55 Athletes, One Dream

There's a particular kind of quiet before a race that Halimah Nakaayi knows better than most. This is her fourth Commonwealth Games. She was there in Glasgow in 2014, in Gold Coast in 2018, in Birmingham in 2022 — and now she's back in Glasgow again, twelve years and a full career later, still chasing the same thing.

She's not alone in that pursuit. Uganda has sent 55 athletes to the 2026 Commonwealth Games — 34 women and 21 men — competing across nine of the ten disciplines on offer. It's the country's 16th appearance at the Games since 1954, a streak broken only twice, in 1978 and 1986, when political turmoil and economic collapse made travel and organization impossible. Every edition since has added another layer to a legacy that now stands at 58 total medals: 19 gold, 16 silver, 23 bronze.

This year, though, the board is still blank. No medals yet for Uganda in Glasgow — but the squad is deep, experienced in places and refreshingly new in others, and there's real cash on the line to sharpen the motivation: 100 million shillings for gold, 50 million for silver, 30 million for bronze, courtesy of the Ugandan government.

The Distance Runners Carrying the Flag

Athletics is Uganda's biggest team by far — 17 athletes, split almost evenly between the sexes, spread across sprints, middle- and long-distance events, the long jump, and relay legs. It's a squad built on returning faces. Esther Chebet and Rebecca Chelangat are back in the 10,000m. Peruth Chemutai — the lone medalist from Birmingham still on the roster — returns to defend her steeplechase pedigree.

And then there's Nakaayi, whose story is really the story of Ugandan distance running's staying power. She's already through to the semifinals of the women's 800m after finishing third in her heat at Scotstoun Stadium on Monday, clocking 2:04.33. Four Games, no medal yet — but if longevity counts for anything, she's exactly the kind of athlete this tournament tends to reward eventually.

She Cranes Look to Improve on Fifth

Uganda's netball team, the She Cranes, arrive with a point to prove after finishing fifth in Birmingham. Captain and flagbearer Mary Cholhok Nuba leads a squad with seven returning players, including Shadia Nassanga, goal attacker Rachael Nanyonga, defender Shaffie Nalwanja, centre Margret Bagala, and goalkeeper Hanisha Muhameed.

Drawn into Group B alongside New Zealand, Jamaica, Wales, Scotland, and Trinidad and Tobago, the Cranes have already shown flashes of form — thumping Trinidad and Tobago 80–34 and beating Wales 59–50, though they fell narrowly to Jamaica, 55–49. It's a group stage that suggests this team can compete with almost anyone on their day.

New Faces, New Sports

Not every story here is about return trips. Uganda is making its Commonwealth Games debut in two disciplines this year: Judo, with one male and one female athlete, and women's 3x3 basketball, fielding Melissa Akullu, Jamilla Nansikombi, Jane Asinde, and Perus Nyamwenge.

The swimming team is similarly stacked with ambition — seven athletes across the pool, led by Jesse Ssengonzi and Tendo Mukalazi on the men's side and Gloria Muzito among the women, plus two Para swimmers, Husna Kukundakwe and Condoleza Nakazibwe, extending Uganda's presence into Para Swimming for the first time in this depth.

Elsewhere, the team is smaller but no less committed: Charles Kagimu is Uganda's sole representative in Track Cycling; six boxers — four men, two women — will step into the ring, including Ibrahim Kemis and Emily Nakalema; and the Para-Powerlifting team of Denis Mbaziira, Janet Nakayobyo, and Rebecca Zawedde rounds out a squad that, in nearly every discipline, is trying to build something new on top of what came before.

What's Still Ahead

With Davis Niyoyita also competing in weightlifting, Uganda's push spans nearly every corner of the Games. No medals yet doesn't mean no chances left — for a team this size, with runners already through to semifinals and a netball squad that's shown it can beat quality opposition, Glasgow 2026 still has plenty of story left to write.