Bowls Canada Boulingrin statement on proposed Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games
Bowls Canada Boulingrin welcomes the news that the Commonwealth Games is set to be staged in Glasgow in 2026 and congratulates all those involved in ensuring that athletes around the world will have the opportunity to compete on such an important international stage.
We applaud Commonwealth Games Scotland for finding an innovative solution, using existing facilities and infrastructure for the 2026 concept, aligning with the Commonwealth Games Federation’s strategy to make the Games more accessible for future hosts. The event will be a stripped-down version of the previous Glasgow 2014 Games, with just 10 sports taking place across four venues, this is down from the 19 sports that were contested at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
As a non-Olympic/Paralympic sport, the Commonwealth Games is Bowls’ pinnacle and only multi-sport competition.
Bowls has been one of the core sports since the Commonwealth Games’ inception in 1930. The inclusion of Bowls in the Games impacts not only International and National competition but club and local participation as well. Inclusion in the Games provides inspiration and a lifelong goal for Canada’s most talented bowlers and the next generation of bowlers, as well as a sense of pride and togetherness within the 200 clubs and 15,000 individual members in the Canadian bowls community.
All of the sport’s stakeholders in this country, particularly the Bowls Canada’s High Performance team, eagerly await further announcements on which sports will be included in the 2026 program.
BCB’s primary considerations at this time are for the sport’s elite athletes who, on the back of some fantastic results at the 2023 World Bowls Championships, have continued to prepare for the next Commonwealth Games without any certainty around its location or timing.
As one of its member nations, Bowls Canada Boulingrin has been in regular communication with World Bowls, in regard to its discussions with the Commonwealth Games Federation for 2026, and in championing all of the following:
- Bowls, as one of just six founding member sports of the Commonwealth Games, has played a pivotal role in shaping and showcasing the Commonwealth Games movement over the last 94 years.
- Bowls epitomises inclusivity and equality in sport, leading the way with combined open and para competitions, with gender equity, and Commonwealth Games medallists across a wide range of ages.
- Bowls being a Commonwealth Games only sport with new, exciting format and delivery options, including outdoors or indoors and on temporary surfaces if required.
- Bowls being heavily participated in by bigger and smaller Commonwealth nations alike.
- Bowls being a storied part of Canada’s and Scotland’s rich Commonwealth Games history.
We eagerly await further announcements on which sports will be included in the 2026 programme and will continue to do whatever possible and necessary behind the scenes, in supporting World Bowls, to make our inclusion become a reality.
For questions, please contact Britany Gordon, CEO, at ceo@bowlscanada.com.
About Bowls Canada Boulingrin
Bowls Canada Boulingrin (BCB) is the governing body responsible for lawn bowls in Canada. The BCB mission is to advance the sport of bowls in Canada. For more details on Bowls Canada Boulingrin and the sport of lawn bowls, visit www.bowlscanada.com.
