Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president, Christopher Samuda, has expressed understanding and empathy toward the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) as they face the challenge of hosting a scaled-down version of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

With the event, traditionally a grand celebration of sport, culture, and unity, being reduced in size due to economic pressures, Samuda acknowledges the difficulties facing the CGF while also stressing the need to find ways to address the impact this decision will have on several sports that have been cut from the programme.

Diving, rugby, squash, badminton, table tennis, hockey, triathlon, and cricket are among the sports that will not feature in the 2026 edition.

The CGF initially struggled to find a host after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year, before Glasgow, known for its rich sporting history as a host city—including hosting the 2014 edition of the game—stepped in to save the 2026 Games. However, this comes with the reality of hosting a more compact edition than previous iterations.

For Samuda, the situation is an unfortunate but understandable outcome in a global landscape.

“The circumstances in which the Commonwealth Games Federation unavoidably found itself inevitably led to a scaled-down edition of the games. I regret the exclusion of badminton, table tennis, squash, and hockey; for those sports, the Jamaica Olympic Association has earmarked for real transitioning. The CGF’s decision was clearly influenced by commercial factors and the economy of a diminished sporting agenda, for at the end of the day, the games must be viable to ensure sustainability,” Samuda said.

However, Samuda also noted that the decision to reduce the scope of the Games, which will see several sports omitted from the 2026 programme, raises important questions about the future of those disciplines within the Commonwealth sporting family.

He argued that the CGF must find ways to compensate the sports that have been excluded, as they are integral to the diversity and spirit of the Commonwealth Games.

“Going forward, however, the CGF has to develop a strategy that will compensate those sports that are being excluded so as not to lose the interest and confidence of their international federations, commercial partners, and most importantly, the players and athletes for whom sports exist,” he reasoned.

Despite the current challenges, Samuda remains optimistic about the future of the Commonwealth Games and the role it plays in uniting nations through sport. He sees the 2026 edition in Glasgow as an opportunity to innovate and adapt, ensuring that the Games remain relevant in a changing world.

The Games will feature a 10-sport programme across four venues within an eight-mile corridor, with more than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.

Athletics and swimming are included as compulsory sports for 2026, while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls, and 3x3 basketball.

“It is critical that the next games, while being an economic reinvention, should retain that unique traditional value that has given many sports and invaluable space on the Commonwealth sporting agenda and which have made it competitive as a sporting and commercial product amidst growing competition for the partnership dollar and public viewership and appeal,” Samuda said.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has confirmed Glasgow as the host city of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games will take place in Scotland from Thursday 23 July to Sunday 2 August 2026. Glasgow also hosted the games back in 2014. 

Glasgow 2026 will feature a 10-sport programme concentrated across four venues within an eight-mile corridor, ensuring an action-packed broadcast schedule across each day of competition and making the event accessible and appealing to spectators looking to enjoy the multi-sport environment and festival feel.

With over 500,000 tickets to be made available at a future date, there will be around 3,000 of the best athletes competing from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories that represent 2.5 billion people – one-third of the world’s population.

Para sport will once again be fully integrated as a key priority and point of difference for the Games, with six Para sports included on the sport programme.

The sports programme will include Athletics and Para Athletics (Track & Field), Swimming and Para Swimming, Artistic Gymnastics, Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling, Netball, Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting, Boxing, Judo, Bowls and Para Bowls, and 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball.

The Games will take place across four venues: Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Emirates Arena – including the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, and the Scottish Event Campus (SEC). Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotel accommodation.

Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Katie Sadleir NZOM said, ‘’On behalf of the entire Commonwealth Sport Movement, we are delighted to officially confirm that the 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place in the host city of Glasgow. The Games promise to be a truly immersive festival of sport and celebration of culture and diversity that inspires athletes and sports – with a fan experience more accessible than ever before.”

Scotland’s Katie Archibald added Commonwealth champion to her long list of accolades on this day in 2018.

Archibald, an Olympic, world and European champion in various disciplines, took gold in the women’s individual pursuit in Brisbane, having broken the Games record in a blistering qualifying session.

Her only previous Commonwealth medal was the bronze she won on home soil in the points race in Glasgow four years earlier.

Archibald, then aged 24, said before racing began gold was the only colour she wanted and swiftly delivered, covering the 3,000m distance in three minutes 26.088 seconds to beat Australian Rebecca Wiasak.

She had set the record at 3:24.119 in a qualifying session which saw three riders go under the previous record set by England’s Joanna Rowsell Shand in Glasgow.

