Team Rwanda will begin its journey at the 2026 Commonwealth Games today, with the country’s campaign getting underway in the swimming pool as athletes from four disciplines prepare to represent the country in Glasgow, Scotland. Rwanda will compete in swimming, athletics, para-athletics and judo at the Games, which run from July 24 to August 2. It will be the fifth time the Land of a Thousand Hills has been represented at the Commonwealth Games. The opening day of Rwanda’s campaign will see swimmers Axela Marita Echessah and Jayden Ntwari take to the pool in the 50m butterfly and 50m backstroke, respectively. Echessah heads into the competition with confidence after winning silver medals in both the 50m butterfly and 200m individual medley at the Africa Aquatics Zone III Championships, while Ntwari will also be looking to make a strong start to his Commonwealth Games campaign. ALSO READ: The Commonwealth's greatest prize lies beyond the games Their teammate, Kean Murenzi Sheja, will begin his competition on Saturday, July 25. Murenzi arrives in Glasgow after claiming bronze in the 800m freestyle at the Africa Aquatics Zone III Championships. The focus will then shift to athletics and para-athletics, with their competitions scheduled to conclude on Monday, July 27. Rwanda's para-athletics team includes Clementine Uwiduhaye, who recently won bronze in the women's 100m T46 at the Rabat 2026 World Para Athletics Grand Prix. Distance runner Florence Niyonkuru will also represent Rwanda after winning gold in the Elite Women's 10,000m at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru in India. In athletics, Emeline Imanizabayo arrives with confidence after winning gold at the 2026 African Athletics Championships, while Claire Uwitonze brings previous Commonwealth Games experience, having represented Rwanda at Birmingham 2022. Rwanda's final discipline will be judo, where Bouvet Alban is the country's sole representative and is scheduled to begin his campaign on July 31.
