Team Scotland at Gay Games Valencia
20th July 2026
Celebrating Participation
Team Scotland returned home from Gay Games Valencia with plenty to celebrate, as 85 participants from Scotland joined thousands of LGBTIQ+ athletes from around the world for eight days of sport, community and connection. Organisers hailed the success of the Games, despite its many documented challenges and difficulties.
The Games opened on 27th June with the traditional Parade of Nations at the Estadi Ciutat de València, bringing together participants from across the world. Team Scotland joined the parade behind our two flagbearers, Gurch Sanghera from Dundee Deuces and Andy Crumpton from Glasgow Frontrunners.
It was the first time Team Scotland had selected two flagbearers, reflecting both the growth of the team and the strength of nominations received. Gurch was recognised following his journey from tennis beginner to EuroGames medallist, as well as his contribution to Dundee Deuces, while Andy was nominated for his work encouraging participation through Glasgow Frontrunners and creating opportunities for members to get involved in sport beyond running.
And there was plenty for them to lead into the stadium. 85 people took part as part of Team Scotland, competing across tennis, rowing, running, football and badminton, as well as Olympic-distance triathlon, powerlifting, squash, volleyball and dragon boat.
Some of Team Scotland captured inside opening ceremony, photo credit @ Martin McNeil
For some, Valencia was the latest chapter in a journey which has already taken them to previous Gay Games and EuroGames across Europe and beyond. Others were experiencing an international LGBTIQ+ multi-sport event for the very first time. In fact, more than half of this year’s Team Scotland participants were taking part for the first time, a particularly encouraging sign as the team continues to grow and welcome new people.
That mix of new and returning participants is an important part of what Team Scotland is about. While competition matters, the experience stretches far beyond results: travelling together, meeting participants from across the world, supporting teammates in different sports, trying something new and being part of a sporting environment where LGBTIQ+ people are not on the margins but at the heart of the event.
For many participants, being part of a wider Scotland team added real value to their experience of the Games. One participant from Pink Kelpies volleyball said that being part of Team Scotland “made it all so special that we were connected to all the other Scotland participants”, adding: “It was so much fun, and we met a lot of amazing people and some fantastic memories were made.”
Pink Kelpies Volleyball club in action, photo credit @ Martin McNeil
That connection was particularly important for those competing without a larger club or team around them. One individual participant told us: “There are so few of us in my sport, and even then our venues are different, so being connected together and part of the bigger team has become such an important part of our experience.”
At the same time, the Games demonstrated the strength of the LGBTIQ+ sports clubs which many participants are part of throughout the year. One Glasgow Frontrunners participant described a personal highlight as completing seven different sports in seven days, including a 100km cycle south of Valencia on an ‘off day’, describing their club as “the cornerstone of all of it and the best supporters anyone could wish for.”
Glasgow Frontrunners at Gay Games Valencia
At the Team Scotland party, Kevin Rowe gave a speech reflecting on that spirit from the perspective of someone who has been taking part in international LGBTIQ+ Games for more than two decades. He reminded the team that every person who had made it to Valencia deserved to be celebrated, and reflected on the significance of domestic football rivals HotScots and Saltire Thistle coming together to compete as Team Scotland. These moments, he told participants, are special.
There were some fantastic competitive achievements along the way too, with Team Scotland participants collectively winning 17 medals across the Games.
Ali McNamara won gold and Sue Southern bronze in their respective age categories in the Olympic-distance triathlon. In squash, Jonathan MacBride took gold in the A category, with Christina Florou winning silver and Alejandro Pérez bronze in the E category. Team Scotland flagbearer Andy Crumpton won a gold in his category in powerlifting.
In running, Iris Maxfield won bronze in the 10K and Aileen Blower took gold in the half marathon. In tennis, our other flagbearer Gurch Sanghera won bronze in the singles and gold in the doubles. Sophia Shek won two silvers, with Wesley Rennison adding another silver.
In badminton, Frazer Robertson and Tina Smid won silver in their doubles category, with Craig Laird adding a further silver, while Hugh Torrance added a bronze in the seniors category in dragon boat.
Medal winners (clockwise from top left) Ali McNamara, Sophia Shek, Andy Crumpton & Aileen Blower, Gurch Sanghera
A huge congratulations goes to all of our medal winners, but medals tell only one part of Team Scotland’s story in Valencia. Across ten sports there were personal bests, first competitions, new experiences and individual achievements which will never appear on a medal table. International LGBTIQ+ Games have place participation and inclusion at their heart, creating a sporting environment where people with vastly different levels of experience can participate alongside one another.
For LEAP Sports, seeing 85 people representing Team Scotland: experienced international competitors alongside people attending their first Games; individual competitors alongside established clubs; and participants returning after previous Gay Games and EuroGames, is something worth celebrating in itself.
Congratulations to everyone who competed, supported their teammates, carried a flag, cheered from the sidelines and helped make Team Scotland such a visible part of Gay Games Valencia 2026. We hope that for our first-timers, this is only the beginning, and for our returning participants, that there are plenty more Games still to come.