“It means a lot, especially in the individual pursuit because it’s not an Olympic event,” said Archibald. “2014 always stands out as a big year for Joanna Rowsell to kind of echo, because she had the title and the Games record.

“You look at the success she carried from that point in her career. I’d be very proud.”

Fired up by his sister’s performance, Archibald’s brother John then added another medal to Scotland’s tally with silver in the men’s 4,000m individual pursuit as England’s Charlie Tanfield clinched gold.

“I watched her heat run and the pressure was on her,” said John Archibald.

“The Commonwealth Games record went and they all went better than her personal best so she had her back against the wall but she pulled out and delivered on the day and that got me going.”

Kelly Sotherton celebrated heptathlon gold at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, on this day in 2006.

Sotherton, then aged 29, won what proved the sole major title of her career to give England a fourth of six athletics golds at the Games.

Having seen her commanding lead after five events almost cut in half following a poor javelin display, fourth place in the final event, the 800 metres, was enough to seal overall victory.

She finished with 6,396 points, 98 ahead of Australian silver-medallist Kylie Wheeler, while 20-year-old team-mate Jessica Ennis, who had been a point ahead of Wheeler heading into the 800m, took bronze with 6,269.

Despite becoming champion, Sotherton expressed unhappiness over her performance, particularly her showing in the javelin – her best of 32.04m was more than a metre down on the 33.09m which ultimately cost her a world championship bronze medal in Helsinki the previous year.

“At the moment I’m disappointed, not for gold but for my points total,” she said.

“I had a rubbish day today, my javelin is just getting worse. I have no words to describe how gutted I am at letting myself down.

“But when I stand on the top step of the podium and listen to the national anthem for the first time ever I think I’ll realise I have achieved something quite good today.

“I just wanted to win and get across the line to become Commonwealth champion.”

Sotherton had claimed heptathlon bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and further bronzes were earned from the heptathlon at the Osaka 2007 World Championships and Beijing 2008 Olympics, as well as the 4x400m relay at the latter.

Sotherton, who announced her retirement in 2012, did not receive the Beijing medals until 2018, having been upgraded following disqualifications.

Five-time Commonwealth Games champion Claudia Fragapane has announced her retirement from gymnastics at the age of 26.

Fragapane, who also won two World Championship medals including being part of the team that claimed an historic bronze in 2015, said it was “the right time” to leave the sport.

The Bristol athlete shot to fame when she won four golds at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, and later found a whole new fanbase when she competed in the 2016 edition of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

Fragapane told British Gymnastics: “It feels like the right time. I’m really happy with my career, gymnastics has been my whole life for as long as I remember, but now I’m ready to flick over a new chapter.

“I started gymnastics at six years old, and from my first session at Bristol Hawks I said ‘I want to go to the Olympics’. I don’t think I knew how hard that would be at the time.

“But I absolutely loved the competitive side of gymnastics, I loved working hard to achieve what I wanted to. Once I started to get selected for squads, I just had this hunger to achieve more and more, and be the best I could be.”

Fragapane realised her Olympic dream when she competed at the 2016 Games in Rio. After recovering from a series of serious injuries, she won her fifth Commonwealth Games gold medal as part of the Great Britain women’s team in Birmingham in 2022.

A Jamaican sprint hurdler is facing provisional suspension after he tested positive for a banned substance. Sportsmax.TV has confirmed that the male athlete has tested positive for a substance that features prominently on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list.

The athlete has shone on the international stage in recent years winning medals in the Commonwealth Games, the Olympic Games and the Continental Cup.

Track authorities say the hurdler was informed of the positive test which came following an analysis of a sample by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO). The sprint hurdler was tested last month.

It's expected that the athlete's B-sample will be tested.

He'll then be required to face a hearing to determine whether he will face sanctions that include being banned from the sport.

England’s Rebecca Adlington won gold in the women’s 800m freestyle at the Commonwealth Games on this day in 2010.

Adlington added the 800metres freestyle Commonwealth title to her Olympic crown as she dominated from the start at the Dr SP Mukherjee Aquatics Complex in Delhi.

The then 21-year-old qualified second fastest for the final behind Wendy Trott, but it did not take long for her to assume control and she was more than two seconds ahead after 200 metres.

Adlington stretched her advantage to seven metres at the halfway point before Trott started making inroads in an attempt to chase down the double Olympic gold medallist.

But Adlington’s unassailable advantage was never seriously threatened as she touched home in eight minutes 24.69 seconds, more than two seconds ahead of Trott and Australia’s Melissa Gorman.

