Is 2026 the Commonwealth Games' last dance or a future-proofing revamp?

Is 2026 the Commonwealth Games' last dance or a future-proofing revamp?Image source, Getty ImagesByMatthew HenryBBC Sport journalist in GlasgowPublished31 minutes agoIt is an event that has been going for 96 years.The Commonwealth Games have provided iconic sporting moments – from Roger Bannister's win in the 'Miracle Mile' of 1954 and Eilish McColgan breaking her mum's record in 2022 to England's netball victory four years earlier in Australia.But the 2026 Games, which open in Glasgow on Thursday, come at an intriguing time for the event. Many doubted whether they would even happen - and when they do go ahead, they will do so in a stripped-back form.So how did we get here? And do athletes and fans still care and what could the future hold?At risk or future-proofed?The 2026 Commonwealth Games were thrown into doubt when its original hosts, the Australian state of Victoria, pulled out in 2023 citing spiraling costs. That decision took even the leaders of Commonwealth Sport by surprise.After more than a year of uncertainty, Glasgow stepped in to host the Games for the second time, following on from the highly successful event in the Scottish city in 2014.But, with limited preparation time a significant factor, the Games' return to Glasgow a much smaller event.There was competition across 18 sports in 2014 – a number that rose to 20 for Birmingham 2022 - but only 10 sports will feature this year.There are expected to be around 2,000 fewer athletes and no new stadiums have been built, with the athletics events having moved from the 46,000-seater Hampden Park to the Scotstoun Stadium, which will hold just over 10,000 people.Costs of running the event have been cut from between £700m and £800m for Birmingham 2022 and the Gold Coast Games in 2018 to £160m for Glasgow.Whether by accident or design, organisers insist the situation has created a template for the future.They believe a smaller, cheaper, more sustainable Commonwealth Games can...