Dame Laura Kenny says he’s “worried” about the future of Commonwealth Games, but next year’s event in Glasgow proves it’s still “double.”
Glasgow intervened to host a scaled version of the 2026 game after Australia’s Victoria withdrew last year due to rising costs.
“I’m worried,” Kenny said. “You have to worry and be a little worried.
“They just want all the research to actually work on how they can improve it and what they can do to attract hosts.
“I hope that everything they put in will validate that it is still a significant event.”
Bids from Kuala Lumpur, Cardiff, Calgary, Edmonton and Adelaide were withdrawn to host the 2026 game and left it without a host until Victoria stepped in in 2023.
Five-time Olympic Track Cycling Champion Kenny told Radio 4’s today’s program:
“It’s a slimmer version, so I’m getting brave for some sports. I was a little nervous when we didn’t have the hosts at first, so I was a little worried that it wasn’t something anymore.
“Commonwealth Games is currently looking at how they can improve, how they can become more accessible, how they can become more accessible, how they can make them more accessible, as they move forward.
“I really hope that works just as well as when Glasgow had it before (2014).
Commonwealth Games was first staged in 1930, when it was known as the British Empire Game.
The 2030 Game will be held in Hamilton, Canada.
