The Commonwealth Games begin today. Here’s your quick rundown.

The 26th Commonwealth Games begin in Glasgow, Scotland today, with Sri Lanka fielding a contingent of 40 athletes.

Organisers have introduced a slimmed-down model to the multi-sport event, reducing the number of sports from 19 to 10 due to cost-saving measures after the Australian state of Victoria, the original host of the games, withdrew from hosting the event.

Roughly 3,000 athletes are taking part, compared to the 4,822 that featured at the 2022 edition in Birmingham.

Context

The Commonwealth Games is a multi-sport event held every four years for countries from the Commonwealth of Nations, a political association comprising the majority of former territories of the British Empire.

The games were first held in 1930 as the British Empire Games, with the name "Commonwealth Games" being adopted in 1978.

Twenty cities across nine countries have hosted the games, with Glasgow hosting for a second time, having previously hosted the 2014 games.

Team Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s 40-athlete strong contingent includes 20 athletes – exactly half of the total – who will take part in track and field events.

Sri Lanka has also fielded six boxers, five weightlifters, three artistic gymnasts, and two athletes each in aquatics and judo.

Two athletes will represent Sri Lanka in Para Athletics.

Hope for Gold

Sri Lanka has at least two highly rated prospects who could challenge for gold medals at the games.

Rumesh Tharanga is currently ranked number two in the world in the Men's Javelin and is considered among the favourites for the event.

Another gold prospect is Sri Lankan-American college gymnast Tiana Sumanasekera, who was an alternate for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and recently announced that she would represent Sri Lanka in the sport.

She will, however, only compete in the Women's Balance Beam event, as she is nursing a shoulder injury.

Medal History

Sri Lanka has won 21 medals in the history of the Commonwealth Games, including two gold medals.

Sri Lanka’s last Gold medal came at the 2006 Melbourne Games, when Chinthana Vidanage won the Men’s 62kg Weightlifting event.

In terms of total medal volume, Sri Lanka's most successful edition was the 2018 Gold Coast Games, where it won six medals – one Silver and five Bronzes across Weightlifting and Boxing.