The multi-sport showpiece acts as a stepping stone to the Olympic Games and provides opportunities for non-Olympic sports.
National flags flying outside the Hydro indoor arena in Glasgow where the netball competition will be held at the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images
On the eve of the Commonwealth Games, questions will again be raised about the viability of the quadrennial showpiece.
I have previously used this space to make it clear that I think the Games should be scrapped, and for various reasons, that might well happen relatively soon.
However, there are also reasons the Commonwealth showpiece could survive, provided it continues to produce sufficient interest and buy-in from spectators, athletes, and national and international federations.
While there are multiple age group, university and continental championships which can offer developing athletes opportunities to gain experience at international level, the Commonwealth Games acts as a dress rehearsal for the most prestigious multi-sport spectacle, the Olympic Games.
The competition is generally tougher than continental multi-sport events like the African Games, and it has been used as a valuable stepping stone for athletes in various sports who have gone on to win Olympic medals.
I still feel there are sufficient other competitions to give athletes international experience, but the Commonwealth Games is the closest to replicating the environment of the Olympics, and in that way it does stand out.
Opportunity for non-Olympic sports
Additionally, for some codes that are not included in the Olympics, the Commonwealth showpiece is the most prestigious Games on the international sporting calendar.
Though the World Cup remains the pinnacle championship event in netball, the SA team have never earned a Commonwealth medal, and if they step on the podium in Glasgow it will help raise the interest of the code among SA sport fans.
Another sport that relies heavily on the Games to build interest is lawn bowls, which is not contested at the Olympics but has been one of South Africa’s most successful sports at the Commonwealth spectacle.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games starts in Glasgow today, with the opening ceremony and the first day of the bowls competition, and concludes on Sunday, 2 August.
A total of 10 able-bodied sports and six para-sports will be contested, with the list of codes being reduced for this edition in order to lower costs, which is another indication that even though there is some value to the Commonwealth Games, it might not last much longer.
