Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games

Lauren McCann
BBC Sport NI Journalist in Glasgow

Image source, BBC Sport NI

Six-time Paralympic champion swimmer Bethany Firth and 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist bowler Gary Kelly will be Northern Ireland's flagbearers at Thursday's Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow.

Firth is competing at her fourth Games and won gold in Birmingham four years ago.

Kelly, who won his opening game of the men's singles against Fred Tafatu from Niue Island on Thursday morning, will represent Team NI at his third Games after claiming bronze in 2010.

Kelly will carry the NI flag and Firth the King's batons at the ceremony held at Glasgow's Hydro arena which gets under way at 20:00 BST.

For the first time, all 74 nations and territories will have their own baton specially designed to represent their culture.

"It's an honour and privilege to receive such a prestigious opportunity to carry the Northern Ireland flag on behalf of the athletes, my family and my friends," Kelly told BBC Sport NI.

"It's an incredibly special moment for our sport bowls and we had Mark McHugh and Jeremy Henry previously carrying the flag so to go on that list is a pretty cool feeling to join them, but it's about more than bowls and myself it is about representing our people, our culture and family and friends and that's what it's all about."

Firth said she was "honoured", adding: "I've been representing Northern Ireland my whole life, even when I have been wearing my GB flag and just to go out there and hold that baton, I can't wait and I can't wait to tell Charlotte (her daughter) one day that mummy did it for Northern Ireland."

Nigel Ringland
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist in Glasgow

Image source, Getty Images

Northern Ireland’s Chloe Wilson and Shauna O’Neill dovetailed beautifully together to win their opening game in the women‘s pairs bowls.

They defeated Singapore’s Janice Tan and Ai Lin Cheo in straight sets 8-4, 5-2.

“It was nice to get started and get a win,” O’Neill told BBC Sport NI.

“To be honest it was just nice to get out there together and settle the nerves and get used to the atmosphere.”

It was nervy start as Singapore scored two shots in the opening end but Wilson and O’Neill bounced back to take a 4-2 lead before taking four shots in the fourth end to secure the first set.

An opening three shots in the second set put them on course for victory and despite their opponents pegging them back to a shot the Northern Ireland women sealed a solid win by shutting the door in the final end.

Wilson added, “It’s all about game management. When you score multiple shots it’s about keeping ahead and pushing forward and if you can do that it makes it a little more comfortable but it’s such short format that you never have time to really relax.”

Northern Ireland’s next game is on Friday morning against Niue Island.

Nigel Ringland
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist in Glasgow

Image source, Getty Images

Gary Kelly got off to a winning start in the men's singles.

The silver medallist from four years ago dominated the game against Fred Tafatu from Niue Island, winning by two sets to 0 (13-1, 8-3).

While the 36 year-old from Ballymoney ran away with the first set, the second was nip and tuck before Kelly sealed the win with a full house of four shots in the seventh and final end.

With only the group winner reaching the semi-finals, Kelly's next game against New Zealand's Shannon McIlroy on Friday morning will be crucial.

McIlroy recorded a big win over Tonga's Liam Hill.

Lauren McCann
BBC Sport NI Journalist in Glasgow

Image source, Getty Images

The lawn bowlers are the first athletes from Team Northern Ireland in action at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

They will compete on Thursday morning ahead of the evening's opening ceremony at the Hydro, which starts at 20:00 BST.

Gary Kelly is in men's singles action against Niue at the SEC Centre from 09:30 while Shauna O'Neill and Chloe Wilson go in the women's pairs against Singapore at 10:55 at the same venue.

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Team NI will have four weightlifters at the Games in Glasgow, twice as many as in 2022.

Harrison McGrogan is the youngest of the four and he will compete at his first Commonwealth Games in the 71kg category.

The 18-year-old, who was previously a rugby scrum-half, claimed victory in the British Championships in the 71kg.

Omar Keshta will also compete in his first Games in Glasgow in the 110kg+ weight category.

Hannah Crymble is back for her second Games after finishing sixth in Birmingham. The 30-year-old, who balances weightlifting with her full-time job as a nurse, is a back-to-back British champion in the 63kg.

Kaitlin Saunders is preparing for her first Games after being inspired to take up weightlifting after watching the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

A former gymnast and CrossFit athlete, she lifted the qualifying standard at 77kg.

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Northern Ireland's largest squad heading to the Games comes in swimming with 15 athletes going to Glasgow.

The headline name is Olympic 800m gold medallist Daniel Wiffen. The 24-year-old will compete in his second Commonwealth Games and will look to go one better than Birmingham four years ago when he won silver in the 1500m.

