I Have Had Absolute Pride in the Way That the City and the Commonwealth Has Come Together

Phil Batty, chief executive of Glasgow 2026, has hailed this year's Commonwealth Games as "phenomenal, saying the event proved the competition can thrive for another century. In an interview with the Guardian, Batty said the revamped format — which featured just 10 sports compared with 19 in Birmingham four years ago — demonstrated a financially sustainable model as the Games head to Amdavad in 2030. "What a phenomenal 11 days, Batty said. "I have had absolute pride in the way that the city and the Commonwealth has come together.

These Games have not only exceeded expectations. They have demonstrated that major events can flex and evolve to be fit for purpose in the future. What we've seen here in Glasgow is that you can put on an incredible Games, which is different but still feels as brilliant as it ever has been, and is ready for the next 100 years.

And these Games have proved once and for all that the Commonwealth Games are relevant, the Commonwealth Games matter, and the Commonwealth Games are here to last. The Games faced criticism over a long list of absentee stars — including Britain's 800m Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh, and Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred — as well as limited TV visibility and a lack of sell-out crowds. Katie Sadleir, chief executive of Commonwealth Sport, echoed Batty's positive assessment.

"These Games have absolutely exceeded my expectations, she said. "People are talking about it on the streets. I've met with athletes.

I've met with Commonwealth Games Associations and everyone is going away buzzed about what happened. Organisers put the projected spend at £162.6m, a fraction of the £543m spent at Glasgow 2014 and the £680m on Birmingham in 2022. They noted Glasgow also benefited from £4.7m in upgrades, including a new track and replacement pitch at Scotstoun Stadium and the upgrading of Tollcross International Swimming Centre. TV figures released by organisers showed 11.4 million viewers in Australia on Channel 7 and close to four million in Canada on CBC, but they did not disclose British viewing numbers for TNT/HBO Max or Five's highlights show.

The opening ceremony reportedly peaked at about 800,000 on Channel 5, with a further 50,000 on TNT, well down on the five million who watched on the BBC in 2022. Sadleir defended the decision to choose Warner Brothers Discovery after the BBC's offer was said to be a "fraction" of the WBD bid. "The BBC has been a fantastic partner for a very long period in terms of the Commonwealth Games, and we are doing BBC Radio, so they are involved, she said. "But I look after the Commonwealth movement of 74 countries, and it is my responsibility to look globally in terms of viewership.

Some British athletes worry their medal-winning performances have not attracted the interest of previous Games due to the lack of BBC coverage. Sadleir insisted many people now stream rather than watch linear TV. "We are so pleased with the WBD deal, she said.

"The world is moving in terms of how people are consuming sport. I've been sitting in the stands with people watching the live sport and seeing them watching HBO Max with their four screens and they're streaming it. Linear is still very important, but where we're moving to is a much wider look and feel about how people are consuming the Games.

And for £4.99 for 600 hours compared to 200 hours in Birmingham, we are very pleased with that relationship. We have a very young demographic that we are trying to attract. Those people aren't watching linear TV; they are streaming and watching it on their phones and devices."