Swimming at the Commonwealth Games

Swimming is an extremely popular recreational and competitive sport within the Commonwealth, and is always one of the highlights of the Commonwealth Games program. Swimming is one of the compulsory Commonwealth Games sports, and has been on every Games program since the first in 1930.

swimming medal ceremony at the XII Commonwealth Games, Brisbane (image: Queensland State Archives)

Glasgow 2026 Swimming Competition

Swimming at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games was held from 24 to 29 July 2026 at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, which also hosted the swimming program when Glasgow last staged the Games in 2014. The competition included events for men and women over 50m, 100m, and 200m in Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly. There were also 400m Freestyle events for both men and women, the 800m and 1500m Freestyle, the 200m and 400m Individual Medley, and the 4x100m and 4x200m Freestyle, 4x100m Medley, and mixed relay events.

The 2026 program featured 56 medal events in total. This is a record for the sport at the Games – including a record 14 para-swimming events, 40 swimming events (men and women), and two mixed events. The men’s 800m Freestyle and women’s 1500m Freestyle were both contested at the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 2026.

Events for athletes with a disability were first included as demonstration events in 1994 (Men's and Women's 100 m freestyle S9), and since the 2002 events for athletes with a disability have been an official, fully integrated part of the program.

Results and Highlights

Australia once again dominated in the pool, topping the swimming medal table with a record haul of 76 medals (37 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze) and sweeping all eight relay titles – surpassing their previous best of 28 golds set at the Gold Coast 2018 Games. South Africa finished second in the swimming standings, host nation Scotland was third and England fourth. The final swimming medal table for the top five nations is shown below.

Kyle Chalmers was the standout of the meet, winning the men’s 50m Butterfly in 22.73 for his 10th career Commonwealth Games gold, moving him past Ian Thorpe as Australia’s most successful male swimmer at the Games. Distance specialist Sam Short completed a freestyle treble in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m, while Meg Harris capped an unbeaten Games with victory in the 50m Freestyle.

South Africa’s Chad le Clos, aged 34, became the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history, taking his medal tally to 21 across five Games with a bronze in the 4x100m Medley Relay. His compatriot Pieter Coetze swept the men’s backstroke events, clocking a Commonwealth record 51.77 in the 100m – the second-fastest time in history. For the host nation, Scotland’s Angharad Evans completed a breaststroke double, winning both the 100m and 200m.

Commonwealth Games Swimming Trivia

• At Glasgow 2026, Australia set a new benchmark with 37 swimming gold medals and swept all eight relay events on their way to a record 76-medal haul.
• South Africa’s Chad le Clos became the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history at Glasgow 2026, winning his 21st career medal across five Games.
• At the 1994 Games, Australian Kieren Perkins set two world records (800m and 1,500m Freestyle) both in the 1,500m race.
• Out of the 40 swimming events contested at the Manchester Games in 2002, Australia won a staggering 27 gold medals - nearly three-quarters of the medals available! Australia’s swimming performance was led by Ian Thorpe, winning three gold and one silver.