Olympic silver medallist Katarina Johnson-Thompson has pulled out of the Commonwealth Games because of injury. The 33-year-old heptathlete was due to compete at her third Commonwealth Games, having won gold on the Gold Coast in 2018 and at Birmingham in 2022. Team England gave no details of her issue, only confirming she had been replaced in the squad by Niamh Emerson.

Dina Asher-Smith and Olympic silver medalist Matt Hudson-Smith, who were both set to run relays in Glasgow, have also been replaced, as has Asher-Smith's sprint team-mate Daryll Neita. The withdrawal of such high-profile names is a significant blow to the event, on the day the opening ceremony takes place. England's Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson had already skipped the event to prioritise the European Championships.

St Lucia's 100m Olympic champion Julien Alfred has also pulled out of the Glasgow Games, while Canadian swimmer Summer Mc Intosh is favouring the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. With the likes of the United States, China and major European nations not part of the Commonwealths, some athletes favour other, more competitive events. These Games were also hurt by the late confirmation of its dates and schedule.

Speaking on Thursday, organisers insisted the event would be a success despite the absence of some big names. Scottish athletics medal hopes include new mile world record holder Josh Kerr and defending 10,000m champion Eilish Mc Colgan, while Glasgow 2026 chief executive Phil Batty said focus should be on younger athletes.