Sport organisations share their disappointment at being omitted from Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Having been advised this week of their omission from the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games - Squash Australia, Volleyball Australia, Diving Australia and AusTriathlon have shared their disappointment.

SQUASH AUSTRALIA
Squash Australia is disappointed with this week’s announcement that squash has been omitted from the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.

The news is a blow to the sport which had been a fixture on the Commonwealth Games program since 1998.

While athletes were originally looking forward to competing at a home Games before Victoria withdrew as hosts last year, they remained hopeful of still having the opportunity to compete in 2026 once Glasgow was announced as the new host city.

With limited preparation time and the need to keep operating costs low, the program in Glasgow was reduced to just 10 sports, however with Scotstoun Sports Complex housing an existing venue that successfully hosted the sport in 2014, squash remained hopeful of inclusion in 2026.

Robert Donaghue, Squash Australia Chief Executive, said the news was heartbreaking to players who had their sights set on wearing the green and gold in two years' time and added “with Rachael Grinham carrying the flag into the opening ceremony in 2022 and Australia contributing 11 gold and 33 total medals since 1998, Australia has achieved great success in a sport which has been part of the fabric of the Commonwealth Games for a quarter of a century.

“While our sport’s inclusion in the program for the LA 2028 Olympic Games provides an unrivalled incentive for our leading players, the Commonwealth Games has been the pinnacle for our players for the last three decades.

“With such a short preparation time before Glasgow and with costs needing to be kept tight to stage the event at all, we fully understand the reason for having such a drastically reduced sports program in 2026. However, with a 2014 legacy venue capable of hosting the competition once again, the squash community remained hopeful of being a part of the Games until today’s news arrived.

“We wish the best of luck to the 10 sports who we know will represent Australia with pride at Glasgow 2026 and look forward to joining them again in 2030.

“In the meantime, Squash Australia will work with WSF and the international Squash community to investigate options to supplement another international tournament in 2026.”

DIVING AUSTRALIA  
Diving Australia is disappointed to learn that Diving will not be part of the 2026 Commonwealth Games programme in Glasgow.

Diving Australia Chief EXecutive Alex Newton shared “naturally we are disappointed that diving won’t feature as part of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games given our proud history and strong track record of success.

“Diving has been a feature sport at every edition since the first Commonwealth Games in 1930 which makes today’s announcement even more regrettable.

“Even though diving won’t be part of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which has been forced to reduce their program to just 10 sports given the short lead in time, we will be working with Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) and World Aquatics (Aqua) to ensure we can return in 2030.

“We will also be working collectively with CGA as a member sport to make sure that we remain a part of the Commonwealth Games planning for the future.

“With the 2025 World Aquatics Championships on the horizon and the LA 2028 Olympic Games cycle already underway, we remain optimistic about the opportunities for our athletes to represent their country on the global stage.”

VOLLEYBALL AUSTRALIA
Volleyball Australia can confirm beach volleyball has been ruled out of the 2026 Commonwealth Games program in Glasgow.

Naturally this is disappointing news for our athletes, including our developing teams, with the Commonwealth Games a marquee tournament on our international calendar.

Volleyball Australia was excited about the prospect of Australia hosting another home Commonwealth Games in 2026 as it would have provided excellent opportunities for athletes, fans and volunteers. 

With the Glasgow City Council short lead in time to deliver a Games in 2026 has meant the program was forced to be cut to just 10 sports, almost half the program.

Volleyball Australia Chief Executive Andrew Dee advised “we are deeply disappointed with the news that beach volleyball won’t feature as part of the 2026 Commonwealth Games program in Glasgow.

“We appreciate that the program needed to be reduced to cater for the short lead in time the Glasgow City Council will have to deliver the Commonwealth Games, after the event was in jeopardy due to the Andrews’ Government withdrawing its support for Victoria to host.

“Volleyball Australia remains committed to working with Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) to remain a member sport and to make a return to the 2030 Commonwealth Games.  We wish all the Australian sports contesting the 2026 Commonwealth Games the very best of luck.

“Right now, our focus is on preparing to host the 2025 World Beach Volleyball Championships in Adelaide from 14th-23rd November 2025. 96 teams from approximately 50 nations will be taking part, making it the largest and most exciting beach volleyball event on the international calendar, bigger than the Paris Olympic tournament under the Eiffel Tower. It will be our opportunity to showcase Australia as a world-class host.”

AUS TRIATHLON
AusTriathlon is disappointed to learn that Triathlon will not be included on the sport programme for 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The Commonwealth Games is a pinnacle event on our international calendar, and one where our Australian athletes have enjoyed success, since our sport was first included in 2002.

We’ll be working collaboratively with Commonwealth Games Australia to make sure that we remain a part of the Commonwealth Games family, while we work towards other international events on the horizon.

Fortunately World Triathlon has a robust international calendar, including World Cup and World Championships events. We’re looking forward to welcoming the world’s best down under for the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Finals in Wollongong from 15th – 19th October 2025.