultural loss?

It’s little co-incidence that the Scottish Fleadh—the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann run Scottish Championships in traditional Irish music, song, dance, language and storytelling—hasn't been hosted within a Glasgow Life venue since 2014 despite the two largest branches of the organisation residing in the city.

For a number of years prior to the first games, a humble office sat in the traditional Irish heart of the city within Govanhill Neighbourhood Centre which had a sign on the door that read ‘Glasgow Irish Cultural Hub.’ It may have been a relatively small space, but it housed four organisations which represented Irish sport, language, music, dance and the wider Irish community. It was four organisations pooling resources together and working collectively for the good of the wider community.

In 2015, the rent of that office increased by 150 per cent. It was to be the last year that all four organisations shared such a space. It was to many yet another example of the cultural legacy of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

So, now, with the 2026 games upon us, a much more streamlined event than hosted in 2014, with what we are told are to be ‘no costs’ to either Glasgow or Scotland—with the exception of £1 million being raised for the Glasgow 2026 Festival. The question has to be what will the enduring legacy of the event be going forward?

Paddy Callaghan is the Operations Manager of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Britain. You can follow him on Twitter: @paddy_box and Instagram: paddy_box and contact him via e-mail at: paddy@comhaltas.co.uk