Adlington was relieved that she had managed to deliver after being the favourite to win the race.

“It is the mental pressure I put on myself because I want it so badly,” she said. “I have got the pressure because I have experienced the feeling of being on top and worry that I might never experience that feeling again.

“I’ve got to enjoy the feeling of wins like these.”

Adlington won four medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Adlington’s win was her third medal of the Games after previously claiming bronze in the 200m freestyle and 4x200m relay, and she went on to secure another gold medal in the 400m freestyle.

She added: “Coming here if I wanted to get a gold medal it was going to be in that event to be honest.

“I just decided to go for it and went for it from the start and at 400 saw I was a bit ahead and thought ‘I might as well stick at this pace, just keep it nice and smooth’.

“It wasn’t about the time at all there, this week has not been about times for anyone, it’s been about the racing.

“It’s been a long season so it’s nice to finish off with a gold medal.”

Alistair Brownlee beat brother Jonny to the gold medal in the men’s triathlon at the Commonwealth Games, on this day in 2014.

The Olympic gold medallist had time to grab England and Yorkshire flags and give his brother a clap before walking across the finish line at at Strathclyde Country Park.

England had never won a medal in the sport at the Commonwealths before but took home four in one day after Jodie Stimpson produced a superb performance to take gold in the women’s race, with Vicky Holland winning a surprise bronze.

The men’s race was not nearly as competitive because of the incredible dominance of Yorkshire’s Brownlee brothers.

They led virtually from start to finish but it was older brother Alistair who again had the edge to add the Commonwealth title to his Olympic and world crowns.

“I’m fortunate I’ve won the world title, I’ve won the Olympic title and to complete the set with the Commonwealth title as well, that’s the most important thing for me,” he said.

“They’re the big three things in Olympic-distance triathlon so it’s perfect, it’s far more than I ever could have dreamed of.”

Jonny, who won Olympic bronze in 2012, finished 11 seconds adrift while South Africa’s Richard Murray won bronze.

Gold Coast is ready to step in and host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Australian city’s mayor has said.

Gold Coast staged the Games in 2018 and its mayor Tom Tate said it is “Games ready” after the state of Victoria withdrew as 2026 hosts earlier this week.

Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews cited a rise in estimated costs to at least six billion Australian dollars (just under £3.2bn) as he announced the withdrawal on Tuesday.

“The premier of Victoria’s lemon, the Gold Coast can turn that into lemonade because that’s how we roll,” Tate said in quotes reported by ABC in Australia.

“We can highlight once more that the Gold Coast is going ahead in leaps and bounds.”

Tate said hosting 2026 would give the state of Queensland “momentum” in its journey towards state capital Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympic Games, but warned federal government funding initially earmarked for Victoria would need to be redirected to his city to make it happen.

Athletics Australia welcomed Tate’s comments, but Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said all efforts must remain focused on the 2032 Olympics.

“Even though the Gold Coast is a wonderful venue, it does have the venues and the infrastructure, it does have the transport, but we cannot afford to spend more money on another games,” she said.

ABC reported Tate had already made contact with officials at the Commonwealth Games Federation, which has been contacted for comment.

CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir told the PA news agency earlier this week her organisation was “open” to offers from any countries interested in hosting, including those within the UK.

A spokesman for London mayor Sadiq Khan said he “stood ready” to support a submission for 2026 but that any decision would need to be taken by the British Government.

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf said his country would explore the possibility of stepping in, possibly as part of a multi-country bid.

Commonwealth Games Scotland chair Ian Reid has a strong track record in Games delivery, having served as chief financial officer for the Glasgow 2014 organising committee and as chief executive of the Birmingham 2022 Games.

Gold Coast is ready to step in and host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Australian city’s mayor has said.

Gold Coast staged the Games in 2018 and its mayor Tom Tate said it is “Games ready” after the state of Victoria withdrew as 2026 hosts earlier this week.

Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews cited a rise in estimated costs to at least six billion Australian dollars (just under £3.2bn) as he announced the withdrawal on Tuesday.

“The premier of Victoria’s lemon, the Gold Coast can turn that into lemonade because that’s how we roll,” Tate said in quotes reported by ABC in Australia.

“We can highlight once more that the Gold Coast is going ahead in leaps and bounds.”

Tate said hosting 2026 would give the state of Queensland “momentum” in its journey towards state capital Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympic Games, but warned federal government funding initially earmarked for Victoria would need to be redirected to his city to make it happen.

