'An amazing legacy': Duncan Scott's mind is on more than medals at Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

The 29-year-old has long used his position to advocate for change and to take a stand on important issues.

From speaking out against drugs cheats to lamenting the closure of public swimming pools, Scott has been an articulate force for good in Scottish sport.

As desperate as he is to add to his 13 Commonwealth medals as the Games returns to Glasgow, Scott never loses sight of the bigger picture. He is heartened by the announcement earlier this year that funding has been found for swimming lessons for primary school children in Scotland.

13 medals and counting

It is something he has long championed and it appears the Scottish Government has listened. The legislation is said to be inspired by both the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and Scotland qualifying for the World Cup finals. For Scott, it’s vindication.

“I think that's an amazing piece of legacy for these Games to give,” he said. “That's been a huge thing that myself and Scottish Swimming have been trying to advocate for a long time and to get that in Scotland is massive. The next thing is we've got to be able to deliver these lessons somehow.”

On the eve of a home Games, it says much about Scott’s mindset that these matters continue to occupy him, although that’s not to say he’s not laser-focused on striking gold in the pool later this month. Four years ago in Birmingham, Scott won the 200 metres freestyle and the 200m medley as well as picking up four bronze medals, two of them individual and two in relays.

As things stand, he thinks he will tackle three individual events in Glasgow, defending the two titles he won in 2022 and also having a crack at the 200m butterfly. This will be his fourth Commonwealth Games and having won one medal at Glasgow 2014, and six apiece at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022, does he have a figure in mind for this year?

“No, I don't have a target,” he said. “I think I'm going to maybe do three individuals. Outside of that, I would need to make a decision on relays. Some of them fall on days that I've also got individuals so I don't quite know if I'm being totally honest. I think we're waiting to see when the other nations' teams are announced.

“But look, I'm wanting to try and swim pretty quick and I know if I'm at my best, I'll be right there.”

With so much precious metal already accumulated, Scott could be forgiven for stepping away from the sport to which he has given so much. His haul also includes two golds and eight silvers from the Olympics - another Scottish record - but the passion to win still burns brightly for the 29-year-old Alloa swimmer.

“I still love it,” he says. “I love what I do. I think when I stop enjoying it, that's when I'll step away.

“The day-to-day, continual improvement element is something that I love. Coming to events like this is where you get to showcase what you've been learning and what you've been doing. Team Scotland do such a good job of bringing everyone together. Now, it's like, how well can I perform?”

‘If I need grounding, they'll ground me’

Scott may be the most decorated member of Team Scotland but he knows past glories will count for little when he returns to the Tollcross pool later this month. He also won’t be allowed to get too big for his boots.

“The team that are around me are good. If I need grounding, they'll ground me,” he says.

“You start from zero every time you go to one of these competitions. If I go in there thinking of some of the things I've achieved at the Commonwealth Games, I'm probably likely to get complacent and start looking at other areas.

“Nothing is earned off of looking at past results. I've got to go in there and earn it all straight off the bat.”

Scott was a callow teenager when he competed at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and made his mark in the Tollcross pool in the 4x200m freestyle relay. Alongside team-mates Dan Wallace, Stephen Milne and Robbie Renwick, the 17-year-old Scott helped Scotland to silver, finishing behind Australia but ahead of third-placed South Africa who included Olympic champion Chad le Clos in their quartet.

It was his first major international medal at senior level and part of a record tally of 53 for Scotland at a Commonwealth Games. If Glasgow 2014 was special, the 2026 renewal is likely to be a little more pared down. The city stepped in to host when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew due to spiralling costs.

Glasgow effectively saved the Commonwealth Games but did so on the understanding that this would be a scaled-back version, featuring only 10 sports and using existing infrastructure. There was to be no significant public funding, no athletes’ village and a heavy reliance on the 2014 facilities.

“I think it would be unfair on these Games to compare it to 2014,” said Scott. “In 2014, we had the village built, plenty of the arenas were built for the Games themselves, Tollcross had a huge refurb to get another stand in place. I think it would be really unfair to compare these Games to that one.

“Scotland will still put on what I think is going to be an amazing show. I think when you're actually in the arenas, I don't think you'll think it's scaled back at all.”

And when the Games have packed up and gone home and Tollcross reverts to its everyday status as public swimming pool and sports centre, Scott will continue to bang the drum.

“We need facilities up and down the country,” he said. “I'm not just trying to save pools. These are community hubs, they're leisure facilities. They might have a couple of padel courts in there, they might have a gym. Whatever it might be, badminton, basketball.

“These courts and areas are where people socialise. The elderly go there as well as the young. It's where people learn how to do sport for the first time. These are crucial in all different areas of Scotland. It's about keeping those places open. How do we deliver for that next generation of swimmers?”