Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games has revealed the volunteers behind its Games delivery, with over 4,000 people set to play a vital role when the event returns to the city from 23 July to 2 August. Volunteers have completed a comprehensive learning and development programme supported by Official Partner Allwyn UK, operator of The National Lottery.

Known as the ‘Legends’, the volunteers reflects the local communities at the heart of the Games with three-quarters (75%) from the host nation. International volunteers represent a wide range of Commonwealth nations, including Australia, Canada, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and Pakistan. Legends also come from across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. 

The data also highlights the broad appeal of the programme, with volunteers ranging in age from 16 to 96. More than a quarter (26%) are aged 55-64, while the second biggest age group of Legends are Games debutants under 25, accounting for 18% of the team. Those over 75 years old represent 2% of the Workforce, with the oldest Legend being 96 years old.

The programme has attracted both experienced event volunteers and those keen to experience volunteering. One third of the Legends team, previously volunteered Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (the ‘Clydesiders’), Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and are returning to help create another memorable Games for athletes and spectators. 

A third of our Legends have not volunteered in the last two years, proving the appal to step back into volunteering, or try it for the first time. Volunteers have cited a desire to gain new skills and give back to their community, along with a passion for sport and volunteering as reasons to step forward to support the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Allwyn UK is supporting Glasgow 2026's volunteer programme through both investment and active participation. Funded through Allwyn UK's £1M Social Value Fund, the partnership is designed to help volunteers develop skills, build confidence, and gain experiences that extend beyond the Games. 

In addition, six Allwyn UK employees have volunteered their own time, demonstrating the company's belief in the power of volunteering to create positive social impact. The Allwyn volunteers will also document their Games experience, showcasing the contribution volunteers make behind the scenes, as well as the lasting skills, confidence and sense of purpose they gain through volunteering.

Through the partnership, Glasgow 2026's 4000-plus volunteers have had access to an enhanced online learning portal and in-person training, equipping them for roles across event operations, transport, media operations, athlete support and ceremonies. 

Allwyn UK is also working with Scotland's most decorated track and field athlete, Eilidh Doyle, as volunteer ambassador to celebrate and champion the volunteers who are the "heartbeat" of the Games. Drawing on her experience as both an elite athlete and a volunteer, Doyle is helping highlight the essential contribution volunteers make to major sporting events.

In honour of the Glasgow volunteers, Team Scotland athletes have recorded a special poem called ‘Here’s tae the Legends’.  They celebrate the role volunteers have in preparing the Games, bringing them to life, and keeping everything organised. Poignantly, they recognise that volunteers have been important throughout their development as athletes and for their unique role in supporting athletes throughout the Games. The poem was written by the team at Allwyn UK. 

The Team Scotland athletes speaking in ‘Here’s tae the Legends’ are, in order:

• Rachel Conway (netball)
• Alex Mackay (weightlifting)
• Iona Christian (netball)
• Hannah Leighton (netball)
• Chris Bennett (Athletics)
• Crystelle Lake (Gymnastics)
• Lottie Smith (Gymnastics)
• Corey Duncan (Weightlifting)
• Madey Silcock (Cycling)
• Lyall Craig (Cycling)

Eilidh Doyle, volunteer ambassador for Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, added:

"Having competed at major championships around the world, I've seen first-hand the difference volunteers make. They are the heartbeat of events like the Commonwealth Games – welcoming athletes, supporting spectators and creating the atmosphere that makes a Games unforgettable. It's fantastic to see so many people from different backgrounds, generations and nations stepping forward to be part of Glasgow 2026, whether they're returning from 2014 or volunteering at a major sporting event for the very first time.

"I'm passionate about volunteering myself because I know how rewarding it can be. Through Allwyn's support for the learning and development programme, we're helping ensure every volunteer feels ready to play their part in delivering a brilliant Games."

Alastair Ruxton, Chief Impact Officer at Allwyn UK, said: "As the operator of The National Lottery, we care deeply about volunteering because volunteers are at the heart of so many projects supported by National Lottery funding across the UK. We're proud to support Glasgow 2026 through our Social Value Fund, helping volunteers develop the skills and confidence they need to make the most of this opportunity. We're also delighted that members of our own team are volunteering at the Games, contributing their time and expertise while creating memories that will last a lifetime."

"Glasgow 2026 is taking an innovative approach to delivering a major sporting event and we're proud to be part of that journey. Together with volunteer ambassador Eilidh Doyle and our partners at Team Scotland, we're celebrating the volunteers who make events like these possible. The 'Here's tae the Legends' poem is our way of saying thank you to the 4,165 volunteers whose passion and commitment will help make these Games unforgettable."