Athletics Australia welcomed Tate’s comments, but Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said all efforts must remain focused on the 2032 Olympics.

“Even though the Gold Coast is a wonderful venue, it does have the venues and the infrastructure, it does have the transport, but we cannot afford to spend more money on another games,” she said.

ABC reported Tate had already made contact with officials at the Commonwealth Games Federation, which has been contacted for comment.

CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir told the PA news agency earlier this week her organisation was “open” to offers from any countries interested in hosting, including those within the UK.

A spokesman for London mayor Sadiq Khan said he “stood ready” to support a submission for 2026 but that any decision would need to be taken by the British Government.

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf said his country would explore the possibility of stepping in, possibly as part of a multi-country bid.

Commonwealth Games Scotland chair Ian Reid has a strong track record in Games delivery, having served as chief financial officer for the Glasgow 2014 organising committee and as chief executive of the Birmingham 2022 Games.

Thea LaFond is gearing up for another successful season after achieving remarkable success last year. LaFond, who is based in Ashburn, Virginia, is excited to see how her hard work during the offseason will translate into her performances this year.

The year 2022 was a massive one for the 29-year-old LaFond, who won gold at the NACAC Championships in The Bahamas and a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games Birmingham, England. She was also fifth in the finals at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. However, with that success she has no intention of resting on her laurels as the 2023 season continues to unfold.

"Last season's medals were truly an amazing experience," she told Sportsmax.TV. "To build on last year's success, I have gotten stronger and faster, and I'm eager to see how that translates through the season."

LaFond has set her sights on achieving a jump of 15m or more this year.

"15m plus is definitely one of the major goals for championships and beyond," she said. "This season, we are really focused on upping the energy and working on timing up the phases a bit better for even bigger and active contacts in the jumps."

Despite fierce competition from the imperious Venezuelan triple jumper, three-time world champion Yulimar Rojas, the current world record holder, who has dominated the event in recent years, LaFond maintains a positive mindset.

"I think that my mentality is that I am always battling it out for three medals. Always," said LaFond. "Rojas is very good, there is no denying that, but anything can happen at any meet. Coming into a competition with anything less of that mentality is setting yourself up for failure. I'm bringing my best and trying to win."

Despite the hard work put in during the off season, her indoor season-opener of 14.08m at the Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico was less than impressive but being a quick study, she made the necessary adjustments and did much better shortly thereafter popping a 14.60m jump. She cited approach issues for the relatively poor opener.

"One of the major takeaways was to be patient in my drive phase and to bring my knee higher so I'm not getting over-rotated in my second phase," said LaFond who is set to compete next in May at a meet in Savona, Italy.

She acknowledges the impact her recent success has had on the youth of Dominica and is grateful for their support.

“The Commonwealth and NACAC medals were received with such joy in Dominica. I think that as an athlete that lives and trains abroad, I’m really only privy to what people say online,” she said.

“I was grateful for the online posts of love and support that followed those medals. However, when I finally got to go home the love was overflowing. I really had no clue how much I impacted the youth of Dominica and how much I was seen as an inspiration. I am so grateful to have the support of my people and it is always an honor to represent my nation.”

 LaFond is also focused on the upcoming World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with her coach Aaron Gadson. "My plans for Budapest are to go and compete with all my heart. The goal is a medal and 15m. It's time for Dominica to have a woman World medalist, and I'm ready to do the work to get there," she said.

An expired Therapeutic Use Exemption certificate has caused Trinidad and Tobago long jumper Tyra Gittens to accept a six-month ban for the unintentional use of a prohibited substance. The ban took effect from September 26, 2022 and any results in competition since June 26, 2022, have been wiped from her record, which means she loses her results from the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon and Commonwealth Games in Birmingham England.

The ban has since expired which means she is now free to train and compete.

World Athletics’ Athletics Integrity United (AIU) ruled on Monday that the athlete was ineligible for a person of six months after a sample she provided in June 2022 was found to contain methylphenidate/ritalinic acid, a prohibited substance that is an ingredient of the medication she takes for ADHD.

However, at the time the sample was taken, Gittens’ Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) had expired. The AIU said it accepts that the athlete had not realized that her previous TUE had expired by the time that the first sample was taken at the national Trinidad and Tobago championships on June 26, 2022.

“She was not advised that the TTO Sample was positive for methylphenidate, or that her TUE had expired for this purpose, until November 2022, after the sample collected from her at the World Championships on July 23, 2022,” the AIU said adding that they also accept that Gittens had no information at the time of her second World Athletics sample that her TUE application was incomplete.

