Commonwealth athletes land in Glasgow: ‘We’re exhausted but happy to be here’
The competitors arrived at Glasgow Airport as a bagpiper, highland dancers, and mascot Finnie welcomed them to the country.
Athletes arriving in Scotland for the Commonwealth Games have said they’re “exhausted but happy to be here”.
The first international competitors arrived at Glasgow Airport on Monday as a bagpiper, highland dancers, and the Glasgow 2026 mascot, Finnie, welcomed them to arrivals.
Jason Lindsay, 39, from the Cook Islands, said: “We’re exhausted, but we’re happy to be here, and we can’t wait.”
Mr Lindsay is competing in the men’s pairs for long bowls.
“It takes us about three days to get up here from where we’re from in the South Pacific, so we’re really glad we have finally landed,” he said.
Speaking about the welcome party at the airport, he added: “It was amazing. We love seeing Finnie, and we love the bagpipes and the dancers. It’s just amazing to get to experience other cultures.”
Other athletes coming off the plane from Heathrow said the bagpipes and welcome party could be heard all throughout the airport when they arrived.
Eithen Leard, 20, who is playing wheelchair basketball for Australia, said the experience was “very full-on”.
“You could hear it all the way in the airport, so that was pretty cool,” he said.
“Coming out and seeing the big set-up is super awesome, and then seeing all the Aussie stuff and everything here is super cool to see.”
Speaking about the upcoming Games, Mr Leard said: “I wouldn’t say I’m nervous yet, just very tired.
“I’ve come from Australia and it’s a 30-hour flight. But I’m excited, super excited, and a little bit nervous, but we’ve got a good group of lads, so I think we’ll do well.”
The wheelchair basketballer said he has had an “interesting” build-up to the Games.
“I had a concussion like four weeks ago, so I had to adjust my training and all that sort of stuff,” he said.
He has since gotten full medical clearance to compete in the Games, but he said there was a moment leading up to the trip when he was worried he would not be able to compete with his team.
Hayley Wong, 18, a swimmer from Brunei Darussalam, said it took her and her team more than a day to travel to Scotland, but she said she is looking forward to competing in the coming weeks.
“I’m really pumped for it,” she said.
“I’ve been looking forward to it for more than a month now. We’ve been preparing really hard in our training, doing all these intensive training plans and gym work.”
Speaking about the welcome party, Ms Wong said: “The welcome event was so lively, and I loved the music and the costumes. It’s a really warm welcome.”
Josh Tonga, 19, from Tonga, said: “It’s crazy seeing all the people, the entrance that we got, the bagpipes, and the mascot, and just all the people around. It’s amazing.”
The boxer added: “The most exciting part will be competing and watching all the other athletes compete as well. My goal is to get a gold medal, any medal in fact, would be a great achievement.”
The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games take place from Thursday July 23 to Sunday August 2 at four venues across the city, with a fan zone at Kelvingrove Park.
More than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories will compete across 10 sports and six Para sports at the event.