Jersey athletes to miss out due to scaled back Commonwealth games

Some of Jersey's top athletes will miss out on the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The Scottish city has been officially named hosts after Victoria pulled out due to the cost last year. 

Because of the short notice of the takeover, Glasgow will only be featuring ten sports across four venues. 

These will be: athletics and para athletics, swimming and para swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling and para track cycling, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and para bowls, and 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball.

Paul Huddlestone - President of the Commonwealth Games Association of Jersey - says this means that some of the island's best athletes will miss out on competing:

"There's a lot of events which would have taken place outdoors which we would have been very interested in, with some great athletes that will not now take place.

"So the triathalon will not happen, the road-race cycling will not take place, I believe the marathon will not take place and its going to be indoor bowls rather than outdoor bowls. 

"It's quite a dramatic change; the other sports that miss out are racket sports - there is no badminton and table tennis which is a big disapointment for us too.

"Of course shooting is one of our stronger sports in the island and that's not taking place either at the games."

Despite the changes, Paul told Channel 103 he is 'happy' the athletes are going to get a games and says its closer location will give teams 'more flexibility' to prepare. 

Alastair Chalmers with his bronze medal

Jersey did not take home any medals in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, but Guernsey's Alastair Chalmers won the island's first ever medal, when he came third in the 400m hurdles event. 

 

 

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