Healthier lives were Glasgow's 2014 Commonwealth Games legacy. 2026's games must raise that bar

I just overtook the athletes from Barbados. In the game of Commonwealth Country Bingo I’ve been playing by myself, I’d also crossed off Belize, South Africa and Australia before the real sport even began.

International teams are ambling around Glasgow city centre because for this edition of the Commonwealth Games, instead of a dedicated village the 3,000+ athletes from 74 nations and territories are staying in hotels. The Yotel down the road has proudly posted a sign above their entrance: Tŷ Cymru / Home of Wales.

It’s been 12 years since Glasgow last hosted the Games. They’re a little diluted now but the summer of 2014 is fondly remembered and might have actually left a legacy.

Since then, gym membership has doubled and Community Sports Hubs have expanded from three to 18, with hundreds of groups serving thousands of people.

In 2014 – and up until a couple of years ago – Glasgow had the lowest male life expectancy in Britain. From 2001 to 2024, it was undisputed reigning champion. Today life expectancy for men is 73.6 years, still well below the national average of 79.1 years, but an improvement of roughly two and a half months over the years.

Good news for Glasgow however means bad news for Blackpool, where male life expectancy slipped to 73.1 years. Glasgow still has the lowest life expectancy in the UK for women at 78.3 years though, so there’s still plenty of work for the legacy of the current Games.

Like a lot of levelling up, not everybody is lifted at the same rate or to the same height. In the current Big Issue we take the Otley Run in Leeds, not to negotiate the pub crawl but to see how gaps in health inequality can carve through communities. But we also have a plan for Andy Burnham to use to bridge the chasm.

Read more:

• ‘Poverty takes years off your life’: Men in Blackpool now have lowest life expectancy in Britain
• No one wants to host 2026 Commonwealth Games. What if Glasgow had another go? 
• Glasgow council knew this building was dangerous for years. Its collapse left people homeless

The place I met Sir Chris Hoy for this week’s cover interview tells the story too. Glasgow the Caring City is based in Govan and sits on layers of history and heritage. The location used to be part of Prince’s Dock on the south side of the Clyde.

When shipping and shipbuilding declined, the area – known as Plantation as a reference to the original owner’s cotton and sugar interests, some legacy there – was left derelict.

In 1988 something positive grew. The Glasgow Garden Festival attracted 4.3 million visitors at a time when the population of Scotland was five million so pretty much everyone was obliged to attend. And I should know as I was taken there aged three.

The festival helped spark regeneration, and together with Glasgow’s European City of Culture in 1990, transformed the city’s image from industrial has-been to vibrant destination. Today the site is home to the Glasgow Science Centre and BBC Scotland, while on the other side of the Clyde stands the Hydro arena, one of the main venues of the Games. 

But neighbouring Govan still needs an organisation like Glasgow The Caring City to look out for local residents. Inspired by Chris Hoy, the mood among young people there was infectiously positive. It wasn’t simply about sport but feeling that things could change for the better. 

And every now and again, whether because of a Garden Festival, or city-wide sporting events it does. We just need to make sure the legacy doesn’t miss anybody out.

It was enough to think it would be worth offering to step in again to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030 should Ahmedabad back out. Although I’m also happy to back Blackpool’s bid.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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