Wiffen, who also won bronze in the 1500m in Paris, will compete in 400m, 800m and 1500m Freestyle in Glasgow.

He will come up against good friend Jack McMillan in the 400m. The 26-year-old was part of Team GB's relay team that claimed Olympic gold in Paris.

McMillan will compete in 100m, 200m and 400m Freestyle and potentially the men's relay team in his second Games after he finished 11th in the 100m in Birmingham.

Danielle Hill returns for her fourth Games after making her Commonwealth debut as a 14-year-old in 2014.

The two-time Olympian was a 2024 European champion in the 50m Backstroke and will take part in the 50m and 100m Backstroke as well as the 50m Freestyle.

Ellie McCartney is preparing for her first Games after winning two gold medals and a bronze at the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games.

The 21-year-old will feature in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke and the 200m Individual Medley.

Conor Ferguson is back at the Games after reaching two finals in 2018. The 26-year-old, who made his Olympic debut in Paris, missed 2022 in Birmingham but returns for the 50m Backstroke in Glasgow.

Lotte Cullen is gearing up for a first Commonwealth Games where she will compete in the 100m and 200m Backstroke.

The 21-year-old who was born to an Irish father and a Malaysian mother, grew up in Ipoh, Malaysia, before moving to Northern Ireland at the age of 10.

Grace Davison has been selected for her second Games and will take part in the 100m and 200m Freestyle as well as the 100m and 200m Backstroke.

The 18-year-old won a gold and bronze medal at 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games and made her Olympic debut in 2024.

Northern Ireland will also be represented in four relays. The women's 4x100m freestyle, the men's and women's 4x100m medley relays and the mixed 4x100m medley relay.

Adam Bradley, Matthew Hamilton, Paddy Johnston, Alana Burns Atkin, Victoria Catterson and Emily Hughes will be in line for selection and they will also compete in various individual events as well.

In para-swimming, six-time Paralympic gold medallist Bethany Firth is back at the Games aiming to defend her S14 200m Freestyle title that she won in Birmingham.

Barry McClements returns to the Games and will compete in the S9 100m Backstroke and S10 100m Fly.

The Newtonards man became the first swimmer to win a medal in the pool for Team NI in 2022 when he won bronze in the S9 100m Backstroke.

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Northern Ireland's netball squad are preparing for their fourth consecutive Commonwealth Games. Their highest ever finish of seventh came 12 years ago in Glasgow.

Head coach Sheonah Forbes has selected an experienced squad, with only Evelyn McCagherty, Lauren Walshe and Orlaith Rogers competing at the Games for the first time.

They will be captained by versatile defender Michelle Magee, who spent the season in the Netball Super League with Birmingham Panthers.

Caroline O'Hanlon is the vice-captain and the Armagh GAA veteran will head to her fourth Games alongside Niamh Cooper and another centurion in Fionnula Toner.

Attacker Emma Magee, Michelle's older sister, is preparing for her third Games as is Lisa Bowman.

Frances Keenan, Georgie McGrath and Maria McCann were all part of the 2022 squad that finished 10th.

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Team NI will have three athletes competing in different judo weight categories in Glasgow.

Rachael Hawkes will be taking part in her second Games in the 70kg after a fifth-place finish in Birmingham four years ago.

Joshua Green is back for his second Games after also achieving a fifth-place finish in 2022 and he will compete in the 73 kg.

Completing the squad is the experienced and decorated Adam Hall, who will make his Commonwealth Games bow in the 100+kg.

He has won the Scottish and Welsh Opens and recently secured a bronze medal at the European Cup in Riga after an eight-year absence from

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Olympic gold medallist in the pommel horse Rhys McClenaghan headlines a four-strong artistic gymnastics team for Northern Ireland.

The 26-year-old is the only gymnast to become Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion on a single apparatus.

McClenaghan was unable to compete at all in 2025 due to a shoulder injury that required surgery, but returned to action earlier this year and won gold in a World Cup event in Antalya in March.

He won a gold medal on the Gold Coast in 2018 and the silver in Birmingham in 2022.

Eamon Montgomery finished fifth with his floor routine in Birmingham in 2022 and won a silver medal at the World Cup in Antalya in March.

Ewan McAteer is back for a third Games after finishing sixth in the vault final four years ago.

Chester Enriquez will make his Commonwealth Games bow in Glasgow in the vault. The 18-year-old became Ireland's first-ever medallist in the European Youth Olympics Festival as he claimed bronze in Croatia last year.

