Commonwealth Games: Glasgow bid could have athletics at Scotstoun

Scotstoun would be the likely venue for athletics if Scotland hosted a scaled-back Commonwealth Games in 2026.

Scotland could host an event comprising 10 to 13 sports, rather than the 18 Glasgow staged in 2014, with a decision on the 2026 Games expected in May.

No public investment would be involved and all venues would be within an eight-mile radius in Glasgow.

Victoria was to be the host but the Australian state pulled out, as have options such as Singapore and Malaysia.

"There are other interested parties but I think it's possible," Ian Reid, chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS), told BBC Scotland.

"We recognise how important the event is to Scottish sport and we are one of the few cities in the world that can do this at a reasonable budget, with no public investment, to a really high standard.

"The [Commonwealth Games] federation is willing to invest the money it received from the Victorian settlement when they pulled out of the Games - so there's £100m that could be directly invested.

"We would seek to enhance that with raising money through ticketing, sponsorship and other mechanisms, but that would still mean we would have to slim down the event from previous editions."

Reid said CGS is currently "going through the discussion" on which sports would be cut from 2014 as a result.

"There are two mandatory sports - aquatics and athletics - and of the others, we've said we'll only pick sports that fit into the venue footprint that we've got available to us," he added.

"We wouldn't compromise in quality. We would do a smaller number of sports really well. If you came as a spectator, if you came as an athlete or if you were watching on television, you would still engage with a very, very high-quality sport event."

Reid says CGS has looked at several options in Glasgow to host the athletics that would involve some temporary work in terms of spectator seating as well as a new track.

Scotstoun - the multi-purpose arena that is the home of Glasgow Warriors rugby team - is "the most likely" venue, according to Reid.

Scotland's sports minister Maree Todd has said she is "like an excited puppy" at the prospect of Glasgow hosting the Commonwealth Games again.

"The Commonwealth Games are really important to Scotland and a vital part of the fabric that enables our athletes to be on the pathway to the Olympics," she told BBC Scotland News.