Home Nations Commonwealth Games stars unite on day one of Glasgow 2026

With just hours to go until the Home Nations’ best gymnasts launch their Commonwealth Games campaigns, a combined team of decorated stars gathered at the City of Glasgow Gymnastics Club, to celebrate the support of The National Lottery players, that have helped hundreds of athletes get to Glasgow 2026.

Team England’s four times Commonwealth gymnastic team gold medallist Courtney Tulloch, Commonwealth 400m bronze medallist and current Non-executive Director of Commonwealth Games England, Donna Fraser OBE, Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth artistic gymnast and Glasgow 2014 pommel champion, Dan Keatings, Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland Chair and Olympic hockey gold medallist Dr Stephen Martin MBE, and Commonwealth Games Wales Chair and former Welsh rugby international Gareth Davies, were all in attendance at the National Lottery event.

Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £33 million is raised every week for good causes. It’s because of players,  that sport, arts, heritage and community projects, as well as athletes competing at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, are supported across the UK.

The hotly anticipated men’s team gymnastics competition is one of the biggest events on day one of the Games. Team England has historically dominated this event, winning gold at Glasgow 2014, Gold Coast 2018, and Birmingham 2022. Their depth at world and Olympic levels will set a standard that will be tough to match.

Courtney Tulloch said, “I’m so excited to see Team England’s gymnasts in action, and we hope the amazing performances we’ve seen them execute in the past, will be on show again at the Commonwealth Games. 

“The incredible standard that our gymnasts, and athletes across all sports, have achieved, is because of you, the people who play The National Lottery. Thank you for supporting our athletes and giving them the chance to fulfil their dreams in Glasgow.”

Scotland’s 2026 men’s gymnastics squad brings a strong mix of experience, home crowd advantage, and event-specific firepower. It includes 2018 Commonwealth team bronze medallist, Hamish Carter, returning 2022 teammates, Cameron Lynn and Pavel Karnejenko, plus emerging talent Reuben Ward, the 2026 British pommel champion, and 2026 British Universities all-around champion Connor Sullivan. 

Dan Keatings, a member of the 2014 Commonwealth silver medal winning men’s team, said, “Team Scotland’s gymnasts have the talent, and a fantastic home crowd, to help them challenge for the podium, and they’re also capable of bringing home individual apparatus medals. 

“I have amazing memories of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and being here to watch another Games in Glasgow is huge. So, we’re celebrating the opening day of competition, and The National Lottery players who helped Team Scotland get here.”

The National Lottery has also invested more than £9 billion into sport across the UK, from grassroots to elite level - via 143,000 (143,155) grants, from local facilities to the Commonwealth Games stage - funding the coaches, facilities and athlete development pathways that have brought each team to the start line. In Glasgow alone, more than £1 billion has been invested through over 14,000 grants since 1994.

When Glasgow last held the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Team Wales delivered a standout result, winning 36 medals across 17 sports. The team is looking forward to more world-class performances from its 114 athletes at this year’s Games.

Gareth Davies, said, “It’s great for Team Wales to be competing in Glasgow, at what is pretty close to a home Commonwealth Games for us, and we’ve got ten days of fantastic action across ten sports to look forward to.

“The team has worked really hard to get here, but our athletes couldn’t have made it without the help of The National Lottery and the people who buy tickets.  We hope that Team Wales can say thank you from the medal podium in Glasgow.”

Team Northern Ireland will have athletes in eight of the ten sports at Glasgow 2026 and are hoping to build on their performance at the Birmingham 2022 Games, where they achieved their best ever result with 18 medals.

Stephen Martin said: “Team Northern Ireland’s athletes are ready and raring to go. We have some world class talent and are hoping to see strong performances in a range of sports. 

“It’s fantastic to once again be competing so close to home, and also to be celebrating the impact that The National Lottery has had on both  the host city of Glasgow and athletes from all the Home Countries.”

As the action at Glasgow 2026 gets underway, the impact of National Lottery players’ support is visible everywhere - from the Games venues that have benefited from funding, to the museums and galleries that visitors will enjoy, to the local projects bringing communities together to celebrate.