​Sixty-five athletes will carry Northern Ireland’s hopes at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this July. NI will be represented across eight of the nine sports on this year’s program, with sizeable boxing and swimming teams joined by competitors in athletics, cycling, gymnastics, judo, lawn bowls and netball. The squad is packed with exciting young talents and seasoned performers who will be aiming to add to Northern Ireland’s growing tally of medals. As the countdown to Glasgow accelerates, BBC Sport NI highlights the members of Team NI who will be in action this summer.
In athletics, the big name is World outdoor silver medallist Kate O’Connor. The Newry-born heptathlete will head to her third Commonwealth Games following a remarkable 2025, which included four medals: gold at the World University Games and bronze at the European Indoor Championships. O’Connor’s silver at the World Championships in Tokyo set a new Irish record of 6714 points and yielded five personal bests. At 25, she also competed for Ireland at the 2024 Paris Olympics and won silver at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games four years ago. Joining her in the heptathlon is Anna McCauley, who finished sixth in 2022 and most recently came second at the UK Athletics Championship.
Debuting at this year’s Games are Nick Griggs and Callum Morgan. Griggs, who claimed the Irish senior title in March, will compete in either the 5000 metres or the mile, while training partner Morgan, another first-time Games entrant, will also race the 5000 metres after breaking the Northern Irish 10,000 metres record earlier this year. James Gormley, also taking part in his first Commonwealth Games, will compete in the mile after setting a new NI indoor mile record this season. Para-athlete Eva Walsh Dann will make her second Games appearance, contesting the 100 metres and the long jump; she previously claimed gold in Birmingham four years ago.
Team NI has a 12-strong boxing squad, with athletes spanning multiple weight divisions, both male and female. Caitlin Fryers earns her first Games selection following a bronze at the Strandja Tournament, earning a flyweight spot. Nicole Clyde will move up to 54kg for her second Commonwealth appearance, having exited Birmingham in 2022 at the quarter-final stage against India’s Nitu Ghanghas. Louis Rooney, aged 20, will debut at 55kg after claiming a bronze medal at the European U-23 Championships. The most experienced boxer in the group is Michaela Walsh, returning for her fourth Games. A two-time Olympian, Walsh previously won silver medals in Glasgow 2014 and the Gold Coast in 2018, and she is aiming to defend her Birmingham 2022 featherweight title. Jude Gallagher is another member of the boxing squad entering these Games with the goal of a second successive medal.
The wider Team NI roster will also feature competitors in swimming, cycling, gymnastics, judo, lawn bowls and netball, further strengthening a lineup that is ready to challenge for medals across multiple disciplines. With a mix of emerging talents and established stars, NI’s athletes are keen to maximise their opportunities on the international stage at Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow.