The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) will host the pre-Games GAPS camp in the lead-up to Glasgow 2026.

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

Marking the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on Monday, April 6, the announcement follows the start of the 2026 GAPS programme in Stellenbosch, South Africa, last month. 

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, supportand 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.”

The UWS camp in July marks the final stage of the GAPS pathway and brings together Para Powerlifting and Para Athletics athletes from across the Commonwealth for elite training and competition preparation. 

Roughly 35 athletes will be selected from regional training camps in Stellenbosch and Darwin, Australia, taking place in May 2026, alongside athletes supported through the GAPS Assist*initiative in the Caribbean.

The camp will run from July 16 to July 24, concluding on the opening day of the Games. 

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 artindoor and outdoor sporting facilities. 

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 in 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.”

Commonwealth Sport and UWS 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 recordin the process.

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.”

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.

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