Everyone at Sport NI wishes the TeamNI athletes, coaches and staff involved the best of luck as they represent Northern Ireland on the elite stage.

65 athletes will compete across nine sports which are Athletics, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Judo, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Swimming and Weightlifting.

We are proud to support the team and individual athletes through National Lottery funding in programmes such as our System Partners Investment and Athlete Award but also through our expert support at the Sports Institute across Strength and Conditioning, Physiotherapy, Physiology, Psychology, Nutrition and more.

Interim Chief Executive Richard Archibald said: “This is a unique opportunity for athletes from Northern Ireland, who normally compete for Team Ireland and Team GB, to come together and showcase the incredible talent we have here.

“These athletes have worked tirelessly, putting everything on the line to get to the games. Now let’s show them our support and wish them good luck for Glasgow.”

The action gets underway with Lawn Bowls on Thursday morning as Gary Kelly competes in the Men’s Singles along with the Women’s Pairing of Shauna O’Neill/Chloe Wilson.

You can follow the action live on TNT Sports but also keep up to date on our social media channels and website.

Sports Institute Physio Sinead Chambers is no novice when it comes to the Commonwealth Games as she prepares for her fifth games in a row.

Chambers has been to three Commonwealth Games as part of the TeamNI Badminton team in 2010, 2014 and 2018. Now Sinead is going into her second visit as a practitioner working with the Swimming team in Glasgow.

However, her day-to-day job also includes looking after the four gymnasts who will be taking part in the games, which includes current Olympic gold medalist Rhys McClenaghan.

Rhys underwent successful surgery on a shoulder injury in July 2025 which forced him to miss the 2025 World Championship and worked with Sinead to return to full fitness in March 2026 at a World Cup event in Azerbaijan.

The three time European and two time World Champion shared the difference Sinead made in his recovery: “I have been working with Sinead for a number of years now and she supplies us with the expertise on how to keep our body healthy and happy going into competitions.

“The year after the Olympics, I got shoulder surgery and have been rehabbing that ever since. Sinead played a big role in the rehab of that injury and got me back to a healthy place heading into the Commonwealth Games where we don’t have pain in the shoulder anymore.”

Find out more from fellow gymnasts Eamon Montgomery and Chester Enriquez in the video below.

The government has launched a comprehensive review of National Lottery Good Cause funding, asking the public to have their say on where the money should go and how it should be spent – the first opportunity in more than twenty years.

Gavin Boyd, Chair of Sport NI, said:

“We welcome this Call for Evidence as an important opportunity to help ensure National Lottery funding continues to deliver the greatest possible benefit for communities across the UK.

“Sport NI is proud to distribute National Lottery funding for sport in Northern Ireland. Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £219 million has been invested in sport here, supporting local clubs and governing bodies to create more opportunities for people of all ages and abilities, developing modern sporting facilities, and helping our athletes compete on the world stage.

“We encourage everyone with an interest in the future of National Lottery funding to take part in the consultation and share their views.”

The call for evidence will run for 12 weeks and is open to members of the public, organisations and communities across the UK. The government wants to hear what is working, what could be improved, where future funding should go, and how to make it easier to access.

You can share your views at GOV.UK

The ‘A Space for All’ project will see the redevelopment of sports facilities, delivering modern, inclusive and accessible infrastructure for community use and the development of sport.

The total funding for the project is £7.6million, which includes £3.5million from the Department for Communities, £1million from Sport Northern Ireland’s National Lottery funding and approximately £3million through the Irish Government’s Shared Island initiative.

Gavin Boyd, Sport NI Chair, said: “We warmly welcome this major investment in sporting facilities at the Pavilion, which will deliver lasting benefits for both community and high-performance sport. We look forward to working with nicssa and others to ensure that these enhanced facilities open up greater opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to take part in sport and physical activity.”

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said: “My Department’s investment of £3.5million, alongside commitments from Sport NI and the Irish Government, demonstrates clearly our determination to deliver real, positive and lasting change through investment in high-quality, inclusive facilities.

“This project will deliver tangible benefits for communities, supporting participation, improving wellbeing and creating opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.

