Australia dominated as traditional, however have been the new-look Commonwealth Games the way in which of the longer term?

The new-look Commonwealth Games wrapped up in Glasgow this morning (Australian time) with loads of questions concerning the stripped-back format and what the longer term might maintain for the occasion.

The 2026 video games have been initially awarded to the Australian state of Victoria earlier than it baulked on the prices. Glasgow then stepped in – however with a scaled-down model that includes solely ten sports activities (the Birmingham video games in 2022 had 20).

So, what have been the highlights, did the brand new format work, and what might the longer term maintain for the video games?

How did the Australians go?

Australia once more dominated, topping the medal tally for the ninth time in the past ten games.

Direct comparisons are troublesome because of Glasgow solely providing 215 gold medals, down from 280 in 2022.

However, Australia received extra gold medals this 12 months than in 2022, regardless of there being 9 fewer sports activities and 65 fewer golds on provide.

In truth, Australia received more golds than the following three nations mixed.

Australia additionally received medals in every sport.

Swimmers have been main contributors: the Dolphins had their greatest Commonwealth Games, successful a document 76 medals.

Australia additionally topped the medal tally in athletics, cycling and 3×3 basketball.

Australia captured 17 medals, together with seven gold, on the ultimate day of athletics – its most successful day in Commonwealth Games athletics historical past.

Lawn bowler Louise Hoskins grew to become the oldest gold medallist in Commonwealth Games historical past, at 76.

And bicycle owner Georgia Baker grew to become Australia’s equal-most adorned Commonwealth Games bicycle owner with 5 gold medals. She was additionally the flag bearer for the closing ceremony.

How have been the video games obtained?

The occasion obtained each positive and adverse reactions.

For many, the 2026 occasion achieved precisely what it wanted to. It saved the Commonwealth Games from extinction and offered a template for future host cities seeking to host smaller, cheaper video games.

For others, the video games have been stripped again too much.

Key critiques concerned the removal of the athletes’ village and of many sports activities with long histories within the video games, reminiscent of rugby, squash and subject hockey.

The omission of publicly accessible, city-stopping occasions, such because the triathlon, marathon and highway biking, considerably decreased the visibility and “buzz” of the occasion for locals.

But the video games have been a TV rankings success in nations reminiscent of Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

This wasn’t the case within the United Kingdom, the place the video games weren’t broadcast on free-to-air tv. The BBC, which had broadcast each video games since 1954, was outbid by pay TV station TNT.

In phrases of funds, Birmingham 2022 value £778 million (A$1.5 billion) – Glasgow’s funds was simply £150 million (A$287 million).

Early projections are a spend of £162.6 million (A$311 million) – barely over funds, however nonetheless considerably cheaper than previous video games.

Looking to the longer term

Glasgow was an emergency resolution after Victoria withdrew as host. Its most essential legacy could also be a brand new precept that the video games needs to be designed round what a number can realistically afford and ship.

Commonwealth Sport calls this strategy “Games Reset”. It encourages hosts to make use of present amenities and provides them extra freedom to form this system. It additionally retains para sports activities occasions inside the identical video games and seeks an equal stability of occasions for men and women.

The 2030 occasion in India shall be greater than Glasgow, however is unlikely to return to the previous, one-size-fits-all mannequin.

Amdavad, also referred to as Ahmedabad, in India, has been confirmed as host of the centenary video games. It plans to stage between 15 and 17 sports activities – significantly greater than Glasgow’s ten.

Under the present policy, this system consists of athletics, swimming, desk tennis, bowls, weightlifting, inventive gymnastics, netball and boxing.

Hosts should additionally select no less than two of those three sports activities: subject hockey, rugby sevens and Twenty20 cricket.

Amdavad’s closing program has not but been confirmed, however sports activities with massive Indian audiences reminiscent of cricket and hockey seem more likely to be thought-about.

Looking forward to Australia’s 2028 Olympic marketing campaign

The Olympics are rather more aggressive than the Commonwealth Games.

In Los Angeles in two years’ time, Australia will once more be competing in opposition to powerhouses reminiscent of China and the United States.

So, how a lot of Australia’s Glasgow end result predicts success in 2028?

Many gold medal-winning performances in Glasgow will possible be outside the medals in Los Angeles, and even exterior of the finals, compared with the world’s main athletes.

However, there’s a lot hope in swimming and athletics.

In the pool, Lani Pallister received the ladies’s 800m freestyle in a games-record time.

Pallister swam this event on the Paris Olympics in 2024 and completed exterior the medals. Two years on, her Glasgow time would have received her silver.

Pallister backed this up with a 400m freestyle time that will have been adequate to say bronze in Paris.

Cameron McEvoy’s dominance continues, with the reigning Olympic champion successful the boys’s 50m freestyle in a video games document – quicker than when he took gold in Paris.

Sam Short’s gold within the 400m freestyle would have additionally received gold in Paris.

On the monitor, Lachlan Kennedy’s silver-medal-winning 100m dash of 9.85 seconds not solely set a nationwide document, it might have received bronze on the Tokyo 2020 video games and positioned equal-fifth in 2024.

The relays advised an analogous story. Australia beat reigning Olympic champion Canada to win the boys’s 4x100m for a shock gold – its first title within the occasion since 1974.

Eleanor Patterson’s winning high jump of 1.96m was higher than her bronze medal leap of 1.95m in Paris.

And Paris bronze medallist Matt Denny shall be a powerful probability for one more medal within the discus in 2028, following his gold medal in Glasgow.

In brief, Australia has some elite athletes able to successful medals in 2028. Others might want to hold bettering if Australia goes to match its record-breaking end result from the Paris 2024 Olympics.