Commonwealth Sport in Northern Ireland
Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland (CGNI) is the lead body for Commonwealth Sport in Northern Ireland. We currently have 28 affiliated sporting bodies.
CGNI is primarily tasked with presenting a team at both the Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth Youth Games. These are the only opportunities available for athletes to compete in a multi-sport event representing Northern Ireland.
Our History
Often referred to as the ‘Friendly Games’ , the first Commonwealth Games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada where 11 countries sent 400 athletes to take part in 6 sports and 59 events.
Since then, the Games have been conducted every four years. From 1930 to 1950 the Games were known as the British Empire Games, from 1954 until 1966 the British Empire and Commonwealth Games and from 1970 to 1974 they took on the title of British Commonwealth Games. It was the 1978 Games in Edmonton that saw this unique, world class, multi-sports event change its name to the Commonwealth Games.
Northern Ireland has competed in 20 of the 22 Commonwealth Games beginning with the second games, held in 1934. The team did not compete in 1930 (when there was a single team from Ireland) and in 1950.
Team Northern Ireland holds the unique distinction of winning medals at every edition of the Commonwealth Games. Our first gold medals were secured in 1954 by lawn bowlers William Watson and Cecil Rosbotham, along with athletics athlete Thelma Hopkins.
Since then, our athletes have consistently made their mark on the international stage — from silver medals in lawn bowls and shooting at the 2006 Games in Melbourne, to an impressive three boxing golds at the 2010 Delhi Games in the 49kg, 69kg, and 75kg categories.
The Gold Coast 2018 Games added another historic moment, with Rhys McClenaghan earning Northern Ireland’s first-ever gymnastics gold, further cementing Northern Ireland’s reputation for excellence and determination on the world stage.
At the most recent Games in Birmingham 2022, Team Northern Ireland celebrated its most successful performance to date, bringing home a record-breaking 18 medals — including 7 golds, across sports such as boxing, lawn bowls, athletics, and gymnastics.
The TeamNI Board
Dr Stephen Martin MBE OLY / Chair
Stephen is a double Olympic Medallist with TeamGB Hockey. He competed in the 1984 LA Summer Games (Bronze Medal), 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games (Gold Medal), and the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games (6th place). Stephen has been Chef de Mission and Deputy Chef de Mission for Team GB and Team Ireland, which he led performance and operational planning for both the Summer and Winter Olympics. He was involved in the following Olympics; 2000 Sydney Games, 2002 Salt Lake City Games, 2004 Athens Games, 2008 Beijing Games, 2010 Vancouver Games, 2012 London Games, 2014 Sochi Games, 2016 Rio Games and in the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
He was a member of the UK Sport Institute Board and later the Irish Institute of Sport. In November 2023 he became Chair of Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland, to which previously he was a TeamNI manager during the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
He now runs his own Leadership and Management Consultancy business alongside his role as a training coordinator with Encompass, a new digital medical records system for the NI Health and Social Health Care Trusts.
Anthony Mitchell / Secretary General
Anthony has been involved with the sport of Cycling for over 40 years, as a competitor administrator and coach. He has previously been secretary of Cycling Ulster and served a full 6-year term as a Director of Cycling Ireland 2013-19, returning again in 2020 as Honorary Secretary.
He is the Ulster Track Cycling Coach and has managed the Cycling team at the 2011 Youth Games and 2018 Senior Games, joining the Commonwealth Games Board in 2018.
Alan Strong
Catherine Dolliver
Catherine has been involved in playing the sports of Camogie and Basketball for many years through school, university and club systems. More recently she has become involved in the administration and coaching within Basketball.
Catherine’s background is Finance , Corporate Governance and Wellbeing. She has a keen interest in forging closer links between Business and Sport in Northern Ireland to further increase level of professionalism and high performance in Northern Ireland sports. Catherine joined the Board of CGNI in December 2023.
Fionnuala Toner
Lisa Bradley
Mark Montgomery
Stephen Cuddy
Brand Guidelines
To protect the integrity of the Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland brand, this guide outlines a systematic approach to engaging with our trademark that is meticulous and consistent across all online and print material used by stakeholders.
Our Vision, Mission and Values
Vision
To effectively provide an opportunity for Northern Ireland’s athletes to excel in international multi-sport competition. To provide encouragement and support for each athlete as they strive towards excellence at Commonwealth Games.
Mission
To successfully present a team of Northern Ireland’s athletes at each Commonwealth Games, including Commonwealth Youth Games, and to promote the best interests of our athletes and their sports.
Values
Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland subscribes to the values of the Commonwealth Sport – Humanity, Equality, Destiny. These values are as relevant in Northern Ireland as they are throughout the wider Commonwealth community. The decision making processes to be used should always offer consideration to these values.
