Birmingham 2022: A day-to-day guide for Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The trip south for the 22nd staging of the event is certainly shorter than the last Games in Australia, or the 22 hour flight required for the 2026 Games which will also be held Down Under.

Some 72 nations from across the Commonwealth will compete this year, with Scotland hopes high over various disciplines – not least given the positive showing on the Gold Coast four years ago when the national team’s athletes combined to 44 medals and eighth in the medal table.

Duncan Scott topped the charts with six medals including a 100m gold, but there were also top placings on the bowling green, the diving pool and in cycling and shooting. Similar hopes rest on the 139 participants in the Commonwealth Games and Para-events – missing gold medal cyclist Katie Archibald who has withdrawn through injury.

while some relax, others compete and more hone their final training regimes ahead of the opening ceremony here, is a look at some of the Scots and stars to watch day-to-day across the Games’ 11 days and 19 events.

Thursday, July 28: The Opening Ceremony at the Alexander Stadium will include a parade by all 72 countries competing.

Team Scotland will wear a tartan parade uniform woven by the Lochcarron Mill in Selkirk and designed by Siobhan McKenzie.

Friday, July 29: Potentially a first look at star of the Scottish swimming scene Duncan Scott in the 4x100m freestyle relay heats. The Olympic relay winner and six-time Gold Coast medallist withdrew from the World Championships earlier this year after contracting COVID-19.

Team Scotland beach Volleyball athletes Lynne Beattie and Mel Coutts will take on England on August 2. (Photo by Euan Cherry/Getty Images for the Birmingham 2022 Queen's Baton Relay )

Libby Clegg’s change of discipline will be complete when she takes on the Lee Valley Velodrome tandem sprint qualifiers having previously been a Commonwealth athlete on the track in Glasgow for her 100m win. John Archibald will also seek to add to his Gold Coast silver in the 4km pursuit – sister Katie misses the Games through injury.

Saturday, July 30: A busy day at the pool will see England’s favourite Adam Peaty make his first appearance in the 100m breaststroke heats, as well as Scots stars including Stephen Clegg on his Commonwealth debut, as well as Toni Shaw, Grace Reid, Ross Murdoch and Scott.

Cricket also makes its debut in the Games as England take on Sri Lanka.

Sunday, July 31: World record cyclist Neil Fachie will be on the track aiming to add to his para-medal haul in this year’s tandem sprint.

The Queen's baton passed the Forth Rail bridge in South Queensferry last month during the Birmingham 2022 nationwide relay. (Photo by Euan Cherry/Getty Images for the Birmingham 2022 Queen's Baton Relay )

Scotland have a South African double-header in the final fixture of the rugby 7s sections. The women begin the day’s action before the Scots’ second match with the Springboks just after lunchtime in the men’s pool B.

Glasgow Rocks' coach Gareth Murray, plus players Fraser Malcolm and Jonny Bunyan, take on Kenya in the men’s basketball 3x3.

Monday, August 1: Kimberley Renicks of Scotland and Eilidh Doyle. begins her judo medal bid in Coventry in the 52kg category.

It’s the women’s keirin final at the Lee Valley Velo Park, women’s team table tennis concludes and the gymnastics apparatus finals will see Northern Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan bidding to defend his Gold Coast gold.

Kirsty Gilmour competed fro Team GB in last year's Olympic games but will don the Scotland uniform this summer. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

The basketball also reaches the penultimate round while England meet Northern Ireland in netball.

Tuesday, August 2: The first day of athletics will focus on Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon but Scottish hopes rest on Eilish McColgan and Sarah Inglis in the women’s 10k while Andrew Butchart runs in the mens’ event after recovering from a broken leg.

Alex ‘Tattie’ Marshall’s medal hopes at his seventh Commonwealth Games will be expected to be clarified in the final two games of the Lawn Bowls men’s pairs while Scotland’s Thistles netball side face Jamaica, the side they lost to 67-36 in last year’s World Cup.

Wednesday, August 3: Dina Asher-Smith is expected to go for gold in the women’s 100m but Laura Muir will hope to keep her medal hopes alive in the 800m semi-final, she and Jemma Reekie are both scheduled for Tuesday’s first round with the final following on Saturday (August 6).

In the pool, Duncan Scott looks to upgrade his 2018 silver to gold in the 200m individual medley while Kirsty Gilmour also begins her Women’s singles badminton bid.

Scotland's decorated swimmer Duncan Scott. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Thursday, August 4: Jake Wightman begins his Commonwealth bid in the men’s 1500m after his epic World Championship win earlier this month. He’ll be joined by Olympic bronze medallist from Edinburgh, Josh Kerr. Other field medals include the men’s 110m hurdles and long jump finals.

A busy day of quarter-finals in the boxing ring could include any one of Scotland’s eight entrants – if they can progress through the round of 16.

Friday, August 5: Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie take on their second distance in the 1500m first round while Sam Kinghorn is also expected to be in action in the T54 over the same distance.

Medals will also be handed out for the lawn bowls – a sport Scotland has taken gold in 20 times – and half as many silvers.

Saturday, August 6: A busy day on the track culminates with Mark Dry hoping to be involved in the hammer final for Scotland and the final of the 1500m and Scotland’s two male hopefuls. Liam Pickford will also aiming for a table tennis medal for England.

Sunday, August 7: In the absence of sister Katie, John Archibald will headline Team Scotland’s cycling road race entrants with six in the men’s race and Neah Evans, Isla Short and Anna Shackley adding to the women’s race. Inside, 16-time Scottish table tennis champion Gavin Rumgay will hope to be involved in the medal places for the first time at his fifth Games as table tennis finals are held at the NEC.

England will expect to be featuring in the netball medal matches, while hockey and boxing podium places are also up for grabs, as well as the first ever cricket medals as the Games edge towards a close and schedules reach the final stages.

Monday, August 8: The Games conclude with the men’s hockey final after medals are awarded in diving, badminton, squash and table tennis and the closing ceremony at the Alexander Stadium. Duncan Scott was Scotland's flag bearer in the Gold Coast after his six medal haul. Who will follow his lead in Birmingham as the Games pass to the Australian state of Victoria?