After weeks of Winter Olympics fever gripping the nation, either from the comfort of their sofa or on social media, half of sports fans (50 percent) are convinced that they’re now ready for the studio lights and could commentate on a major sporting event.

At 150 days to go until Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, a survey of 2,000 sports fans has revealed the rise of the armchair expert, with nearly six in ten (57 percent) claiming they spot things that the professionals miss and more than a third regularly shouting instructions at elite athletes through the TV (34 percent).

The winter sports extravaganza has whetted the appetite of the nation ahead of Glasgow 2026, with one in ten (12 percent) confessing they are ‘obsessed’ with sports that they’ve watched for the first time, becoming glued to the screen (31 percent), discussing strategy and tactics while watching (30 percent) or looking up facts or sport-specific lingo (24 percent).

Phil Batty OBE, Chief Executive at Glasgow 2026, said: “Major sporting events can be a catalyst for national obsession and we’ve seen that come to life at the Winter Olympics – social media feeds are filled with the drama, offices debates on the best sports and people are learning the names of snowboarding stunts.

“We expect to see that obsession rise again this summer during Glasgow 2026 and we can’t wait to welcome the overnight transition to a nation of superfans and sporting experts.

“If the Winter Olympics has captured your attention then we encourage you to have a look at our sport programme and get your hands on a ticket to discover your next obsession.”

The excitement of an action-packed multi-sport event comes to the UK this summer as Glasgow stages the Commonwealth Games from July 23, to August 2.

The drama will unfold over an eight-mile corridor and fans will be closer to the action than before discovering their next obsession in one of the ten sports. 

Despite over four in ten never participating in competitive sport themselves (43 percent), the data revealed that it doesn’t take long for confidence to soar as more than half (55 percent) of those polled claim they only need to watch up to six hours of a sport before becoming obsessed and forming an opinion on technique.

With the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games just 5 months away, delusions of grandeur continue, as over seven in ten (72 percent) said that if they started studying the sports now, they’re confident that they could cast their judgment alongside their favourite sports pundits later this summer.

When it comes to the winter sports that inspire the loudest living-room lectures, curling dominates with more than a third (35 percent) now aware of the ‘hammer’ and one in ten (12 percent) of self-appointed pundits claiming they could join the pros.

When polled on the upcoming Glasgow 2026 sports, the nation is already obsessed with Gymnastics (45 percent) as the most likely sport to watch, closely followed by Swimming and Para Swimming (42 percent) and Athletics and Para Athletics (40 percent).

215 medals will be awarded during Glasgow 2026, which includes a record-breaking Para sport programme.

The event will also feature the largest Track Cycling and swim programmes ever seen at a Commonwealth Games.

On the Athletics track, the infamous Commonwealth Mile will return, which is anticipated to be one of the must-see moments of the Games.

Tickets for Glasgow 2026 are on sale now via www.glasgow2026.com.