Scotland is located in northern Europe and is bounded by the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and England. It is around half the size of England, but most of its landmass is comprised of moorlands, mountains and about 800 islands. The Commonwealth Games is the only multi-sport event where Scotland competes as a nation. At the 2014 Games, hosts Scotland had their best ever performance by finishing in fourth place with a record 19 gold medals.

Scotland at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Scotland hosted the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, the first edition staged with a reduced program of 10 sports after Glasgow stepped in to keep the Games alive. Competing on home soil, Scotland finished fifth on the medal table with 13 gold medals, along with 9 silver and 17 bronze for 39 medals in total.

Scotland matched the gold-medal count of fourth-placed India, but was ranked behind on account of its fewer silver medals. The final medal standings for the leading nations are shown below.

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Australia 70 45 56 171
2 England 29 45 36 110
3 Canada 19 20 23 62
4 India 13 17 9 39
5 Scotland 13 9 17 39
6 New Zealand 10 14 12 36

Trivia

  • Scotland is one of only six nations have attended every Commonwealth Games (The others are Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand and Wales).
  • From their debut in 1930 Commonwealth Games in Hamilton when they were represented by 15 athletes the Scots have taken part in every Games since, winning medals every time they have participated.
  • The Commonwealth Games has been held in Scotland four times. Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986, while Glasgow hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games and again in 2026.
high jump event at Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014Commonwealth Games high jump event at Glasgow 2014
  • Scottish Commonwealth Games champions include boxer Dick McTaggart, sprinter Allan Wells, distance runner Liz McColgan, cyclist Chris Hoy and swimmer David Wilkie - all of whom won Olympic medals.
  • Multiple diving gold medalist Sir Peter Heatly contributed even further by managing Scottish teams and later chairing the Commonwealth Games Federation.
  • Lawn bowler Willie Wood from Scotland is the first competitor to have competed in seven Commonwealth Games, from 1974 to 2002.
  • The mascot from the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Clyde the thistle man, was also named as the official mascot for Team Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
  • 72-year-old Scottish athlete Rosemary Lenton is the oldest gold medallist in the history of the Commonwealth Games. In her Games debut, she helped Scotland win the Para women's pairs bowls event in Birmingham, 2022.
  • Scottish distance runner Eilish McColgan won the 2022 Commonwealth Games 10,000m, replicating the feat of her mother Liz McColgan who won the same race in 1986 and 1990. In doing so, Eilish broke her mother's Commonwealth Games record for the event.