Team Scotland’s boxers have an impressive Commonwealth Games record as the only sport where Scottish athletes have won at least one medal at every Games since they began in 1930. In celebration of this outstanding track record the sport leads the way in our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus, which will feature each of the 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Look out for all things Boxing on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this month as we delve into the archives for tales of past success and also look ahead to those who could be following in their footsteps at Birmingham 2022.

Boxing at the Commonwealth Games

One of the six sports included in the first Commonwealth Games in 1930, Boxing is a core sport and must be featured in every edition of the Games. Scottish boxers claimed a full set of medals at the 1930 Games in Hamilton, Canada with one gold, one silver and one bronze, with Jim Rolland taking the honour as Scotland’s first ever Commonwealth Games Boxing champion.

Scotland has continued to produce champions with 17 gold medallists to date, including household names such as Dick McTaggart, Alex Arthur and, most recently, Josh Taylor and Charlie Flynn.

Women’s Boxing was first included at the Glasgow 2014 Games, however Scotland did not field a competitor, meaning that Gold Coast 2018 saw Vicky Glover and Megan Gordon take to the ring as Team Scotland’s first female boxers.

Find out more about Boxing in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Boxing page.

Scotland’s Commonwealth Champions

Following Jim Rolland’s victory in 1930 the next Scottish Boxing gold did not come until the 1950 Games in Auckland, New Zealand. Scottish boxers more than made up for this gap however, wining two gold medals in each of the next four Games and keeping the Flyweight title in Scottish hands for a 12 year stretch.

Among those medallists was Dick McTaggart, reigning Olympic champion coming into the Cardiff 1958 Commonwealth Games and he lived up to his billing, taking Lightweight gold for Scotland. He went on to win a second Olympic medal with bronze in 1960 and a second Commonwealth Games medal with silver in 1962. He was the first British boxer ever to compete at three Olympic Games and remains Scotland’s only Olympic Boxing champion to date.

Tom Imrie struck Light Middleweight gold at Edinburgh 1970 but it was then a full 20 years before a Scottish boxer next stood atop the podium, as Charles Kane took the Light Welterweight title in Auckland. Since 1990 Team Scotland boxers have won gold at every Games with the exception of Manchester 2002 and Gold Coast 2018.

Team Scotland Boxing Gold Medallists

Click here for a full list of Team Scotland’s Boxing medallists

Youth Games Success

Boxing has been included at every Commonwealth Youth Games to date, with the exception of the first Games held in Edinburgh in 2000. Scotland has won at least one Boxing medal at each of the five Youth Games where the sport has been included, mirroring the success of Scottish boxers in senior Commonwealth Games competition.

Charlie Flynn and Josh Taylor both won medals at the Youth Games before going on to win gold for Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014, while in 2015 John Docherty and Sean Lazzerini became the first Scottish boxers ever to win Commonwealth Youth Games gold, with John going on to win bronze at Gold Coast 2018. Tyler Jolly added Team Scotland’s third Youth Games gold as he won the Light Welterweight title at Bahamas 2017 and, with women’s Boxing contested for the first time at those Games, Megan Gordon became the first female boxer to represent Scotland at a Youth Games and also our first female medallist with bronze in the Flyweight.

Click here for a full list of Team Scotland’s Youth Games Boxing medallists

Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is the only occasion where Scotland gets to compete in a multi-sport event as a nation in its own right and is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since their inception in Hamilton in 1930. Represented by 15 athletes participating in six sports at those first Games, winning a very creditable 10 medals, Scotland have gone on to win medals at every Games since.

Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986 and also became the first city to host the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland hosted the Games for a third time when Glasgow welcomed athletes and officials to the XXth Commonwealth Games which was held from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. Team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals and went on to record their highest overseas medal tally ever at Gold Coast 2018.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.