Over 140 athletes and families taught vital life saving CPR at Commonwealth Games

Hands-on training sessions, delivered throughout the Games at Athlete Hub hotels across Glasgow, equipped visitors from across the Commonwealth with the confidence and skills to respond in the critical moments following a cardiac arrest. Participants were taught how to recognise an emergency, perform CPR and use a defibrillator on both adults and children.

The initiative aimed to leave a lasting legacy beyond sport by increasing awareness of cardiac arrest and empowering more people to act in an emergency, helping to improve survival rates in communities across the world.

In the UK alone, there are around 115,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) each year, including around 3,700 in Scotland. Early bystander CPR can double or even triple a person's chance of survival.

Didi Okoh, Para Athlete for Team England, said: "Competing at the Commonwealth Games is about performing at your best, but learning CPR reminds us that there are things more important than sport.

“The training was practical, easy to follow and gave me the confidence that I could help someone in an emergency. It's a skill I'll take home with me and share with others."

Dr Niall Elliott, Chief Medical Advisor, Glasgow 2026, said: “Glasgow 2026 and the Commonwealth Games are an ideal opportunity to use the power of sport to learn new life skills such as CPR. It has been incredible to watch and to listen to athletes, coaches, senior leaders and volunteers from around the world learn or re-learn a life-saving skill.

“As a medical team, we have been incredibly grateful to SAS and Save a Life for Scotland educators in delivering these sessions. If this helps save one life, it will have been a worthwhile project.”

Michael Dickson, Chief Executive, said: “Out of hospital cardiac arrest survival rates plummet 10% for every minute that CPR is not administered so learning hands on CPR is a vital skill that can save lives especially in countries that do not have widespread AED distribution.

“By undertaking this CPR skills training, athletes and their families from home and abroad can leave the Games with the confidence to utilise these vital life-saving skills when they are needed most.”