The first day of competition at the 2026 Commonwealth Games got underway in Glasgow on Friday, 24 July, with swimming, gymnastics and boxing all on the bill across the city's Scottish Event Campus venues. The opening ceremony had kicked things off the night before at The Hydro, starting at 20:00 BST on Thursday, 23 July (Glasgow 2026).

Canada claimed the men's artistic gymnastics team title, with René Cournoyer among those competing on the vault in the final. The qualifying round brought gymnasts from across the Commonwealth into the same arena: Chane Cumbermack of Trinidad and Tobago, Singapore's Jovi Loh, India's Tapeshwarnath Das, Jamaica's Clayton Bell and England's Gabriel Langton all featured on vault or floor (The Guardian).

In the pool, the programme stretched from heats to semi-finals and finals. Australia's Sam Williamson raced in the men's 100m breaststroke semi-final. Kenya's Haniel Kudwoli swam the men's 100m breaststroke heats, while Jenna Forrester, also of Australia, competed in the women's 200m backstroke heats. Lauren Dennett of the Isle of Man — one of the Games' smallest competing nations — entered the women's 400m freestyle heats.

One of the day's standout moments came in the men's 100m freestyle S13 final, a classification for visually impaired swimmers. South Africa's Nathan Hendricks took the win, and on the podium he held a plushie of Finnie the Unicorn, the Glasgow 2026 mascot. The image captured the spirit the Games always seem to find somewhere: a gold medallist from one corner of the world, celebrating with a soft toy named after Scotland's national animal.

The S13 heats also saw a tapper prepared at the poolside — a person who touches a visually impaired swimmer's head or shoulder with a pole to signal the approaching wall, allowing them to swim at full speed without fear of collision.

Boxing brought the day's sharpest edge. Louis Rooney, a 20-year-old from Northern Ireland, was knocked out in the second round of his bantamweight contest by Lesotho's Mathealira Seholoholo. Eriu Temakau of Kiribati faced Guernsey's Thomas Teers in another bantamweight bout at the Scottish Event Campus. Away from the main arena, Australia's Lekeisha Pergoliti sparred with her trainer in a car park near the SEC Armadillo — one of those moments where the Games' grassroots texture shows through, a fighter finding space wherever she can.

Photographer Steven Bloor captured the day's images for The Guardian, published at 20:32 CEST on 24 July and updated later that evening. The official Glasgow 2026 website also posted its own day-one highlights, confirming the opening ceremony venue and competition date.

The Games continue through the weekend, with the official schedule picking up on Saturday 26 July and running into the following week. Fans can filter by sport and venue on the Glasgow 2026 website to plan their viewing.