“The redevelopment will address capacity and accessibility issues while enhancing opportunities for schools, clubs and under-represented groups. This investment will significantly strengthen Northern Ireland’s position as a proposed location to host matches in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2030, in partnership with Cricket Ireland, and I will continue to strongly make the case for matches to be secured for Belfast.”

Kieran Devlin, CEO, nicssa, said: “Beyond major events, the investment will deliver lasting benefits for our members and local communities by increasing access to sport, supporting health and wellbeing and creating opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to participate in physical activity.

“Construction is anticipated to commence in early 2027, with completion anticipated for summer 2028.

“This landmark investment represents a significant milestone in strengthening Northern Ireland’s sporting infrastructure, creating lasting opportunities for participation, performance and international events for many years to come.”

Brian MacNeice, Chair of Cricket Ireland, said: “We are delighted with this funding announcement today. This commitment by the two governments, both north and south of the border, is a clear demonstration of support and belief that they have in the future of Irish cricket and will provide much needed infrastructure and facilities for our sport.

“This investment will greatly enhance our facilities in Northern Ireland. It will ensure we have fit for purpose infrastructure to host senior international events in Stormont and support our ability to cohost the 2030 Men’s T20 World Cup.”

World Championship silver medallist Kate O’Connor will compete in the Heptathlon with fellow Heptathlete Anna McCauley.

Nick Griggs, Callum Morgan and James Gormley will all be making their games debuts in the 5,000m and mile races respectively.

Also, Para Athlete Eve Walsh Dann will compete in the 100m and Long Jump in the T38 classification.

It was four years ago that Kate O’Connor won a silver medal in the heptathlon in Birmingham announcing her arrival on the international stage.

In 2025, O’Connor claimed a gold medal at the World University Games as well as silver at the World Championships in Tokyo where the Newry born athlete set a new Irish record of 6714 points and five personal bests.

In Paris O’Connor became Ireland’s first ever Olympic heptathlete and she also holds the Irish record in the pentathlon.

Anna McCauley will compete in her second Commonwealth Games after a sixth-place finish in the heptathlon in Birmingham. Last year McCauley finished second in the UK Athletics Championship heptathlon.

In May, McCauley become the second Irish heptathlete to break the 6000 points barrier at the Mehrkampf meeting in Switzerland.

Middle distance runner Nick Griggs is one of three athletes making their Team NI Commonwealth Games debuts along with Callum Morgan and James Gormley.

Griggs is a former European U20 3000m champion and U23 European Cross country champion and ran a seasons best at Hengelo in the Netherlands.

Callum Morgan, training partner of Nick Griggs, earlier this year broke the Northern Irish 10k record and finished top 10 in the U23 European cross-country championships.

James Gormley was in the NACC system at Oregon University and is currently based in Manchester. He set a new record NI record for the mile indoor this season.

Eva Walsh Dann is a para athlete will be competing in her second games after being in Birmingham to compete in the 100 metres and long jump.

We are proud to support Team NI thanks to funding from the National Lottery.

Team NI Athletics squad

Kate O’Connor – Heptathlon

Anna McCauley – Heptathlon

Nick Griggs – 5000m

Callum Morgan – 5000m

James Gormley – Mile

Eve Walsh Dann – T38 100m/Long Jump

Photo Caption: Anna McCauley, Kate O’Connor and Eve Walsh Dann at the Team NI Athletics Squad Announcement

Erin Creighton, Emma Jeffers, Esther Wong, Matthew Dobbins and Chris Burns will be in the hotseat across Cycling and Para Cycling.

Antrim rider Erin Creighton helped Team Ireland qualify its first ever women’s Team Pursuit squad for the Olympic Games and travelled to Paris in 2024 as a reserve.

Creighton is a former Irish Junior Road Race Champion claiming the title in 2022 and finish fourth in the Elimination Race at the Junior World Championships in the same year. The 22-year-old is regarded as one of Northern Ireland’s most promising cyclists.

Emma Jeffers is an all rounder who started BMX racing at four years old before switching to road racing. Jeffers list of successes includes two sprint victories at the Gracia in the Czech Republic and a win at the National Circuit Championships.

