Cardiff Met Sport’s Road to Glasgow begins here

With 100 days to go until the Commonwealth Games, anticipation is building ahead of Glasgow 2026, and Cardiff Met is playing a leading role in support of Team Wales.

Cardiff Met’s partnership with Team Wales is about creating opportunities, developing talent and strengthening the connection between higher education and elite sport in Wales. Since the seven-year partnership was announced in 2023, the relationship has been shaped by shared ambition across education, research, technology and digital media, women in sport leadership, student placements and community programmes. 

Cardiff Met is playing a leading role in support of Team Wales.

Over the years, the university has supported athletes, alumni and staff who have gone on to perform on some of sport’s biggest stages. At Birmingham 2022 alone, Cardiff Met had 40 athletes and 12 support staff connected to the Games, representing Team Wales, England, Guernsey and Jersey across 11 sports. It was a powerful reminder of the university’s reach and of the high-performance environment that has developed across its campuses.

The names already associated with Cardiff Met’s Commonwealth story underline the depth of that connection. While the list of athletes for Glasgow 2026 has not yet been confirmed, the university’s recent Commonwealth links include several standout names from previous Games. Among them are Paralympic and Commonwealth medallist Aled Sion Davies, Commonwealth gold medallist gymnast Gemma Frizelle, Welsh sprint siblings Hannah and Joe Brier, Olympic boxer Rosie Eccles and British shot-put champion Adele Nicoll. Together, they reflect the strength of a sporting environment that has helped athletes reach the highest level across multiple disciplines.

For our students, staff and partners this is about far more than medals and major events. It is about a university with proven sporting pedigree, strong industry links, first-class facilities and a track record of helping talented people grow. Cardiff Met’s connection to the Commonwealth Games is not a passing moment. It is part of the university’s identity, and part of its ambition to be recognised as Wales’ Sporting University. 

Ben O’Connell, Director of Sport at Cardiff Metropolitan University said “At Cardiff Met we are delighted to be a principal partner of Team Wales and to join with them and mark 100 days until the 2026 Games in Glasgow. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the team of athletes, coaches and support staff to perform at their best when they wear the Welsh vest and look forward to cheering them on in a few months time.”

Over the coming months, Cardiff Met Sport will shine a light on the people, partnerships and pathways helping shape the road to Glasgow. Some are established names; others are still building towards their opportunity. Together, they reflect a university continuing to make a meaningful contribution to Welsh sport on and off the field of play.