Ten sports. More than 10 days of action. 114 athletes. The 23rd Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow, are about to begin with Team Wales hoping for success. Thursday's opening ceremony at the Hydro Arena will signify the official start, with competition beginning Friday, 24 July. This is a scaled-back Games after Glasgow stepped in when Victoria, Australia, withdrew. Welsh athletes will compete in 3x3 wheelchair basketball, artistic gymnastics, athletics and para athletics, bowls and para bowls, boxing, judo, netball, swimming and para swimming, track cycling and para track cycling, and weightlifting.

Wales will be hoping for success from standout athletes who have already won major medals globally. Cyclist Emma Finucane, a Paris 2024 gold medallist, will compete in keirin, sprint, and team sprint. Swimmer Matt Richards seeks his first major medal after four fourth-place finishes in 2022. At 19, gymnast Ruby Evans, an Olympic competitor with a World Championships silver, could lead Wales to team and individual medals.

Para athletes include captain Olivia Breen, defending T38 long jump and 100m titles, and boxer Rosie Eccles, defending her light-middleweight crown in her final Games as flag bearer. Rising stars include 17-year-old swimmer Theodora Taylor, judo prospect Lola Hodson, praised by former world number one Natalie Powell, and teenage track cyclist Ioan Hepburn, a Junior World Champion.

Team Wales chef de mission Gethin Jones says there is no medal target due to the stripped-back format, but emphasizes giving athletes the environment to deliver their best performances. "If you get a personal best, that is success for me," he said. The team has hit the ground running in Glasgow, focusing on logistics and preparation.