4.34amThe 75-year-old great-grandmother making her Commonwealth Games debutBy Hannah KennellyJacky Hudson’s grandson, Zac Laybutt, plays in the NRL with the North Queensland Cowboys. Her son, Stephen Laybutt, represented Australia as an Olyroo at Sydney 2000.Now, the 75-year-old grandmother of five (and great-grandmother of two) is having her chance in the sporting spotlight as part of the Commonwealth Games’ lawn bowls squad.Jacky Hudson will represent Australia in lawn bowls at the Commonwealth Games.Bowls Australia Photography, Paul A. Broben“I’m probably still in shock a little but absolutely delighted and really proud that all the hard work has paid off,” she told this masthead.“It’s a privilege as well. I’m looking at it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity unless I still want to hang around until the next Comm Games or world championships,” she laughed.Read more about Hudson, and her journey to green and gold glory, here.4.28amCommonwealth Games chief admit this will “a different kind of games” By Hannah KennellyThe last time the Commonwealth Games were in Glasgow, things looked a little different.The year was 2014 and the Games were a roaring success – a program with 17 sports, a gigantic global audience and record-breaking ticket sales.Two of the venues for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Armadillo and The Hydro.GettyIn 2026, Glasgow are hosting once again after Victoria pulled the plug, agreeing to facilitate a small-scale version with a reduced roster and no athletes village – costing about $300 million.As Glasgow Commonwealth Games chief Phil Batty notes, this will be “a different kind of games.”4.25amGlasgow, bring the noiseBy Robert MoranYou’d imagine Scotland, one of the most musically fertile countries in the world, would have acts galore to choose from today’s celebration – think Belle and Sebastian, Primal Scream, Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub, even The Proclaimers.But the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony seems as popular among musicians as a Trump inauguration. For example, the Games has an “official DJ” and somehow it’s not even Scottish superstar Calvin Harris – it’s Outlander actor Sam Heughan, and he’s not even performing at the opening ceremony. (He’s stepping behind the decks the next day, at the first medal session.)Sam Heughan, pictured with Caitriona Balfe in Outlander, is the 2026 Commonwealth Games’ official DJ.AP/Sony/Ed MillerLeading the opening ceremony are such high-profile names as – checks notes – Tom Walker, Nina Nesbitt, Nathan Evans and Saint PHNX. In the ever-useful words of Mariah Carey, I don’t know her.But someone we do all know? KT Tunstall is here! If she doesn’t perform Suddenly I See – aka the song from The Devil Wears Prada – I’m turning off my TV. (I jest, my TV isn’t even on.)You can only imagine what Melbourne would’ve done with this opening ceremony. Kylie Minogue! Amyl and the Sniffers! King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard!Let’s be honest, it would’ve been Vanessa Amorosi’s Absolutely Everybody, and it would’ve been incredible.4.20amMeet Australia’s flag and baton bearersBy Billie EderNina Kennedy had her doubts.After undergoing major surgery to repair a hamstring that tore three times in six weeks, the Olympic and Commonwealth Games pole vault champion questioned whether she could get back to her best, or better.Now, not only will Kennedy be defending her gold medal from Birmingham in 2022, she will also lead the Australian team out at the Glasgow opening ceremony, after chef de mission Petria Thomas named Kennedy the nation’s flag bearer alongside swimmer Tim Hodge, who will be Australia’s inaugural baton bearer.GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 22: Nina Kennedy OAM, Flag Bearer of Team Australia, and Tim Hodge OAM, Baton Bearer of Team Australia, pose for a photo following an Australia Reception ahead of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games at Bridge Gardens on July 22, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)Getty Images“Each of them has longevity, character and humility, and the support of the whole Australian sporting community behind them,” Thomas said.4.15amWelcomeBy Rise and shine Australia, it’s time for the Commonwealth Games. Yes, it’s been a bumpy ride to get here, but the 2026 Games are finally under way with the opening ceremony at The Hydro along the River Clyde this morning. Billie Eder and Hannah Kennelly here on the ground in Glasgow to bring you all the updates from the ceremony, with Bronte Gossling pitching in from the Sydney bureau. Things officially kick-off at 5am AEDT (8pm for any of our friends in Glasgow), but we have plenty of previews and news to bring you until then. Let’s get cracking. The venue of the Games Opening Ceremony.Getty1 of 1