GLASGOW: The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games officially opened tonight at The Hydro with a vibrant celebration of Scottish culture, creativity and community spirit, welcoming more than 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories.
In a theatrical opening sequence, King Charles III of the United Kingdom (UK) and Queen Camilla emerged from a TARDIS, the time-travelling spacecraft featured in British science-fiction series “Doctor Who”, accompanied by six-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy.
Before athletes, officials and spectators from across the Commonwealth, King Charles officially declared the Games open after reading the message contained in the King’s Baton.
For the first time in Commonwealth Games history, the Opening Ceremony was staged inside an arena, reflecting Glasgow 2026’s more compact vision while placing athletes at the heart of the celebration.
Centred on the theme “bringing the spirit of your home to the heart of ours”, the ceremony celebrated connections forged through sport while drawing inspiration from Glasgow’s heritage, creativity and resilience.
Audiences were taken on a journey through a day in Glasgow, highlighting the city’s industrial roots, cultural identity and community spirit through music, storytelling and large-scale artistic performances.
Some 600 volunteer performers appeared alongside leading Scottish musical acts, including KT Tunstall, Tom Walker, Nina Nesbitt, Callum Beattie, Saint Phnx and folk-electronic duo Valtos.
Meanwhile, the King’s Baton Relay concluded with all 74 batons arriving in Glasgow after completing the longest relay in Commonwealth Games history.
As part of the formal proceedings, the Commonwealth Sport flag was raised before the Glasgow 2026 oaths were delivered.
Among those taking the oaths were Scottish lawn bowler Paul Foster and 3×3 wheelchair basketball player Robyn Love, alongside representatives of athletics and Commonwealth Games volunteers.
The Malaysian contingent entered the arena which can accommodate about 14,000 spectators, led by two-time Paralympic long jump champion Datuk Abdul Latif Romly, who carried the Jalur Gemilang, with world number one lawn bowler Emma Firyana Saroji serving as Malaysia’s King’s Baton bearer.
Wearing Jalur Gemilang-inspired batik shirts featuring hibiscus motifs in tribute to the country’s national flower, about 40 Malaysian athletes took part in the parade.
Overall, Malaysia has fielded 59 athletes – comprising 37 able-bodied and 22 para athletes – across eight sports, supported by a 45-member officials’ contingent.
The national contingent has been set a target of five gold medals, two silvers and four bronzes, with medal hopes resting on weightlifting, track cycling, lawn bowls, judo, para powerlifting and para athletics.
Glasgow is hosting the Commonwealth Games for the second time after 2014, with this edition featuring 10 sports and six integrated para sports across four venue clusters within an eight-mile corridor.
The 10 sports are 3×3 basketball, artistic gymnastics, athletics, lawn bowls, boxing, judo, netball, swimming, track cycling and weightlifting, while the six integrated para sports are 3×3 wheelchair basketball, para athletics, para bowls, para swimming, para track cycling and para powerlifting.
Competition began earlier today with lawn bowls and para bowls, with national lawn bowler Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple becoming the country’s first athlete in action in the men’s singles event.
The Games run until Aug 2. –BERNAMA
