King Charles declares Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games open

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

King Charles III officially declared the 23rd Commonwealth Games open on Thursday night at a colourful opening ceremony in Glasgow, marking the start of 10 days of sporting competition involving more than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories.

The ceremony at the OVO Hydro blended Scottish culture, music and pageantry as the King, accompanied by Queen Camilla, formally inaugurated the Games after receiving the King’s Baton, which had travelled across the Commonwealth over the past 500 days.

The royal couple made a dramatic entrance from a TARDIS, accompanied by Scottish cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy, before joining dignitaries, including Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, for the opening celebrations.

Declaring the Games open, King Charles described the Commonwealth as “a unique and extraordinary family of nations” united by shared values and friendship.

The monarch also used the occasion to highlight environmental protection, noting that the King’s Baton carried a message urging action against plastic pollution.

“The baton also carried a message about the need to end plastic pollution of oceans and rivers,” the King said, expressing hope that the Games would inspire cooperation beyond sport.

He welcomed athletes and visitors to Scotland, saying Glasgow would receive them with “warm hearts and open arms.”

The King’s Baton was carried into the arena by former Scottish swimmer Hannah Miley and Paralympic cyclist Neil Fachie, before being handed to basketball star Kieron Achara, who presented it to the King for the official declaration.

Earlier, Dr Donald Rukare, President of Commonwealth Sport, welcomed participating nations, saying: “Tonight, it is my great honour to welcome you to Glasgow. It is good to be back.”

Chair of Glasgow 2026, George Black, praised the city for stepping forward when uncertainty surrounded the future of the Games.

“When the future of these Games was uncertain, Glasgow didn’t ask, ‘Can we?’ We asked, ‘When do we get started?’ Because that’s what we do. We roll up our sleeves and, together, we make extraordinary things happen,” he said.

The ceremony also featured the traditional athletes’, coaches’ and volunteers’ oaths, delivered by Paul Foster MBE, Robyn Love and Leslie Roy MBE, respectively, reaffirming their commitment to fair play and the spirit of the Games.

Scottish music took centre stage throughout the evening, with performances from KT Tunstall, Tom Walker and Nina Nesbitt, whose rendition of the Proclaimers’ classic I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) lit up the arena as thousands of spectators joined in.

Team Scotland, led by bowls legend Alex Marshall, received a rousing ovation during the athletes’ parade, adding to the festive atmosphere inside the packed venue.

Competition begins on Friday, with athletes contesting 215 gold medals across 10 sports during the Games, which run until August 3.