Fresh from success at the Commonwealth Championships in South Africa, Scotland’s wrestlers are in the spotlight this week as our featured sport in the run up to Gold Coast 2018. With Team Scotland places still up for grabs, every result counts before the selection period closes on 14 February.

Our Sport Focus Series features each of the 18 sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme through athlete interviews, facts & figures, competition news and more.

Wrestling at the Commonwealth Games

Wrestling was one of the six sports included in the first Commonwealth Games in 1930 and while Scotland fielded no wrestlers that year, we didn’t have to wait too long for success. While Edward Melrose remains Scotland’s only Commonwealth Games Wrestling gold medallist to date, with victory in 1934, Glasgow 2014 saw a real return to form for Scottish wrestling as Vio Etko and Alex Gladkov each took bronze medals. They were the first medallists in the sport since Olympians Graeme English and Calum McNeil won bronze meals at the 1994 Games and took Scotland to 9th on the All-Time Commonwealth Games Wrestling medal table.

Women’s Wrestling was first included at the Delhi 2010 Games and with Scotland sending a full compliment of female wrestlers to both Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014.

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

Team Scotland 2018

Building on the back of the medal success of Glasgow 2014, Scotland’s wrestlers will once again be pushing for the podium in Gold Coast. Glasgow medallists Vio Etko and Alex Gladkov could make a return to Team Scotland for a second Games and 18 year old Ross Connelly, bronze medal winner at the Commonwealth Championships this month, is one of several young athletes looking to make their mark.

A total of 96 athletes have been named to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date, with athletes announced in Athletics, Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Lawn Bowls, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Triathlon and Weightlifting.

Further selections, including the final selection of the Wrestling team, will take place in February 2018.

Show Your Support!

You can show your support by uploading photos and messages on our supporters page and give Team Scotland’s athletes a boost as they prepare to do the country proud on one of sport’s biggest stages!

Look out for other ways to get behind the team in the countdown to Gold Coast on Team Scotland’s social media channels.

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.

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