Nigeria’s reigning Commonwealth champion Folashade Oluwafemiayo and sprint star Kayinsola Ajayi are among a galaxy of elite athletes confirmed for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, organisers announced on Sunday.
With just days to the opening ceremony on 23 July, organisers unveiled a star-studded list featuring Olympic, Paralympic and world champions from across the Commonwealth who will compete for 215 gold medals over 11 days of competition.
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For Team Nigeria, attention will centre on Oluwafemiayo, the women’s heavyweight para powerlifting world record holder, who returns to defend the Commonwealth title she won in Birmingham four years ago.
The multiple Paralympic and world champion is chasing another gold medal after her record-breaking performance at the 2022 Games, where Nigeria topped the para powerlifting medals table with four medals, including one gold and two silver medals.
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In athletics, all eyes will be on Ajayi, who arrives in Glasgow in outstanding form after equalling the Nigerian men’s 100m record of 9.84 seconds at the London Diamond League on Saturday.
The 100m event promises to be one of the highlights of the Games, with Ajayi set to renew his rivalry with defending Commonwealth champion Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya.
Global stars assemble
Host nation Scotland will be led by newly crowned world mile record holder Josh Kerr, while England’s sprint hopes rest on Zharnel Hughes and Georgia Hunter-Bell.
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Jamaican sprint queen Shericka Jackson, Canadian Olympic champion Andre De Grasse, India’s Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra, Pakistan’s defending Commonwealth champion Arshad Nadeem, and South African swimming legend Chad le Clos are among the headline acts.
Australia, which topped the Birmingham 2022 medal table with 67 gold medals, will once again field one of the strongest teams, while England, Canada, India, New Zealand and Scotland are also expected to challenge for overall honours.
The Games will feature about 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories competing across 10 sports and six para sports between 23 July and 2 August.
Nigeria is expected to compete strongly in para powerlifting, athletics, weightlifting, boxing and wrestling as Team Nigeria seeks to improve on its performances at previous editions of the Games.
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