Gethin Jones: Glasgow 2026 became real when I saw Team Wales come together

For Team Wales Chef de Mission Gethin Jones, the road to Glasgow 2026 has been years in the making.

Gethin Jones pictured with Suzy Drane, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and President of Team Wales Helen Phillips MBE

But despite months of planning, athlete selections and preparations behind the scenes, it was the King's Baton Relay event at Cardiff Met that finally made the upcoming Commonwealth Games feel real.

Jones was among those welcoming athletes, partners and supporters to campus as Team Wales officially unveiled the 114 athletes who will represent Wales in Glasgow this summer.

"It's huge for me as the Chef de Mission for Team Wales, which is a role I'm very proud of and have been working very hard on," said Jones.

"A lot of people talk about something feeling real for the first time, especially athletes when they're building up to a big Games like this.

"Actually, for me, for the first time, it felt real with the Baton Relay, which I was involved with this morning in Barry Island, and then to announce the 114 athletes that will be competing for Team Wales in Glasgow.

"Now it's putting names to faces. We've seen spreadsheets and names and potentials, but now the athletes are here, it's definitely feeling real."

The event highlighted the close relationship between Team Wales and Cardiff Met, with students, staff and alumni continuing to play a significant role across Welsh sport.

Cardiff Met students have also contributed directly to the Glasgow 2026 campaign, working alongside adidas on the design of Team Wales' official kit.

Jones believes partnerships such as those with Cardiff Met are essential to creating an environment where athletes can thrive.

"Those relationships are everything, aren't they?" he said.

"The athletes can't do anything without support, whether that's from somebody like Cardiff Met or from local businesses supporting and fundraising, whatever it may be.

"Cardiff Met have had a huge influence on everything that we do. You've probably seen the kit inside, with the kit being designed by students of Cardiff Met alongside Adidas as well.

"If those partnerships don't work, you don't have success. We want to make sure our athletes have the best possible environment to succeed in Glasgow and that's a huge team effort."

As Wales prepares to send athletes across 10 sports, Jones also reflected on the unique opportunity the Commonwealth Games provides, particularly for younger competitors experiencing a major multi-sport event for the first time.

Among the Welsh squad are athletes preparing for their final Games appearance, while others are just beginning their international journey.

"We've got athletes who could be going to the Games for the final time and we've got five athletes under the age of 18 who are going for the first time," he said. "The experiences that will bring are incredible. It's the only time these sports come together, all in the same kit, creating that unity and bond.

"The advice has to be to embrace it. These athletes have done the training. Nothing changes. They've trained hard for potentially four years or even eight years.

"For the younger generation, they're about to compete on the world stage. It's huge. There's so much pressure, but I think you just have to embrace that.

"We are all behind them, we'll support them and we hope they'll give their very best for Wales."

With Glasgow 2026 now just weeks away, Jones and Team Wales are entering the final phase of preparations. And after seeing the squad come together at Cardiff Met, the countdown has never felt more real.