Britain’s King Charles III meets Finnie, the 2026 Commonwealth Games unicorn mascot, during a reception ahead of the opening ceremony of the 23rd Commonwealth Games at the OVO Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 23, 2026. (Photo by Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP)
King Charles III officially opened the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Thursday to launch 10 days in a slimmed down event designed to control costs.
Around 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories will compete for 215 gold medals across 10 sports and six para-sports in the Scottish city, which also hosted the games 12 years ago.
Britain’s King Charles III delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the 23rd Commonwealth Games at the OVO Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 23, 2026. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
Accompanied by his wife Queen Camilla, the King emerged from a Tardis, inspired by British science fiction TV show Doctor Who, to get the opening ceremony off to a jovial start before taking his seat in the 14,000-capacity Hydro arena in the centre of the city.
