New Zealand team for Glasgow ready for action
- Jun 24
- 2 min read
The New Zealand team for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games has been completely confirmed n, with 116 athletes, - half the size of the team that was sent to the Games in 2022.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham featured 19 different sports, but Scotland will feature just 10 when the Games start on the 23 July.
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Glasgow agreed to host the 2026 edition to rescue the event from cancellation after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew due to soaring costs. The Scottish city stepped in because the organisers agreed on a heavily slashed programme and cost-effective model.
A total of 234 athletes represented New Zealand at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The NZ team for Glasgow is 65 females and 51 males and an average age of 27.7.
The 2026 Games team also brings together athletes from a wide range of backgrounds, including Cook Islands, Samoan and Tongan representation, while 13.5 percent of the team are of Māori descent.
Gymnast Sienna Shields is the youngest athlete, having turned 18-years-old on 3 June, while Lawn Bowls athlete Julie O'Connell is the oldest at 67 years and four months.
The New Zealand team includes 63 athletes set for their first Commonwealth Games, with more than a third returning for a second Games or more.
At the experienced end, gymnast Misha Koudinov will contest his sixth Commonwealth Games, lawn bowls athletes Shannon Mcilroy and Ali Forsyth their fifth, while para bowls' Mark Noble and shot putter Tom Walsh will each make a fourth appearance.
Glasgow 2026 will feature 10 sports, including six integrated para sports, with more than 200 gold medals available across 10 days of competition from Thursday 23 July to Sunday 2 August.
New Zealand athletes will be competing in artistic gymnastics, athletics, basketball 3x3, boxing, lawn bowls, judo, netball, swimming, track cycling, and weightlifting, as well as para track cycling, para athletics, para bowls, and para swimming.
