UK government offers to share financial risk for Glasgow Games

The UK authorities has offered to stock the fiscal hazard for Glasgow's Commonwealth Games bid successful 2026.

However, it has rejected a petition by the Scottish authorities to underwrite the full outgo of the Games.

BBC Scotland has seen a missive from UK sports curate Stephanie Peacock to the Scottish wellness caput Neil Gray which outlines her backing for "an further publication of up to £2.3m" to beryllium provided for the event.

She past states it would beryllium her "strong preference" that the Scottish authorities lucifer that figure, which would assistance screen immoderate summation successful information and information costs if panic menace levels emergence earlier the games.

According to the letter, Gray told the UK authorities successful August that Glasgow hosting the Games would beryllium "contingent connected the UK authorities providing a full, uncapped underwrite of fiscal hazard connected to the event".

In her response, Peacock writes that the "justification for your request... is little clear" and that the UK authorities "cannot perpetrate to afloat underwriting the hazard for an lawsuit the Scottish authorities has committed to host".

She added an underwrite had not been requested by Commonwealth Games Scotland and that astir £27m is already earmarked arsenic a contingency fund.

Peacock's missive besides stated nary of the projected backing could beryllium utilized "to heighten the conception oregon ambition of the Games", seemingly successful effect to a proposition from Neil Gray that immoderate of the other wealth could spell towards bolstering the stripped-back event.

The Scottish authorities has been contacted for comment.

The archetypal curate John Swinney antecedently told newspapers that nationalist funds would not beryllium utilized connected the Games.

Glasgow hosted the Games successful 2014, but the 2026 lawsuit would beryllium scaled down aft years of trouble for the competition. It would diagnostic betwixt 10-13 sports, alternatively of the 18 that took spot successful the 2014 edition.

Victoria successful Australia was primitively slated to big but pulled retired successful 2023 owed to fiscal issues.

Organisers person since scrambled to find a replacement, with Glasgow suggested earlier this year.

Commonwealth Games Scotland antecedently stated their connection would impact "no important inquire of nationalist funds" and that to prevention wealth lone 4 venues would beryllium utilized – including Scotstoun Stadium and the swimming excavation astatine Tollcross.

However, Glasgow City Council is presently trying to negociate fund cuts, raising questions implicit whether determination is an appetite among radical successful the metropolis to big the lawsuit again.

Last month, Commonwealth Games Scotland warned that it would beryllium a "a travesty" if the contention was not hosted successful Scotland, saying turning down the accidental could besides interaction the aboriginal of high-performance athletics successful the country.