In the year Is 2026 the last dance of the Commonwealth Games or a future update?

In the year The Commonwealth Games, which began as the British Empire Games in 1930, face questions about their place and relevance in the modern world.

British weightlifter Emily Campbell told the BBC the competition was “one of the best things to come out of the colony”, while three-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Tom Dean said they could be a “force for good” despite a difficult past.

“It’s all the more reason to bring the Commonwealth into the spotlight because it shows the good side of sport,” he told BBC Sport.

However, the Glasgow edition was hit by the lack of star names.

Injuries like those of Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Max Whitlock and Australia’s Olympic backstroke champion Kylie McKeown are inevitable and tragic.

But other athletes chose to prioritize different events.

Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson is skipping Glasgow for the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on August 10, arguably the biggest track and field event of the summer.

Dina Asher-Smith, the fastest British woman in history, is competing only in the relay in Glasgow, and the Olympic 100m. Defending champion Saint Lucia Julian Alfred also dropped out. Canadian swimming star Summer McIntosh is another unknown.

But it’s not all doom and gloom.

Josh Kerr, fresh from breaking the mile world recordHe will return home to compete for Scotland, as will McColgan.

Katrina Johnson-Thompson is chasing a third Commonwealth heptathlon title in a row, while Adam Ramsay-Petty returns to the pool where he took two golds in 2014.

The Commonwealth Games remain the pinnacle for sports such as netball and there is an even greater focus on para-sports, with the most integrated Games ever.

Six of the 10 sports include para-competition with 47 medal events at the Commonwealth Games. Golds, silvers and bronzes awarded in para-events are counted towards the total medal tally differently from other multi-sport events.

Paralympic swimming champion Brock Whiston told BBC Sport: “There aren’t many opportunities to combine multi-sport[events].

“Without the Commonwealth Games, the smaller nations will not get the chance to show how powerful the union is.

“The Commonwealth Games are critical to ensuring equal opportunities.”

British swimmer James Guy, another Olympic champion who will be at the fourth Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, told BBC Sport that the event was a vital part of an athlete’s development.

“It’s a bit easier to do than the GB team,” he said.

“It’s a great way to get there, get on the relay and get a medal and that’s really important for development, for the younger boys and girls to progress.”