Esther Wong is a talented young Irish cyclist known for her versatility across road racing, track, and cyclo-cross, currently riding for Team Farto – Kiroot.

Wong has notable results in junior and U23 competitions, including top 15 finishes in the National Championships Ireland WE – Road Race and the Région Pays de la Loire Tour – Féminin.

Matthew Dobbins has competed internationally for Ireland in a range of road cycling competitions and the 25-year-old enjoyed a sixth-place stage two finish at last year’s Tour of Kosovo.

In Para Cycling, Banbridge C2 rider Chris Burns will compete with recent notable podium finishes at both national and international competitions. At the German Open Paracycling Track Championship, Burns achieved a triple podium finish whilst at national level Burns collected five medals over one weekend.

We are proud to support TeamNI thanks to National Lottery funding.

Olympic gold medallist Rhys McClenaghan will be leading the charge for medals as he hopes to add a third consecutive Commonwealth medal to his growing collection with a previous gold and silver in 2018 and 2022 respectively.

Lisburn athlete Ewan McAteer finished sixth in the vault final in Birmingham four years ago and will be competing at his third Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Eamon Montgomery finished fifth with his floor routine in 2022 with the Belfast gymnast taking silver at a recent World Cup meet in Antalya with a score of 13.833.

There will be a debutant as well in 18 year old Chester Enriquez. The Newtownabbey gymnast made history by becoming Ireland’s first ever gold medallist at the European Youth Olympics Festival.

We’re proud to support Team NI through National Lottery funding.

TeamNI Gymnastics squad

Rhys McClenaghan

Ewan McAteer

Eamon Montgomery

Chester Enriquez

Hannah Crymble, Harrison McGrogan, Kaitlin Saunders and Omar Keshta will take to the Platform in Glasgow with double the number of weightlifters making the qualification standard from Birmingham in 2022.

Athlete Award recipient, thanks to National Lottery funding, Hannah Crymble is fresh off becoming back to back British Champion at the 63kg weight category and will be competing at her second Commonwealth Games.

Fellow Athlete Award recipient Harrison McGrogan is also just back from victory at the British Championships in the 71kg.

The former Bangor Grammar School rugby scrum half has a busy summer ahead competing at his first Commonwealth Games and awaiting his A Level results.

Debutant Kaitlin Saunders was inspired to take up weightlifting after watching Team NI compete in Birmingham. A former gymnast and CrossFit athlete, Saunders will be competing in her first games after lifting the qualifying standard at 77kg.

Omar Keshta, who was born in Belfast before moving to Egypt, will also be competing in his first Commonwealth Games. Keshta retuned to the UK to study at Brunel University and will compete in the 110kg + weight category.

We’re proud to support Team NI thanks to funding from the National Lottery.

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Rankin shares all with host Hugh Campbell about the psychology within cricket and the battle between bat and ball. He also discusses his upbringing and valuable advice to elite athletes on his preparation to compete at the top level.

Standing at 6ft 8, Boyd Rankin was a fast bowler who claimed over 500 wickets in his professional career in Test, ODI, T20 and First Class cricket which consisted of representing England, Ireland, Warwickshire and Derbyshire.

Rankin is one of very few cricketers to play for two countries in his International career with the likes of Eoin Morgan and Ed Joyce also playing for England and Ireland.

Rankin had a fascinating start in International cricket as he received his first call up whilst studying agriculture where the original plan was for him to work at the family farm.

From the fields of the farm to the cricket pitch, Rankin went on to compete at the 2007 World Cup where he took figures of 3/32 as Ireland shocked Pakistan.

To reach the pinnacle of cricket Boyd switched to compete for England with Ireland not being a Test Nation. Therefore, Rankin stopped playing for Ireland in 2012 and soon after made his England debut in the 2013/14 Ashes.

Boyd would return to Ireland when they received Test status and took their first Test wicket on 11 May 2018 against Pakistan.

Rankin is now Head Coach of the North West Warriors as part of the North West Cricket Union and was recently a coach as Ireland hosted New Zealand for a Test Match at Stormont.