Edinburgh athletes on the world stage at Commonwealth Games
Athletes, coaches and staff are lighting up Glasgow 2026, highlighting Edinburgh's position as Scotland's leading sporting university and one of Europe's foremost higher education performance centres.
Swimming and Para Swimming stars (from l to r) Scott Gibson, Stephen Clegg, Faye Rogers, Josh Mitchell and Ciara Schlosshan. Image by Euan Cherry.
Sporting stars
From rising stars to world-leading competitors, a total of 21 athletes with University connections have been selected for the Games. As well as current students and alumni, the group includes scholars and athletes training within Edinburgh's specialist performance sport programmes.
Twenty athletes will represent Team Scotland, including European record-holder distance runner Megan Keith, Scottish record-holder swimmer Archie Goodburn, double Commonwealth gold medallist judoka Sarah Adlington, and Paralympic champion swimmers Faye Rogers and Stephen Clegg MBE. Endurance runner and Olympic finalist Gabriela DeBues-Stafford will compete for Canada in athletics.
British champion swimmer and Scottish record holder Archie Goodburn. Image Euan Cherry.
Strength and depth
The Edinburgh contingent span six sports - swimming, athletics, netball, judo, weightlifting and basketball - with athletes including nine swimmers, six athletics competitors, two netball players, two judoka, one weightlifter and one basketball player.
Each athlete heading to Glasgow 2026 is set to represent the University with distinction on the international stage, reflecting years of training and dedication which have seen them balancing elite sporting ambitions with academic achievement.
This strong showing also reflects the depth of talent developed through the University’s world-class performance sport environment and highlights the breadth and strength of its performance sport programmes, delivered by the University’s specialist sport and physical activity service, Edinburgh Sport.
Leading coaching staff from the University’s performance programmes will also support athletes on the international stage, with Performance Swimming Head Coach Mat Trodden and Performance Swimming Coach Danny Kirkham selected to join Team Scotland for the Games.
Their appointments recognise the outstanding contribution they have made to athlete development and the continued success of the University's Performance Swimming programme.
In addition to competitors and coaches, several University students and staff members will play their part in delivering Glasgow 2026 by volunteering at Team Scotland HQ and across venues.
Olympian and European 10km road record holder, distance runner Megan Keith. Image by Euan Cherry.
Marking the moment
The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games is a moment to celebrate the achievements of the University's athletes, coaches and staff on one of sport's biggest international stages, and for Edinburgh Sport to showcase the impact of a world-class university performance environment, where excellence in sport is supported alongside academic achievement, wellbeing and personal development.
Associate athlete Stephen Clegg MBE, Paralympic champion swimmer and world record holder and Paralympic gold medallist and world champion, paraswimmer Faye Rogers. Photo Euan Cherry.
Full team
The full list of Edinburgh-associated athletes competing at the Games include:
Swimming: Faye Rogers, Stephen Clegg, Ciara Schlosshan, Archie Goodburn, Anna Morgan, Scott Gibson, Lucy Hope, Stefan Krawiec, and Joshua Mitchell
Athletics: Megan Keith, Gabriela Debues Stafford, Melanie Woods, Alyson Bell, Sarah Calvert and Stephen Mackenzie
Judo: Sarah Adlington and Ollie Short
Netball: Emily Nicholl and Hannah Grant
Weightlifting: Maddie Rosher
Basketball: Hannah Robb
Swimmer Ciara Schlosshan is a European Junior silver medallist and one of Scotland's leading butterfly specialists.
It is fantastic to see so many members of our University community selected to compete at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. From current students balancing their studies with training at the highest level, to our alumni and associated athletes training on our world-class performance programmes, they embody the values of excellence, resilience and leadership that we seek to foster at Edinburgh. These athletes are outstanding ambassadors for the University and for Scotland, and we wish them every success as they compete at the highest level this summer.
Professor Sir Peter Mathieson
Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh
Incoming University student and weightlifting rising star Maddie Rocher. Image Euan Cherry.
Having 21 athletes from the University competing at a Commonwealth Games is a remarkable achievement and a huge source of pride for everyone connected with Edinburgh Sport.
To have athletes competing across six different sports demonstrates the strength of our performance programmes, our coaches and the support structures we have created around our student athletes.
Edinburgh continues to be Scotland’s leading university for sport and one of the top-performing university sporting environments in Europe. This achievement reflects years of investment, commitment and collaboration across our performance pathway.
Good luck to all of our athletes, coaches and support staff involved. We are incredibly proud of every individual representing Edinburgh and wish Team Scotland, the athletes, staff and organising committee every success for a fantastic Games in Glasgow.
Mark Munro
Director of Sport and Active Health at the University of Edinburgh
