Team Northern Ireland's Busy First Day at Commonwealth Games
On the opening day of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Team Northern Ireland athletes compete across bowls, swimming, boxing, and gymnastics.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games have kicked off in Glasgow, and Friday promises a packed schedule for Team Northern Ireland. Bowls action starts early with Gary Kelly facing New Zealand's Shannon McIlroy in the men's singles at 08:30 BST, following Kelly's victory against Niue on Thursday. In the women's pairs, Shauna O'Neill and Chloe Wilson take on Niue at 11:20 after their win over Singapore the previous day.
At the Tollcross Swimming Centre, heats begin at 10:30. Victoria Catterson competes in the women's 400m freestyle, while Grace Davison and Lottie Cullen swim in the women's 200m backstroke. Conor Ferguson and Paddy Johnston line up in the 50m backstroke, Alana Burns-Aiken in the 50m butterfly, and Adam Bradley in the 100m breaststroke. Barry McClements enters the men's S10 100m butterfly. Team NI also participates in both the men's and women's 100m freestyle relay heats. Should swimmers advance, semi-finals and finals are scheduled for the evening from 19:00.
At the SEC Centre, boxer Louis Rooney fights in the men's bantamweight 55kg round of 32 against Mathealira Seholoholo from Lesotho at 11:45. From 13:00 at the Emirates Arena, Olympic champion Rhys McClenaghan, alongside Ewan McAteer and Eamon Montgomery, begin gymnastics qualification.
