A training camp for para-athletes is coming to Scotland for the first time, ahead of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

 

Announced on International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, the camp highlights the power of sport to promote inclusion, opportunity and positive change across the Commonwealth.

 

Para-athletes from across the Commonwealth will unite at University of West of Scotland’s Ayr campus and surrounding South Ayrshire Council’s sports facilities this summer for the global GAPS (Gather, Adjust, Prepare, Sustain) programme, which supports athletes through regional camps and targeted funding initiatives. 

 

Running from 16-24 July - and concluding on the opening day of the Games - the camp at UWS and South Ayrshire Council’s premises will bring together around 35 para-athletes for elite training and competition preparation.

 

The camp represents the culmination of a global programme supporting para-athletes and coaches across the Commonwealth in the lead-up to Glasgow 2026.

 

UWS will host the pre-Games camp at its Ayr campus, with athletes and coaches staying in on-campus accommodation. Training sessions will take place at South Ayrshire Council’s Riverside Sports Arena, offering access to state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor sporting facilities. 

 

Commonwealth Sport, UWS and South Ayrshire Council will deliver a high-performance, inclusive environment designed to maximise athlete preparation ahead of the Games. 

 

The impact of the GAPS programme was demonstrated at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, where eight GAPS athletes won medals, highlighting the programme’s impact on the international stage. This included Nigeria’s Goodness Nwachukwu who secured gold in women’s Discus F42, setting a new world record in the process. 

Commonwealth Sport Chief Executive Katie Sadleir said: “This GAPS camp is a powerful moment in the journey to Glasgow 2026. Delivered in partnership with the University of the West of Scotland and South Ayrshire Council, it brings together talented para-athletes from across the Commonwealth at a crucial stage in their preparation, giving them the environment, support and belief to perform on the biggest stage. GAPS is about creating opportunity, breaking down barriers, strengthening pathways and ensuring that athletes, no matter where they come from, can fulfil their potential. We’re excited to see what this group can achieve in Glasgow.”

GAPS is about creating opportunity, breaking down barriers, strengthening pathways and ensuring that athletes, no matter where they come from, can fulfil their potential.

Commonwealth Sport Chief Executive Katie Sadleir

 

Professor James Miller, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UWS, said: “We’re immensely proud to be the first Scottish university working with Commonwealth Sport to deliver the GAPS programme at our Ayr campus. It’s a fantastic opportunity - not only to demonstrate our purpose as a placemaking, inclusive University - but also to showcase our pioneering interdisciplinary work through research, sport, and major cultural events. 

 

“We share clear values with Commonwealth Sport’s GAPS programme, both embodying inclusivity, widening participation and a commitment to addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Involvement in the GAPS camp is a great opportunity for the para-athletes, but also for our colleagues and students involved in the organisation and delivery of the camp. We are also looking forward to working with our partners at South Ayrshire Council to deliver an exciting and impactful programme of activity and training for the para-athletes on the lead up to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.”

 

We share clear values with Commonwealth Sport’s GAPS programme, both embodying inclusivity, widening participation and a commitment to addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Professor James Miller, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UWS

 

Jane Bradley, South Ayrshire Council’s Director of Communities and Transformation, said: “We’re delighted to welcome athletes to the Riverside Sports Arena during the GAPS camp and be a part of the journey athletes undertake in preparation for the Games. It’s fantastic to be able to use our state-of-the-art facility to help offer opportunities for development, working alongside the University of the West of Scotland, as part of a strong ongoing partnership.”

 

Noemi Alphonse, Mauritian Para Wheelchair World Champion in the T54 100m said: “Being at GAPS before the Games helps put ourselves in the Games. If we need to make changes then this is the opportunity to do so. We also meet all the other athletes, and this is the point where we can cheer on everybody, that last bit of motivation that you need to give to your friends. For me, the camp looks like a small Commonwealth Games, you meet everybody, you mingle, and then when you go to the competition you know you are ready.”

 

Professor Gayle McPherson, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and former Director of the Centre for Culture, Sport and Events at UWS, was instrumental in bringing the GAPS programme to University of the West of Scotland and South Ayrshire. 

We are proud to be part of the Campus to Commonwealth Programme for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and show UWS’s support with the delivery of the GAPS programme. Alongside our research in parasport, this demonstrates our expertise to deliver both high-profile research and the space for GAPS athletes to get the best training experience before the Games.

Professor Gayle McPherson

Since 2018, more than 700 athletes and coaches have participated in GAPS camps. Through its network of training camps and partnerships, the programme is strengthening Para sport systems across the Commonwealth, supporting athletes and coaches from developing and emerging nations, expanding performance pathways and increasing diversity at major international events.

 

At University of the West of Scotland, the GAPS programme planning team is led by Dr Liz Carlin and also includes Professor Vish Unnithan, Professor David McGillivray and Dr Jenny Flinn.

 

The programme is supported by the Commonwealth Sport Foundation, whose funding helps remove barriers to participation and strengthen Para sport pathways across the Commonwealth.