Commonwealth Games NI (CGNI) will work across the 10 confirmed sports and with SportNI to ensure that athletes can receive support during their preparation and at the Games.
Chief Executive of CGNI, Conal Heatley, said: “We now have clarity on what the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will look like.
“We know the venues and the sports that will be included.
“These Games will be quite different from previous editions, but we have confidence that they will provide a fantastic experience for athletes, coaches, staff and spectators.
Concerning the dwindling number of sports that team NI can compete in, Heatley added: “We will continue to work with them to ensure that they are Games ready for 2030 when we expect the number of sports to grow again.”
The Games will feature a 10-sport programme across four venues within an eight-mile corridor, with more than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.
Athletics and swimming are included as compulsory sports for 2026 while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports – athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.
Among the sports missing out compared to the 2022 Games in Birmingham are triathlon, diving, hockey, T20 cricket, squash, badminton and rugby sevens.
Further axing is feared by Scottish First Minister
Scotland’s First Minister has hinted that the already scaled-back programme for the 2026 Commonwealth Games could be cut further if costs spiral.
John Swinney said the Scottish Government has reached an agreement with the Commonwealth Games Foundation which means no public funding is required for the event, which will return to Glasgow in less than two years.
Speaking to journalists at an event in the city as the “slimmed-down” number of sports was announced on Tuesday, the First Minister pointed to the perilous state of public finances.
Asked if an increase in costs could result in the 10 sports announced for the Games being cut further, Mr Swinney said: “That’s obviously to be avoided.
“But what that puts is the onus on making sure that there is effective financial control in place around the preparation of the Games.
“That is what I know the board will be focusing on.”
The First Minister added that there cannot and will not be a situation where public money is spent on the Games.
“I’ve been very clear with the public that there are huge pressures on the public finances, so there could not be a call on the public finances for any financial support,” he said.
