Glasgow has been asked to step in to “save the Commonwealth Games” and re-invent a new model that less wealthy countries could follow.

Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council said a key difference between 2014 and 2026 is a decade ago Glasgow needed the Games.

However, she said this time “it’s fair to say the Games need Glasgow”.

Writing in the Glasgow Times, Aitken said rather than needing the Games as a catalyst, the city will be able to showcase the ongoing progress and regeneration that is underway.

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The future of the Commonwealth Games as a major international sporting event has been called into question after Victoria in Australia pulled out as host citing rising costs to the point it was unaffordable.

Other cities have previously ruled themselves out due to the cost of staging the Games.

The Games in Glasgow will be a scaled down affair compared with the spectacle in 2014.

The council leader said what Glasgow can do is pave the way for a new look Games that can be held outside the richest nations of the Commonwealth where the Games are usually held, Scotland, England Australia and Canada.

Aitken highlighted how crucial Glasgow, with the venues and infrastructure in place, is to the Commonwealth Games organisers.

She said: “Because of our record and experience, the Commonwealth Games Federation has come to Glasgow to save and reinvent its flagship event. And to do so within an incredibly tight lead-in time and a fraction of the budget of before.”

She said Glasgow can create a blueprint for the future of the event, adding “But Glasgow can deliver a much more sustainable model of the Games, which could be replicated in  Commonwealth countries who don’t have the wealth of the UK, Canada or Australia but who would truly benefit from hosting an international sporting event.”