Key events
Some rain bantz as Dr Ronald basically calls the Glasgow rain soft, challenging anyone who fancies to head to his native Uganda.
There you’ll see some proper rain – he more or less says.
Mel Woods wins David Dixon Award
The outstanding athlete at these Games won two gold medals.
She claimed the Women’s 1500m T54, in a Commonwealth Games record of 3min 32.20sec. She actually had to win it twice after the original final was voided and rerun following appeals over a first-lap crash.
And just to put the icing on top, she won the Women’s 400m T54, completing the double.
We’re well into the official bits now.
It’s Dr. Donald Rukare, President of Commonwealth Sport.
He says that these Games have been a “true bridge to a bright and united future of our Commonwealth.”
He also notes a first ever medal for Rwanda, a first gold for Dominca, the largest ever para-sport programme in the Games’ history and the first medal awarded for para-power lifting at the Games.
Next it’s George Blacks’ time to shine.
The Chair of the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company calls these Games “Eleven days of excellence.”
He says that “the Commonwealth matters, that the Games matters.”
Good on him. Glad it all took place. We may look back on Glasgow 2026 as the moment the Games were saved.
Now we shall all observe the lowering of the Commonwealth Sports Flag.
Solemn music plays as serious looking military men fold it up and march it away.
Next up is Elephant Sessions, a four-piece with a drummer, base player, a violinist and someone absolutely going to town on what I think is a mandolin.
Over the top is the spoken word of Hamish MacDonald who is half-rapping about ‘dreary nights’, but he says ‘“this is where my love began”.
Glaswegians sure do love their city.
More pipes (doubt that’ll be the last) starts a montage carried by the poetry of Jackie Kay.
“Glasgow, never a city to blow your own trumpet.
But always a city to step in at the last minute’”
She asks, “What is Glasgow if not a city to welcome the world?”
Went to Glasgow for the first time last year for a wedding. I loved it, I’ve got to say. Not that I’m entirely clued up, but I endorse every word of this message.
She also sends her best to the next host city in four years time, Amdavad. Or, as most of us might know it, Ahmedabad.
Bemz joins the party.
The Glasgow-based rapper who – according to the quick Google I just did – is know for his raw, socially conscious lyracism.
That checks out as he calls for unity in ‘our city’.
The opening monologue from Primal Scream’s ‘Loaded’ is flashed across the screen.
Just what is it that you want to do?
Well, we wanna be free, we wanna be free to do what we wanna do
And we wanna get loaded and we wanna have a good time
And that’s what we’re gonna do (away baby, let’s go)
We’re gonna have a good time, we’re gonna have a party
But this version is accompanied by drums of Metronomes Steel Orchestra and and the horns of Brass, Aye?
Digging this!
Not sure about the dancers on centre stage. Unless they are meant to be dancing out of sync. In which case, they’re smashing it!
Now some pipes in the mix.
No doubt what Farnham always wanted for this track.
Cammy Barnes joins Delta on the stage.
He belts out the opening lines to John Farnham’s ‘You’re the Voice’ and I’m here for it!
“I can’t change the past, but I’m wiser, I’m wiser
I conquer it all
Warrior”
Word, Delta.
Delta calls for one final cheer for “the incredible athletes in the room”.
Then she breaks into the melodic opening of “Warrior” as black and white videos of former Games plays on a giant screen behind her.
There are the Scottish traffic cones!
They’re front and centre. One piece of advice for all the other athletes. If you’re going to an after party, make sure you’re with the Scots!
Now here come the athletes who represented 74 nations.
Loads of colour and love as 74 flags are thrust skyward.
“Sitting on top of the world” sings Delta Goodrem.
Imagine for a moment being one of those athletes, representing your country at this level.
Aussie singer Delta Goodrem adds some gloss in a shiny dress behind an even shinier black piano.
Fair enough. Australia dominated the Games, figure they deserve a singer on the stage too.
Now a music video of Cammy Barnes’ “Whisky Roll”.
“When the whiskey hits my soul, I’m gonna roll, roll, roll
Through the highs and the lows”
When a man with a ginger beard plays the pipes while singing those lyrics, you know it’s a Scottish party.
Loved that. Bagpipes, drums, a thumping bit of lighthearted nationalism. Nothing wrong when it’s done properly, with love and open arms.
Closing Ceremony kicks off
Ooooh, here we go!
Sandi Thom, with Clann An, kicks things off with “I’m proud to be from Scotland”. She’s wearing a dress with the Saltire on it.
Nick Mullins is on lead comms tonight.
Wouldn’t want anyone else, to be honest.
Scotland’s flag bearer tonight, gymnast Reuben Ward, who won gold and silver in these Games, is wearing a fake traffic cone on his head.
