Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games delivered £233m boost to Scotland's economy, report finds
The Glasgow region alone gained £158.6m from the 11-day Games, which were staged for less than £160m and drew around a million spectators.
Tollcross International Swimming Centre, one of the Glasgow 2026 venues. File photo. · Photograph: Daniel from Glasgow (CC BY 2.0)
This summer's Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games generated £233 million in economic activity across Scotland, according to an official evaluation.
The report found the 11-day event delivered a £158.6 million boost to the Glasgow region alone, with the rest of the country also benefiting.
A slimmed-down Games
The Games were delivered under a new, smaller model for less than £160 million, after Glasgow stepped in when the future of the event was in doubt.
Some 2,749 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations competed in ten sports and six para-sports. Six world records and 152 Commonwealth Games records were set, and the event featured the biggest para-sport programme in the Games' history, with 47 medal events.
Around a million people in Scotland attended events in person, and 510 million watched worldwide.
Jobs and volunteers
The Games supported the equivalent of 2,400 full-time years of employment, and 82 students secured roles during the event. Four thousand volunteers, known as Legends, gave 156,000 hours of their time. More than a third had never volunteered before, and 87% said they planned to volunteer again.
The report also found that community activity linked to the Games reached every one of Scotland's 32 council areas.
'Something altogether brilliant'
Glasgow 2026 chief executive Phil Batty said the report showed the city had delivered great sport and a proud Glasgow welcome while creating opportunities across Scotland, and thanked the workforce, volunteers, partners and communities.
Team Scotland wheelchair basketball player and coach Robyn Love, who won silver in the 3x3 event, said winning a medal at a home Games was the stuff of dreams, and she hoped the visibility of para-sport would inspire others.
Ian Reid, chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said Scotland had stepped forward when the future of the Games was uncertain, and that the lessons learned would strengthen future editions of the event.