Two new countries will participate in this summer's Commonwealth Games following a historic ruling four years ago. Gabon and Togo are making their debuts despite lacking historical ties to the Commonwealth, having been admitted as members in 2022.
Record Number of Teams
For the first time, 74 teams will compete at the quadrennial multi-sport event, which officially begins Thursday evening with the opening ceremony at the OVO Hydro Arena in Glasgow. Unlike previous years, the Games won't be shown on free-to-air TV; TNT Sports holds exclusive rights.
Gabon and Togo became the first two countries to join the Commonwealth since Rwanda's introduction in 2009.
Competition Details
Gabon will only compete in judo, with Fernand Nkaro in the men's 81kg category and Marthe Gnacadja Avaro in the women's +78kg event. Togo has sent a delegation of 10 athletes—eight men and two women—to compete in athletics, boxing and judo.
This year, 10 sports will be played, a significant drop from the 17 sports included when Glasgow last hosted in 2014. The Games were initially set for Victoria, Australia, which pulled out in 2023. A deal was agreed the following year for Glasgow to host for the second time in 12 years.
Participating Nations
The competing nations include 55 sovereign states, nine British Overseas Territories, the four UK home nations, three Crown Dependencies, two associated states of the Realm of New Zealand and one external territory of Australia. Nine others—Aden, Hong Kong, Ireland, Irish Free State, Newfoundland, North Borneo, Sarawak, South Arabia and Zimbabwe—have previously been members but have since merged or withdrawn.
Australia is the most successful nation in Commonwealth Games history, with 2,604 medals including 1,003 golds, followed by England (2,332 medals) and Canada (1,647 medals).
