58% of Brits want to try a Commonwealth sport this summer

Date posted 01 Aug 2026

• 58% of Brits want to try at least one Commonwealth sport this summer.

• Swimming leads the way at 28%, ahead of athletics (19%) and cycling (18%).

• Beginner-friendly classes, affordable local facilities and free taster sessions top the list of what would help people get started.

• More than half of Brits (52%) plan to watch or listen to the Games, and a third of those following say the Games will make them likely to exercise more.

New research from leisure operator Better reveals most Brits want to get active and try a new sport this summer. With the 2026 Commonwealth Games opening in Glasgow this July, a study of 2000 UK adults found that 58% would like to take up at least one of the sports on show at the multi-sport event.

Swimming leads the nation’s wishlist

Nearly three in ten Brits (28%) say watching the 2026 Games this summer would most inspire them to take up swimming, ahead of athletics (19%) and cycling (18%). Basketball (13%), bowls (11%), boxing, and netball (both 9%) complete the list of sports Britain is most keen to try.

The timing could hardly be better. After England's warmest June on record, according to the Met Office, the nation's favourite sport to try is fittingly also the one that offers a way to cool down.

The appetite is strongest among young adults. Almost half of 18 to 24-year-olds (49%) would like to try swimming, as would 44% of 25 to 34-year-olds. Just 7% of 18 to 24-year-olds say they would not want to try any Commonwealth sport, compared with a third (34%) of the population as a whole.

What would get Britain moving?

The research also shows what would help people take the first step. Beginner-friendly classes came top (31%), followed by affordable local facilities, free taster sessions and having a friend to go with (all 27%).

Younger adults are the most likely to say the right support would make the difference. Among 25 to 34-year-olds, 46% point to beginner-friendly classes. For 18 to 24-year-olds, company counts almost as much as coaching: 43% say a friend, family member or fitness buddy would get them started.

All three already sit within reach of most people. Better runs beginner classes, free taster days and low-cost sessions across its 250 leisure centres in many of the communities the Games aims to inspire.

What hosting means to Britain

The public sees real value in the Games coming to Glasgow. National pride (44%) and a sporting legacy for the host city (44%) top the perceived benefits of hosting, followed by the chance to watch elite sport on home turf (42%) and investment in UK sporting facilities (42%). Enthusiasm peaks among 25 to 34-year-olds, over half of whom (52%) see the Games as a source of national pride.

More than half of Brits (52%) plan to watch or listen to the Games, rising to around two in three among under-35s (66% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 64% of 25 to 34-year-olds).

Among those planning to follow them, 35% say the Games will make them likely to exercise more, 33% say they will be encouraged to adopt a healthier lifestyle, and 30% expect to be inspired to try a new sport. The effect is strongest among 25 to 34-year-old followers, over half of whom (56%) say the Games will make them more likely to exercise.

The second-screen Games

Freeview TV remains the most popular way to keep up with the Games (52% of those planning to follow them), but social media isn’t far behind at 43%, and only just ahead of streaming services (41%).

Among followers aged 25 to 34, 72% will keep up with social media clips and highlights, compared with only 8% of over-65s. The picture reverses for traditional broadcast: 70% of over-65 followers will watch on Freeview, compared with 31% of 18 to 24-year-olds.

Athletics and para athletics top the events people plan to watch (62% of those following the Games), with swimming and para swimming close behind (60%) and track cycling third (42%). Women are more likely than men to tune in to swimming (66% versus 53%) and artistic gymnastics (49% versus 26%), while boxing draws a larger male audience (37% versus 18%).

The heroes behind the sports Britain wants to try

Scottish sporting icon Sir Chris Hoy tops the list of Commonwealth heroes (12%), just ahead of Mo Farah (11%) and Jessica Ennis-Hill (11%). Between them they cover cycling and athletics, two of the three sports Brits most want to try. In Scotland, Hoy’s lead stretches to a quarter (25%), while Mo Farah leads the field among 18 to 24-year-olds (19%).

In swimming, the story comes full circle. Adam Ramsay-Peaty announced himself at Glasgow 2014, winning 100m breaststroke gold aged just 19 at his first senior international meet. Twelve years and four Commonwealth titles later, he returns to the same city for his fourth Games, chasing a fifth gold in the sport Britain is now keenest to take up.

Andrew Clark, Better’s Head of Sports and Aquatics said:

“It’s great to see so many people inspired to try something new this summer. The appetite is there. What people need next is an easy way to start. That’s exactly what our leisure centres are for: beginner-friendly classes, affordable access and a welcoming place to give a new sport a go. Whether it’s swimming, athletics or cycling, we want Glasgow 2026 to be the moment people turn inspiration into action.”