I wish I could say, upon hearing the news this week that the 2026 Commonwealth Games will come to Glasgow, that I felt a wave of excitement within me.

I didn’t.

It had been rumoured for weeks that Glasgow would host the Games in 2026, 12 years after the triumph that was Glasgow 2014.

That Scotland’s biggest city has ended up in this position is, let’s be frank, because no one else wants the thing.

From the withdrawal of Victoria last year to the refusal of Singapore and Malaysia to take the Games despite the promise of a hefty wad of cash coming along with it, no one wanted it.

In the end, it was Glasgow or bust for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

And so, as was confirmed this week, the Games will return to Scotland in 2026 but will look markedly different from the event we basked in ten years ago.

Glasgow 2014 was an overwhelming success (Image: Sourced)

This time around, the sports programme will be significantly scaled down – only 10 sports will be included in Glasgow 2026 compared to 17 in Glasgow 2014; only four venues will be used; there’ll be no Athletes’ Village and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be considerably smaller affairs than those of10 years ago.

When Glasgow was first mentioned as a potential host for the 2026 Games, I scoffed at the idea. I wrote in these very pages that I thought it would never happen. Never even get close to happening,........

© Herald Scotland