An unstoppable experience for the Australian Commonwealth Games Team is now just 365 days away, with today marking one-year-to-go until Glasgow 2026.
Set to compete across 10 sports, including six with para-sport inclusions, a green and gold contingent of almost 300 athletes will be supported by just shy of 150 team personnel across coaching, performance healthcare, recovery, logistics and operations.
The medal program is 200-strong and features the biggest ever para-sport haul, as athletes vie for one of the 47 gold medals available.
Competition will be spread across four precincts and six venues; athletes will stay in three distinct hotel clusters and the 11 days of competition will welcome almost 3000 starters from the 74 nations of the Commonwealth.
A Team Executive of four will be led by Petria Thomas OAM OLY, with the nine-time Commonwealth Games champion remarking that excitement ahead of the Games is quickly building.
“With one year to go, you can really feel the excitement building; preparations are ramping up, and there’s a real sense of momentum behind everything we do,” Thomas said.
“This milestone is more than just a countdown, it’s a signal that the hard work, planning and passion behind the Australian Team is coming together.
“Our athletes are at the heart of it all, and we’re building the environment that allows them to thrive and have one of life’s most memorable experiences.”
Her sentiment was echoed by reigning discus champion Matthew Denny, with the Paris 2024 bronze medallist aiming to return to the thrower’s cage at Glasgow 2026.
“People often ask me when the next Commonwealth Games are before they ask about the Olympics or World Champs,” Denny said.
“I feel like there’s a strong standing there for Australians because we love to beat the Pommies, it’s a really good standard across the board.”
He was joined in his enthusiasm by Moesha Johnson, the two-time open water swimming gold medallist at the currently underway World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.
Johnson will return to the pool to chase selection in the women’s 1500m, featuring on the Games program for the first time.
“The Commonwealth Games has such a rich history for Australian athletes. I would love the honour and the chance to be in Glasgow next year,” Johnson said.
“It would be one of the few meets where I can just concentrate on my pool swimming without the juggle of open water. I am super excited they have added it (the 1500m) to the program.”
Two-time Birmingham 2022 para-cycling gold medallist Jess Gallagher is also committed.
“One year out and the fire’s lit. Bring on the challenge, the prep, and the journey to wear the green and gold again,” Gallagher said.
“There’s something special about the one-year mark, it’s more real now.”
The preparedness of Australia’s athletes stems from the record investment being made by the Australian Government in sport, with $385 million now committed to 70 sports across the Win Well and Play Well initiatives.
The result is increased investment in 95% of sports on the road to either Glasgow 2026 or the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with an average increase of 64% per annum when compared to the most recent funding cycle.
The Hon. Anika Wells MP, Federal Minister for Sport, noted that this critical investment supports athletes being their best when taking on the world.
“The Albanese Government has invested record funding into high performance sport so our athletes can achieve their best on world stages like the Commonwealth Games,” Wells said.
This is complemented by a $13 million commitment by Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) to Green2Gold2Great, and a further $8 million to deliver the team to Scotland.
A total of $4.8 million was spent in Period One to deliver 35 performance-based initiatives, positively impacting 1,137 individuals within Australia’s high-performance community, including 764 athletes, 187 coaches, and 186 high-performance staff.
A further $6.5 million will be spent between now and the Opening Ceremony, including $4 million toward the program sports for Glasgow 2026. $1.5 million will be spent on direct athlete support payments, delivering $5000 to every selected athlete to support their final preparations.
The Australian Commonwealth Games Team aspires to be the number one nation in gold medals won, total medals, number of medallists, and the breadth of sports reaching the podium.
Glasgow 2026 will be the 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games, a major international multi-sport event first held in Hamilton, Canada in 1930.
The Games will open on 23 July and close on 3 August 2026.