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Team NI will have four experienced lawn bowlers in Glasgow.

Gary Kelly will compete in the singles and pairs at the Games. The 37-year-old won bronze at the 2010 games in the singles and followed that up with silver in 2022.

Adam McKeown will compete in pairs with Kelly after winning gold in Birmingham four years ago as part of NI's men's fours.

Shauna O'Neill competed in singles and pairs in 2022 and four years later will take part in both events again.

She will be in the pairs with Chloe Wilson, who was involved in women's triples and fours in 2022 and competed at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

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Five cyclists will make their Commonwealth Games debuts for Team NI in Glasgow this summer.

Erin Creighton was a reserve at the 2024 Olympics after helping Team Ireland's women qualify for the team pursuit event for the first time.

The 22-year-old claimed the 2022 Irish junior road race title and finished fourth in that year's Junior World Championships elimination race and is set to compete in the scratch, points and elimination races.

Emma Jeffers began in BMX racing before making the switch to road racing, with the 21-year-old since claiming two sprint victories at the Gracia in the Czech Republic, while also enjoying a victory at the National Circuit Championships.

Esther Wong currently rides for Team Farto – Kiroot and has raced on road, track and cyclo-cross circuits.

The versatile 20-year-old has enjoyed success at junior and U23 level, with top-15 finishes at the National Championships Ireland WE road race and the Région Pays de la Loire Tour - Féminin.

Matthew Dobbins has competed internationally for Ireland in a range of road cycling competitions and the 25-year-old enjoyed a sixth-place stage two finish at last year's Tour of Kosovo.

Chris Burns is a C2 para-cyclist and has enjoyed recent national and international success including a triple podium finish at the German Open Paracycling Track Championships.

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Team NI has a 12-strong boxing squad for the Games across a number of male and female weight divisions.

Caitlin Fryers will go to her first Games as she is rewarded for her bronze medal finish at the recent Strandja Tournament with flyweight selection.

Nicole Clyde is moving up to 54kg for her second appearance at the Games. She exited at the quarter-final stage against India's Nitu Ghanghas four years ago in Birmingham.

At 55kg, 20-year-old Louis Rooney will make his bow at the Games. He won a bronze medal at the European U-23 Championships.

The most experienced member of the boxing squad, Michaela Walsh is back for her fourth Games. She is trying to defend the featherweight title she won in Birmingham in 2022.

A two-time Olympian, the 33-year-old also won silver in 2014 in Glasgow and in 2018 at the Gold Coast.

Jude Gallagher is another who goes into these games hoping to win a second successive gold medal after triumphing in 2022. The 24-year-old from Tyrone is stepping up to lightweight after featherweight success.

Kaci Rock, daughter of former professional Jim, has been selected for her first Games. Born in Belfast but raised in Wicklow, she will compete at welterweight and claimed Ulster Elite honours in December.

John Paul Hale, Rooney's older cousin is back for his second Games at 65kg. He will hope to improve after he suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Uganda's Joshua Tukamuhebwa four years ago.

Janssen Hill will compete will make her first appearance at the Games in Glasgow. The former equestrian won Ulster honours and will fight at welterweight.

Another debutant is Belfast man Jon McConnell. The 24-year-old light-middleweight fighter broke through at the 2024 Irish elites.

At light-heavyweight is fellow Games newcomer Eoghan Quinn, who won a 2025 Ulster title.

Garyn McAllister and Willie John McCartan, who will compete at heavyweight and super-heavyweight, also claimed Ulster honours last year and are both getting set for their first Games.

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The big name in the athletics team is world outdoor silver medallist Kate O'Connor.

Heptathlete O'Connor will head to her third Commonwealth Games off the back of a stellar 2025 in which she won four medals including a gold at the World University Games and bronze at the European Indoor Championships.

In taking silver at the World Championships in Tokyo, the Newry born athlete set a new Irish record of 6714 points and five personal bests.

The 25-year-old, who featured in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, won silver at the last Games in Birmingham four years ago.

She will be joined in the heptathlon by Anna McCauley, who finished sixth in 2022 and more recently second in the UK Athletics Championship.

Nick Griggs, who won the Irish senior title in March, has been selected for his first Commonwealth Games and will compete in the 5000m or mile.

His training partner and fellow debutant Callum Morgan will also be in the 5000m. He broke the Northern Irish 10k record earlier this year.

James Gormley, who is also going to his first Games, will compete in the mile race after setting a new NI record for the mile indoor this season.

Para-athlete Eve Walsh Dann will go to her second Games and will compete in the 100 metres and long jump.