It’s the day after the closing ceremony, and Phil Batty finally has time to exhale.The 35-year-old looks remarkably relaxed for a CEO that has just overseen a major sporting event. And not just any old sporting event, either. One that had been put together in just 18 months, securing the future of the Commonwealth Games.Glasgow 2026, by its very nature, has not been an easy challenge. That Games organisers managed to pull it off at all is hugely impressive.Reel back to 2023 and Victoria’s decision to cancel their hosting of the Commonwealth Games. The Australians, concerned about spiralling costs, were to pull out altogether. Cue a desperate attempt to find another host, and a real, palpable fear that ‘this could be it’ for a global event that had existed since 1930.‘If Glasgow hadn’t stepped in, there wouldn’t be a Commonwealth Games right now,’ said Batty. ‘This was a moment of absolute jeopardy for the movement.‘Their clock was ticking. And if we hadn’t gotten to October 2024, quite frankly, I’m not sure whether we’d have reached the Centenary Games (2030), which is a really scary thought. Scotland’s Josh Kerr celebrates after winning a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games CEO Phil Batty says there wouldn’t be a Commonwealth Games had it not been for Glasgow Fireworks light up the sky over Glasgow after the Games’ closing ceremony at the Hydro ‘I don’t think it can be underestimated how important Glasgow 2026 is going to be in the history books, for the long-term sustainability and success of this event. Glasgow took a risk, but it took a risk knowing that the Commonwealth Games was something truly special.’Glasgow 2026’s vision was to step in with an alternative — a 10-sport programme, across four different venues. It was a plan that would be delivered with cash from the Australians, as well as Commonwealth Sport. No public funds would be used, and very little would need to be done to existing facilities. It was, on the face of it, a win-win situation for the Games.‘We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact the Games were here in 2014,’ explained Batty. ‘The fact the last Games left such an indelibly positive imprint in the minds and hearts of the people who live here is the thing that gave pause for thought.‘I think once we knew we got the brief, once we knew we got the job of staging, the city mobilised, the nation got behind it.‘Ultimately, this has been a real team sport, putting these Games on. Over 11 days, we’ve seen exhilarating sport, a community energised, a city with its shoulders lifted up, a feeling of pride, and a hope for the future of the Games.’What that future looks like exactly is still to be determined. Ahmedabad, who will host the Games in four years’ time — formally branded as Amdavad 2030 — are already looking at reverting to a ‘bigger’ format, with at least 17 sports in the offing.That, says Batty, is within India’s gift — and in keeping with the size of Ahmedabad’s population. But that shouldn’t necessarily be the model used by others in future iterations.From his point of view, the world of sporting events is changing. Recent tournaments such as the World Cup have raised questions over finance and the amount of money being spent to host global competitions. ‘Remodelling’ provides an alternative — with a sustainable edge for the future.‘This event was designed for THIS city,’ said Batty. ‘I think that’s the game-changing part of delivering the new model of the Commonwealth Games. It’s not a one-size-fits-all for whichever nation chooses to host in the future.‘It’s about looking at a place, talking to a place, working with a place, finding out what its superpowers are, and then co-creating a Commonwealth Games that plays to those strengths.‘The sports programme, for example, has allowed us to have a conversation that more multi-sport events need to have. Bigger isn’t better. Better is better.‘Reflecting on our own sports programme, the conversation that’s really important to have is how para sport being woven through the programme has really enriched these Games.‘It’s not just a numbers game. What matters most is whether it was done well. Did it bring the widest depth to the field of competition? Did it feel inclusive for all 74 nations in the Commonwealth? Did it deliver jaw-dropping moments on the field of play? And across those 215 medals, those 11 days of sport, it did.’In some ways, Glasgow 2026 has been the perfect encapsulation of pure, unadulterated sport. And the athletes, said Batty, were always the real stars of the show.He continued: ‘You had standout goals that everyone hoped would come, like Josh Kerr. But you also had moments that were unexpected. Even Emma Finucane and the number of golds she won for Team Wales. That’s a feat beyond feats. Archie Goodman, who competed despite having a brain tumour. When you step back and look at these Games, you see sport front and centre as the reason we brought the Commonwealth to Scotland.’In terms of finance, Batty said that around £160million had been spent on delivering Glasgow 2026, which is over £600m less than the cost of putting on the Games in Birmingham in 2022. In terms of ticketing, over 430,000 people attended venues for live sport, with multiple benefits felt for communities within Glasgow and elsewhere.‘We wanted to be a greener Games, a more inclusive Games, and a financially responsible Games,’ said Batty. ‘It’s not just about what we’ve spent, but how we spent it.‘I think within this investment, we’ve created free opportunities to see sport. We’ve invested in over 270 community projects across the city and, in partnership with the National Lottery, across wider Scotland. We’ve invested in community facilities and we’re now giving them back to become a local pool again and local athletics club.‘I think we’ve not only spent the right amount of money for these Games, but spent it in a way that will leave a lasting benefit for the host city and host nation.’The Games in 2030 — their Centenary year — will likely see budgets increased significantly. For Batty, innovating around a city’s needs should now be a key driver for the Commonwealth movement, doing things differently when and where possible.‘The thing that has struck me over the last 18 months is that every Games should be different, designed and celebrated through the place that they’re in,’ added Batty.‘When you look forward and you tick through the multiple editions of the Commonwealth Games that are to come, you might see a twin-nation Games in Asia. You might see a multi-city Games in Africa. You might see a multi-island Games in the Pacific. The fact is that the Commonwealth is 74 nations who are all different, but who can still be united through sport.‘That’s what the format of the Commonwealth Games is, moving forward. A different event in different nations, but still the same brilliant sport. I don’t think that’s something we should fear. It’s something we should embrace.‘For me personally, great projects are driven by ambition and this one in Glasgow has allowed us to be ambitious and bold and creative, in a way I truly believe only Glasgow could do. It’s an event that has always been rooted in place, connects with humanity and allows us to celebrate the very best of who we are and to do that at a time that’s really needed.‘We’ve had this space here in the city where a community of nations has competed together, partied together, celebrated together, laughed together, cried together. And from that is a really renewed future, not just for Commonwealth sport, but for the wider major events industry.’