He’s expressing great sentiment in an interview with TNT, speaking about nationalism and his double-tug as a result of him living in England, but to be honest I couldn’t really focus on anything else besides the traffic cone.
He said that this was an expression of his patriotism. Apparently everyone in Team Scotland will be wearing one tonight.
A word for the volunteers.
Glasgow 2026 has been kept moving by 4,000 volunteers, officially known as the Games’ “Legends”. They span an extraordinary 80 years in age: the youngest is 16, while 96-year-old Moira Cross is the oldest volunteer at the Games.
It’s almost time for the closing ceremony at The Hydro.
Simple Minds, BEMZ, Cammy Barnes and Sandi Thom will all be performing, while Australian singer Delta Goodrem will also take the stage.
Sean Ingle
The Welsh cyclist Emma Finucane wrote her name into the history books on the final day of the Commonwealth Games, but Glasgow 2026 will be remembered most for Australia’s dominance.
Before the Games, Australia swimmer Sam Short had told reporters: “I’m so pumped – I can’t wait to go over there and smash those Pommies up.” And the whole Australia team seemed to get the memo as they finished with 171 medals, of them 70 gold. That put them a staggering 61 clear of England, who won 110 medals, with Canada third after winning 62.
However Finucane will certainly go down as one of the athletes of the Games after becoming the first sprint cyclist to win four track gold medals at the same Commonwealth Games.
The best images from the final day of action in Glasgow, featuring netball, bowls, judo and track cycling. Take a peek.
Final medal table
Australia reach a phenomenal 70 golds in the end with England, Canada, India and Scotland rounding out the top five.
Here’s the final Commonwealth Games 2026 medal table with more than 50 countries winning a gong of some shiny tint. Check them all out.
Glasgow 2026 chief hails ‘phenomenal’ success of Games
Sean Ingle
This year’s Commonwealth Games has been “phenomenal” and shown the event has the potential to carry on for another 100 years, the chief executive of Glasgow 2026 has told the Guardian. Phil Batty also insisted that the revamped Games, which included only 10 sports rather than the 19 in Birmingham four years earlier, had showcased a formula that made it financially sustainable as it heads to Amdavad in 2030.
“What a phenomenal 11 days,” Batty said. “I have had absolute pride in the way that the city and the Commonwealth has come together. These Games have not only exceeded expectations. They have demonstrated that major events can flex and evolve to be fit for purpose in the future.”
So that, folks, is that as far as sporting action is concerned for these Commonwealth Games.
The Closing Ceremony will take place at 9pm and I’ll be back for that.
Between then and now we’ll keep the blog rolling with stories, updates and other bits (so do write in if you fancy).
What was your highlight? Who was your athlete of the Games?
Enjoy the break. Catch you in a few hours.
“It means the world to me, my family and everyone back home,” says a beaming Bostock.
He says that his first cycling memory was watching Cavendish 20 years ago.
How cool is that!?
Matthew Bostock wins gold for Isle of Man
He’s just the fourth athlete from his little island to claim gold in the Commonwealth Games!
20 years since Mark Cavendish, what a race from Bostock!
It went down to the final lap, the final half lap, the final 100m. Oh the drama!
Bostock finishes with 83 points, adding two to his tally from the final sprint.
Oliver Bleddyn from Australia holds on to second with 80 points. New Zealand’s George Jackson leapfrogs Scotland’s Mark Stewart and his countryman, Thomas Sexton, from fifth to third at the death.
Double points on offer at the finish line. So it’s all on here.
Another sprint. Bleddyn cuts the lead with 10 laps to go.
Bostock 🇮🇲 – 81
Bleddyn 🇦🇺 – 76
Stewart 🏴 – 55
Sexton 🇳🇿 – 53
Jackson 🇳🇿 – 51
Perrett 🏴 – 50
Bostock on course with history.
The Isle of Man’s last Commonwealth Games cycling gold came 20 years ago, when Mark Cavendish won the men’s scratch race at Melbourne 2006. Before that, Peter Buckley won the road race in 1966.
Bostock adds to his tally with 19 laps to go.
Bostock 🇮🇲 – 78
Bleddyn 🇦🇺 – 71
Stewart 🏴 – 55
Sexton 🇳🇿 – 53
Jackson 🇳🇿 – 51
Another five for Stewart who moves into the podium.
29 laps to go.
Bostock 🇮🇲 – 75
Bleddyn 🇦🇺 – 69
Stewart 🏴 – 55
Sexton 🇳🇿 – 53
Jackson 🇳🇿 – 51
Perrett 🏴 – 50
Interesting now how some riders are getting help from their countrymen.
Bostock from Swift, Bleddyn from, Agnoletto, etc.
