Commonwealth Games 2026: swimming, gymnastics, basketball and more on day one - live

This story has caught the eye, courtesy of Reuters:

Australian swimmers competing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will earn up to ⁠A$50,000 ($35,000) for individual gold medals won in world record times under an incentive scheme funded by Gina Rinehart, the nation’s ⁠richest person.

Swimmers in individual ⁠events will ​earn A$20,000 for gold, A$15,000 for silver and A$10,000 for bronze, while relay swimmers will earn between A$2,500 and A$5,000 ⁠for finishing on the medal podium.

Swimmers clocking a world record will earn an A$30,000 bonus.

With Australia the most dominant swimming power by far ⁠in the Commonwealth, plenty of the team’s top athletes will be expected to cash ​in at Glasgow.

“These bonuses are a ‌way of Australia saying ‌thank you and showing the appreciation our athletes deserve for bringing our country such ‌a sense of pride and achievement,” mining billionaire Rinehart said in a Swimming WA statement on Friday.

“There is something very uplifting about seeing an Australian athlete stand on the podium while our flag is raised. Such exciting times make Australians proud and deserve to be celebrated.” Reuters

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Preamble

After a football World Cup that threatens to get bigger and bigger, here comes something going the other way. This is, as you’ve probably heard, the stripped-back Commonwealth Games, with Glasgow stepping in after Victoria pulled out. There are no new glitzy stadiums, only 10 sports and absent stars such as Keely Hodgkinson. Yet Phil Batty, the chief executive of Glasgow 2026, has another story to tell. “This is going to be a Games that stands shoulder to shoulder with previous Games,” he told Sean Ingle. “It was an event that was in jeopardy which needed to reinvent and make itself fit for purpose for the future. We have created a format of the event that’s flexible, relevant and integrated para-sport.”

Well it’s time to have a look: today brings medal events in para-powerlifting, artistic gymnastics and swimming. I’ll keep tabs on everything but this is a group effort, folks – drop me a line with your thoughts and anything I’ve missed. There’s plenty to get stuck into.

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