Glasgow, July 31 (IANS) With 30 medal sessions across 50 sport sessions, next year’s Commonwealth Games edition in Glasgow will be compact and short, and it will be spread over just 10 days. The organisers of Glasgow 2026 on Thursday revealed the official Session Schedule for the Commonwealth Games, setting the stage for 10 compact days of world-class sport action across the city.
Running from July 23 to August 2, the Games will bring together 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories to compete across 10 sports and six Para sports, with more than 200 medals to be won in 50 medal sessions. Events will take place in four of Scotland’s most iconic venues: the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and Arena, Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Pool, and the Scottish Exhibition Campus (SEC).
Competition will be held in 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 wheelchair Basketball, Artistic Gymnastics, Athletics and Para Athletics, Bowls and Para Bowls, Boxing, Judo, Netball, Swimming and Para-Swimming, Track Cycling and Para Cycling, Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting.
The action will begin on July 24 when the first medal of the Games will be awarded in Para Powerlifting, marking the first time in Commonwealth Games history that a Para sport opens the medal tally. Later that evening, fans can look forward to further medal events in Artistic Gymnastics and Swimming and Para Swimming, rounding off a thrilling first day of competition, Glasgow 2026 informed in a release on Thursday.
Despite there being fewer sports and fewer days than in previous editions, the organisers claimed that Glasgow 2026 will feature expanded programmes in several sports, offering more sessions and more opportunities for fans to experience the action.
Bowls and Para Bowls will run across all 10 days of the Games — the longest competition programme for the sport at a Commonwealth Games since Delhi 2010. The 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball will see three additional sessions compared to Birmingham 2022, reflecting the growing popularity of the fast-paced format.
In the pool, the schedule includes for the first time the men’s 800m freestyle and women’s 1500m freestyle, thus expanding the swim programme to its biggest ever at a Commonwealth Games.
The first weekend of the Games (July 25 and 26, 2026) promises to be a showstopper. Netball takes centre stage with a high-energy opening, with six sports lighting up the city across Saturday and Sunday, including 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball, Artistic Gymnastics, Bowls and Para Bowls, Boxing, Swimming and Para Swimming, and Weightlifting, Glasgow 2026 organisers said in a write-up on their official website.
Athletics and Para Athletics competitions will start on July 27 and will include six days of action at Scotstoun Stadium, including the return of the iconic Commonwealth Mile, back for the first time since 1966. This historic race is expected to be one of the most anticipated events of the Games. Swimming and Para Swimming will conclude on July 29, with evening sessions set to deliver high-stakes finals and emotional podium moments.
Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling will take over the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome from July 30, featuring the elimination race for the first time in Games history. The schedule includes more sessions than ever before.
The Super Saturday on August 1 promises wall-to-wall action, with medals on the line in Athletics and Para Athletics (both morning and evening sessions), plus Boxing, Judo, and Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling, creating a blockbuster penultimate day for fans in the stands and around the globe.
The Games will close on August 2 with a dramatic final day. The last medal is expected to be awarded in either Judo or Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling, though the exact moment will depend on the flow of competition, adding a final twist to an unforgettable 10 days.
Phil Batty OBE, Chief Executive of Glasgow 2026, said, “Glasgow 2026 will be an incredible Games. Packed full of medal moments, a brilliant platform for Para Sport, and a thrilling programme of sport across ten days. From the very first session to the last, Glasgow 2026 will deliver stand-out moments to packed venues, creating sporting memories for spectators across the Commonwealth.”
“Today’s session schedule sets out the biggest Para sport medal programme in Commonwealth Games history. It’s only fitting that the very first medal awarded will come from a Para Sport; a powerful statement of intent from the outset of the competition. Fans can expect unforgettable drama, fierce rivalries, and the kind of sporting magic that only the Commonwealth Games can deliver.”
In addition to unveiling the Session Schedule, Glasgow 2026 has launched its first national advertising campaign, placing sport and athletes at its heart.
The campaign will roll out across digital and Out of Home (OOH) advertising boards across central Scotland, and major cities across the UK, channelling Glasgow’s signature energy, warmth and humour.
–IANS
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