Derry's Judoka Josh bidding for glory at 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

Derry Judoka Joshua Green will be aiming to get among the medals next week in Glasgow when he opens his bid for glory at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Culmore native Green is part of the three strong Team NI Judo party alongside Rachael Hawkes and Adam Hall having been selected for what will be his second appearance at the championships. Joshua, who competes in the Men’s 73kg category, was previously part of the Team NI group that competed in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 where he gained a very impressive fifth place finish.

Joshua is aiming to improve on his 5th place finish four years ago.

placeholder image — Joshua is aiming to improve on his 5th place finish four years ago.

This year the Games are being held in Glasgow from July 23rd to August 2nd in a stream-lined, budget conscious program with Judo included within the 10 core sports featured.

A total of 178 competitors from 41 countries will be competing in the Judo event, with the England, Scotland, Wales and NI having the largest entry of 40 Judoka taking part.

Derry has a long history of Judoka competing at the highest levels of the sport with Joshua’s appearance in the Birmingham Games in 2022 seeing him follow in the illustrious steps of his father and coach, Paul, exactly 20 years after Paul represented Team NI in the 2002 Games, ironically also held in Birmingham.

Paul is once again travelling to Glasgow with Joshua as the Team NI’s Lead Performance Coach for Judo, having been a Support Coach in 2022 in Birmingham.

An elite level Judoka on the Senior International Judo Circuit, Joshua is the highest ranked player in the whole of Ireland – currently sitting at 50th position in the World.

He has been competing at this International level for over seven years and narrowly missed out in selection for the Olympics in Paris in 2024. Over the past year The Derry man has claimed a silver medal in the prestigious Gold Coast Oceania Open and bronze medals at both the Tallinn European Open and the Skopje Senior European Cup.

Derry's Joshua Green has been selected as of three Judoka travelling with TEAM NI for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. (Photo: IJF)

The Culmore Judoka is proudly sponsored by SMC Children’s Services and supported by Mary Peters Trust and Sport Ireland amongst others. He currently trains full time in Camberley Judo Club, Surrey having recently returned from competing on the IJF World Judo Tour at a Grand Slam competition in Mongolia and a Grand Prix in China followed by an Olympic Training Camp held in Italy.

Green will get his Commonwealth campaign underway on Saturday, August 1st with his opening fight in the 73kg weight category, always one of the more heavily contested categories in Judo.

Set within a concentrated, eight-mile corridor the 2026 event is promising to bring the Games closer to the fans than ever before with 10 exhilarating sports and six incredible Para sports across four of the Glasgow’s iconic venues; from Scotstoun Stadium to the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), the Glasgow International Arena, to Tollcross International Swimming Centre.

Glasgow 2026 will see 3,000 volunteers, alongside thousands of fans, and communities from across the city join together to welcome 3,000 athletes to the city.