“The AIU also accepts that the medication was used for legitimate medical reasons and the athlete did not intend to cheat. Accordingly, the AIU accepts that the violation was not ‘intentional’.”

Gittens, who turned pro just last week, addressed the development on her Instagram on Monday stating that, “My Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for taking ADHD medication was not approved in time for the World Championships last summer, which caused me to test positive for methylphenidate.

“Even though I have taken the same medication for years and had the same TUE for the Tokyo Olympics, I did not complete the application correctly. To put this behind me, my team and I accepted a six-month suspension backdated to Sept(ember) 25, which means the period of ineligibility is already served, and I can proceed with my season. During that time, I learned so much more about myself, my priorities, and my goals.”

She also revealed that this was not the only challenge she had to face in the last year.

“The last year and a half was one of the most challenging times of my life. First my transfer, it was a huge leap of faith and it extremely last minute. It was complicated learning a new event, having a new coach, new training schedules, new programs, living in a new city, and being in a new environment,” she said.

“It was an extremely confusing and overwhelming time and it led me to not trust myself and it showed in my performance last year.

“Secondly, earlier that year I lost my grandmother to diabetes. In August my aunt lost her battle with breast cancer, two weeks later my last grandmother passed away. Losing those amazing women was extremely heartbreaking. They were fighters and even though it was tough moving on, their stories motivated me to continue my fight as well.”

She revealed that these trials have made her stronger and better prepared for anything that life will throw at her.

“I am a different woman because of last year’s trials and tribulations. It has made me stronger, more trusting of myself, happier, and more at peace with my reality,” she said.

“I’m so thankful for the people who were behind me during this extremely lonely time of my life. Now it’s time to get back to work and continue my journey of turning my dreams into reality.”

Barbadian 400m superstar Sada Williams took home four awards at the Barbados Olympic Association’s annual Awards Ceremony on December 22 at the Hilton Barbados Resort.

Williams, who won gold in the women’s 400 metres at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in a new meet and national record of 49.75, was rewarded for that feat.

In addition to being named Senior Female Athlete of the Year, she also received the International Excellence award and the coveted President’s Award from BOA chief, Sandra Osborne.

“I am extremely honoured to receive such an important award – the President’s Award. I also want to recognise the other nominees who also had an outstanding season,” the 25-year-old World Championships bronze medallist said.

“The successes I had this past season would not have been possible without the contributions and encouragement of so many people, too many to name and I sincerely thank each one of you for helping me make this a memorable season and for giving me a chance to win this award,” she added.

In addition to her medals at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games, Williams also took silver at the NACAC Championships in the Bahamas in August.

2022 World Championship 400m bronze medallist Sada Williams was controversially left out of Barbados’ Independence Awards as the country celebrated their 56^th year of independence on Wednesday.

Barbadian journalist Mike King described the omission of Williams from the list of awardees as “shocking” and “inexcusable” in a Facebook post.

“To leave World Championship bronze medallist Sada Williams out of the Independence Awards is a national scandal. Members of Cabinet should hold their heads down in shame,” he added.

Williams enjoyed a career best 2022 season in the one lap event.

In July, she ran a personal best and national record 49.75 for bronze at the World Championships in Eugene. She followed that up in August by winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 49.90 and silver at the NACAC Championships in Freeport in 49.86.

In addition to those medals, Williams also enjoyed four top three finishes on the Diamond League circuit last season. She finished third in Monaco and second in Lausanne and Brussels before crossing the line third once again at the Diamond League final in Zurich.

Barbadian Commonwealth Games 400m champion and World Championship bronze medallist Sada Williams gifted her medals from the 2022 season to the Barbados Olympic Association on Thursday.

“Today, I had the honor of gifting my medals to the Barbados Olympic Association where they can be showcased in their museum for any and everyone visiting to view them,” Williams said on her Instagram page on Thursday.

Williams enjoyed a career best 2022 season in the one lap event.

In July, she ran a personal best and national record 49.75 for bronze at the World Championships in Eugene. She followed that up in August by winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 49.90 and silver at the NACAC Championships in Freeport in 49.86.

In addition to those medals, Williams also enjoyed four top three finishes on the Diamond League circuit last season. She finished third in Monaco and second in Lausanne and Brussels before crossing the line third once again at the Diamond League final in Zurich.

“I thought it only fitting to share my achievements to the people of Barbados after all the overwhelming support from this past season. To all my fellow Bajan athletes, I hope you take this opportunity and remember that even though we’re from a little island, we can do big things."