Visit Glasgow2026.com to find the full sporting schedule and available tickets for the UK’s biggest sporting event this year.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors  

For media enquiries and interview requests, contact: media@glasgow2026.com   

Keep up to date with all the latest Games news via Glasgow 2026 social media channels:   

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/G2026/ 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Glasgow_2026/ 

• LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/company/Glasgow2026 

• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@glasgow_2026 

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@commonwealthsport?lang=en 

• X: https://x.com/glasgow_2026 

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CommonwealthGames 

The Games hashtag is #Glasgow2026 

About Glasgow 2026
Glasgow 2026 promises an altogether brilliant Commonwealth Games, paving the way for a new era of Commonwealth Sport.  
 
Taking place from 23 July to 2 August, Glasgow 2026 is an 11-day celebration that combines world-class sport with a future-focused vision, built and delivered by the vibrant spirit of Glasgow.
 
Set within a concentrated, eight-mile corridor that brings the Games closer to the fans than ever before, Glasgow 2026 will deliver: 

1. A record-breaking Para sport programme – 47 events across six sports 

2. The biggest Track Cycling, Swimming and 3x3 Basketball competitions seen at a Commonwealth Games 

3. Groundbreaking events like the return of the Commonwealth Mile in Athletics 

10 exhilarating sports across four of the city’s iconic venues; from Scotstoun Stadium to the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and Arena, to Tollcross International Swimming Centre. 

Glasgow 2026 will see 3,000 volunteers, alongside thousands of fans, and communities from across the city join together to welcome 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories to the city.

Led by Chair George Black CBE, an independent Board and Chief Executive Officer, Phil Batty OBE, Glasgow 2026 Limited is the Organising Company (OC) which will deliver the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next summer.  
 
Based in the city centre, the OC will directly employ around 160 people and is privately funded, securing its income through Commonwealth Sport, corporate sponsorship, broadcast rights, global partnerships and ticket sales, which will see almost £150 million local spend into the city of Glasgow, with no cost to the public purse to deliver the sporting competition.
 
About Allwyn and The National Lottery

Allwyn operates The National Lottery® under licence, raising vital funds that help communities thrive across the UK. Every ticket makes a difference - from grassroots sport and local arts to heritage and community initiatives. Distribution of funds is managed by independent bodies.     

• Players of The National Lottery raise around £33 million every week for National Lottery-funded projects. Since its launch in 1994, more than £53 billion has been raised, funding over 680,000 Good Cause projects in every part of the UK. In every postcode district, most people will have benefited from a National Lottery-funded project at some point.     

• The National Lottery has awarded players over £103 billion in prize money, creating more than 8,000 millionaires.    

• Learn more about Allwyn and The National Lottery at www.allwyn.co.uk and www.national-lottery.co.uk. · Explore projects funded in your area at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk.    

• Players must be 18 or over. Please play responsibly.    

Press enquiries: Allwyn Press Office - 020 7632 5711

About Commonwealth Sport
Commonwealth Sport is the organisation with responsibility for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and for delivering the vision of the Commonwealth Sport Movement: 'Our Commonwealth, united through sport'.
 
Our mission is to deliver inspirational and impactful Games; to excite and empower athletes and young people; and to drive equality in sport and society across the Commonwealth. Established in 1930, the Commonwealth Sport Movement brings together 74 independent nations and territories creating a diverse Commonwealth community of over 2.5 billion individuals, representing one-third of the world's population. 

Together we stand as a beacon of unity, diversity, and equality, completely integrating Para athletes, driving gender equality and advocating for legacy and social change through sport.   

About Commonwealth Games Scotland
Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) is one of 74 Commonwealth Games Associations who are members of the Commonwealth Games Federation.  

Commonwealth Games Scotland is the lead body for Commonwealth sport in Scotland, and is the organisation responsible for selecting, preparing and leading Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games.
 
Scotland has competed in every Games since the first Empire Games in 1930 and has hosted the Games three times - twice in Edinburgh 1970 and 1986 and most recently in Glasgow in 2014.
 
Working closely with Scotland’s national governing bodies of sport and the sportscotland institute of sport, Commonwealth Games Scotland aims to have the best prepared team possible at every Games, creating the right performance environment and giving athletes every opportunity to excel at the Games, as part of a world class sporting system.  
 
Commonwealth Games Scotland and its member sports rely on investment, including National Lottery support, from sportscotland, the national agency for sport. CGS also actively seeks additional support for team preparations from commercial partners, fundraising activities and the Commonwealth Games Endowment Trust.

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