By: Kadija Haja Bundu
The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) will host the final pre-competition training camp for Commonwealth Para athletes ahead of the Glasgow 2026 Games, in a move that underscores the growing institutional and economic value of elite disability sport pathways.
The GAPS (Glasgow 2026 Preparation and Support) camp, running July 16-24 at UWS’s Ayr campus and South Ayrshire Council’s Riverside Sports Arena, will bring together roughly 35 Para powerlifting and Para athletics athletes selected from regional camps in South Africa, Australia, and the Caribbean. The programme concludes on the opening day of the Games.
Commonwealth Sport Chief Executive Katie Sadleir described the camp as “a powerful moment in the journey to Glasgow 2026,” adding: “GAPS is about creating opportunity, breaking down barriers, strengthening pathways and ensuring that athletes, no matter where they come from, can fulfil their potential.”
The initiative has a measurable track record. At the Birmingham 2022 Games, eight GAPS athletes won medals, including Nigeria’s Goodness Nwachukwu, who took gold in women’s discus F42 with a world record.
Professor James Miller, UWS Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said the university was “immensely proud to be the first Scottish university working with Commonwealth Sport to deliver the GAPS programme,” noting it showcases “our purpose as a placemaking, inclusive university” and aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
For host economies, pre-Games camps generate local spending, test event infrastructure, and build long-term legacy assets — a small but replicable return on sports development investment.