As www.islandstats.com previously reported, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) officially confirmed Glasgow as the host city of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
When legendary rocker Ozzy Osborne brought the curtain down on the 2022 Commonwealth Games, there was a sense of euphoria in Birmingham.
Regrettable' and 'time to reflect' - the sports losing out
Prior to Tuesday's announcement, only athletics and swimming were assured of their place at Glasgow 2026 as 'mandatory' Commonwealth Games sports.
The sports dropped have met the decision with understandable disappointment.
www.islandstats.com spoke with Brian Lewis, the former President of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) and the current Secretary General of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC), who shared his views for Regional Athletes following the announcement of sports omitted for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Diving has been part of every Games since 1930 but has missed out in Glasgow, with a lack of an existing purpose-built venue being cited as the primary reason.
Scottish Swimming acknowledged the "difficult decisions" facing organizers but Diving Australia said the sport's Commonwealth heritage made the decision "even more regrettable".
Hockey is another long-standing core sport - having been introduced in 1998 - to lose out.
Squash, Badminton and Table Tennis were all cut, meaning there will be no racquet sports in Glasgow.
It's a blow. With the UK countries, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, etc, the depth of competition is incredibly high.
"Hockey missing out stood out as well, you would be hard pushed to see more world class sports at Commonwealth level than squash or hockey.
In a move that will surprise few people, swim/bike/run was not one of the sports to make the cut for a Games, In 2022 Bermuda’s Dame Flora Duffy claimed a brilliant victory in front of a passionate crowd on the streets of Birmingham, but those kind of sights will not happen again in two years’ time.
