Team Scotland is delighted to announce that we will be represented across all seven sports at this year’s Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, following confirmation of team sport participation.
Invites were accepted from the Commonwealth Games Federation for Scottish
participants in the Women’s Beach Volleyball, Netball and Men’s Rugby 7s, with those team sports joining young Scottish athletes in Athletics, Cycling, Swimming and Triathlon.
Having begun in Edinburgh in 2000, the seventh edition of the Youth Games will take place from 4-11 August this year in Trinidad and Tobago, with seven sports split across the two islands. All three team sports will take place on Tobago along with Triathlon, with the rest on Trinidad.
Trinbago 2023 will see the first appearance of a Scottish Men’s Rugby 7s team at a Youth Games since the Isle of Man Games in 2011. Several players from that team went on to represent Team Scotland at a senior Games including Birmingham 2022 captain Jamie Farndale, who took on the same role for the Youth Games side in 2011. Scotland will face Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Jamaica, Fiji and South Africa in the 6-team tournament this summer.
Beach Volleyball made its Youth Games debut at the last edition, Bahamas 2017, where Emma Waldie and Jennifer Lee took 4th place. It is set for its second appearance at Trinbago 2023, with a 12- team tournament taking place at Pigeon Point Beach, including all three medal winning nations from 2017: Australia, New Zealand and Rwanda.
Netball makes its Youth Games debut in a Fast 5 format with five players to a side, shorter quarters, power plays, and super shots. Team Scotland will be one of eight teams taking to the courts at Tobago Shaw Park Cultural Complex alongside hosts Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, England, South Africa, Botswana, Canada and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Team Scotland Chef de Mission, Chris Purdie said: “I am delighted that we have received and accepted invitations from Trinbago 2023 to compete in Beach Volleyball, Netball and Rugby 7s, meaning Team Scotland will be represented in all seven sports on the programme.
“The team sports bring a special dimension to the team and we hope that the opportunity to experience a multi-sport Games will be an important part in the development for all athletes selected.”
Individual athlete selection for all three team sports and the four individual sports will be made over the coming months.