Islamabad, July 24, 2026: The British High Commission in Pakistan celebrated the start of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games with a special reception in Islamabad, bringing together guests from the worlds of sport, government, civil society, media and the Commonwealth alumni network.
The reception marked the opening of the Games, which are being held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2, 2026, with around 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories competing in 10 sports, including six Para sports.
The event also highlighted the United Kingdom’s longstanding commitment to education across the Commonwealth through the Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships programme, which has supported students and future leaders for more than six decades.
Speaking on the occasion, British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott CMG OBE said the Commonwealth Games represent much more than sporting competition.
“The Commonwealth Games are about more than medals. They bring people together, celebrate talent and show the power of sport to unite communities,” she said.
Highlighting Pakistan’s sporting legacy, the High Commissioner said Pakistani athletes continue to inspire young people across the country.
“As Glasgow welcomes the Commonwealth, we are proud to celebrate the strong links between the UK, Pakistan and our Commonwealth family,” she added.
Ahead of the reception, the British High Commission held an award ceremony to honour Pakistani recipients of the Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust 100 Young Leaders Awards, recognising their outstanding contributions in education, inclusion, youth empowerment, technology and gender equality.
The award recipients included Farah Gul Rahuja, Co-Founder of PakGPT, for promoting inclusive artificial intelligence to support education, healthcare and climate resilience in underserved communities; Hassan Ashraf, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Umeed Foundation, for expanding access to free education for child labourers and disadvantaged children; Hadiqa Bashir, Founder and Executive Director of Girls United for Human Rights, for her work to end child marriage, combat gender-based violence and promote girls’ education; and Joshua Dilawar, Founder and Executive Director of ISYD, for advancing youth inclusion, health equity and gender equality, including training deaf young people as peer educators.
The reception reflected the Commonwealth Games’ spirit of friendship, diversity and opportunity while celebrating the enduring partnership between Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the wider Commonwealth.
Glasgow 2026 follows the UK’s successful hosting of the Glasgow 2014 and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
