The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games kick off on 23 July, and Team Singapore is heading to Scotland with a contingent of 53 athletes ready to compete across seven sports and nine disciplines. After winning 12 medals — four gold, four silver and four bronze — at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Singapore’s athletes carry genuine medal expectations into this edition. Here is a look at the athletes most likely to make the podium at the Scottish Event Campus and beyond.
Teong Tzen Wei: Swimming for Gold
If Team Singapore has a single athlete who stands closest to the top step of the podium in Glasgow, it is swimmer Teong Tzen Wei. The 28-year-old arrives as Singapore’s most decorated Commonwealth swimmer in recent memory, having taken silver in the 50m butterfly at Birmingham 2022 with a time of 23.21 seconds — a performance that announced him as a genuine global contender. He has continued to refine his craft in the years since, adding more SEA Games gold medals to his collection and consistently performing at the highest level on the international circuit. At Tollcross International Swimming Centre (24-29 July), expect Teong to be Singapore’s standout performer in the pool, with the 50m butterfly medal a realistic and primary target.
Shanti Pereira: Chasing Commonwealth Gold on the Track
On the athletics track, Shanti Pereira is Singapore’s most decorated sprinter and one of Asia’s finest. The 29-year-old holds the national record in the 200m at 22.57 seconds — set in 2023 — and has shown she can match the best on the biggest stages. Her Asian Games 200m gold and multiple Asian championship titles underline her consistency at the top of the continental order, and at the Commonwealth Games level, where the field is competitive but not as deep as the global championships, her chances of a medal are strong. Recognised as one of Singapore’s top sports awards finalists in 2026, Pereira’s combination of experience, form and competitive maturity makes her one of Team Singapore’s most bankable medal prospects in Glasgow.
Flag Bearers Leading the Way
Swimmer Gan Ching Hwee and para bowler Mawjit Singh s/o Gurmet Singh will have the honour of carrying the Singapore flag at the Opening Ceremony in Glasgow — a fitting recognition of two athletes who embody the inclusive spirit of the Commonwealth Games. Gan Ching Hwee, competing at her first Commonwealth Games, will be eager to make her mark in the pool alongside Teong Tzen Wei, while Mawjit — a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Bowls Championships — leads a Para Bowls contingent with genuine medal aspirations.
A Nation of Depth Across the Disciplines
Singapore’s 53-strong contingent also includes competitors in athletics, basketball, track cycling, artistic gymnastics and weightlifting, reflecting the breadth of the national sporting programme. While the headline names in swimming and athletics carry the highest medal expectations, the Games represent an important competitive benchmark for athletes across all disciplines — particularly those with eyes on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
With the Games running from 23 July to 2 August 2026, Singapore fans will have ten days of competition to follow their athletes on the world stage. If the momentum from Birmingham 2022 is anything to go by, and with the quality of this year’s contingent, Team Singapore has every reason to arrive in Glasgow with ambition — and every expectation of returning home with medals.
