Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 20, 2026: World number two men’s javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga will be the leading gold medal hope for Sri Lanka in a 40-strong squad at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games which gets underway on Thursday, July 23.
Tharanga is set to meet defending Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan and Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra in an intriguing battle for gold in Glasgow.
Team Sri Lanka will travel to Glasgow with 40 athletes – 27 male and 13 female – and will compete in seven sports. Men’s para shot put athlete Palitha Bandara will be the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony while para sprinter and long jumper Janani Dhananjana is the baton bearer.
At the announcement of Team Sri Lanka last week, Sri Lanka NOC President Asanga Seneviratne urged all athletes to keep in mind the country’s honour and dignity – in reference to the controversial de-camping of 11 athletes who left the Games village without a trace at the last Games in Birmingham in 2022.
“We conducted a successful two-day workshop for the squad bound for Glasgow, educating them on every aspect, including the country’s dignity and honour. I’m sure all athletes are committed not to repeat such an incident, as responsible Sri Lankans,” Seneviratne was quoted as saying by the Sunday Times.