Weightlifting Wales are delighted at today's public announcement of the confirmed dates, venues, and sporting programme for next year's 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games, in Malta. In partnership Team Wales, we are eagerly anticipating this showpiece event for our youth and junior athletes, with preparations starting now to ensure we have a team ready for next year to take on the rest of the Commonwealth.

The Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday 29 October 2027, followed by six days of competition through to Thursday 4 November, with around 1,200 athletes aged 14–18 from 74 nations and territories set to compete. From a Weightlifting Wales perspective, these Games represent a key development opportunity for the next generation of athletes, offering invaluable international experience on the Commonwealth stage.

The Malta 2027 edition will feature Weightlifting alongside seven other sports:

• Swimming and Para Swimming
• Athletics and Para Athletics
• Netball
• Sailing
• Squash
• Triathlon
• Water Polo
• Weightlifting

All the Weightlifting action is set to be delivered at the Marsa Sports Centre just outside of Valletta. This is a familiar venue for some of our current development squad given our recent participation in the European Small Nations and Malta International Open competitions in 2025, which has been a fabulous experience for our youth and junior athletes to be a part of.

The Marsa Sports Complex was recently inaugurated as part of the Maltese Government's continuous investment in sport, consolidating what a high class facility our competing athletes will face. 

Edinburgh 2000 was the first edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games, with it being created to provide unforgettable international competition for young athletes across the Commonwealth, and to support progression to senior ranks. Since then, over 6,000 athletes have competed across the Games' history, with hopefully many more to come in future events. The most recent edition, held in Trinidad and Tobago in August 2023, was the largest in the event’s history, underlining the continued growth and importance of the Games.

Simon Roach, Chief Operating Officer at Weightlifting Wales made comment on this announcement:

“We are delighted to see weightlifting included in the programme for the 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games in Malta. The Youth Games provide an important platform for developing athletes, and this presents a fantastic opportunity for young lifters in Wales to gain international experience on a multi-sport stage.

Weightlifting has a strong tradition within Team Wales, and we look forward to supporting the next generation of athletes as they progress through the pathway and represent Wales with pride.”

Rebecca Edwards-Symmons, CEO of Team Wales, said:

“The Commonwealth Youth Games are a vital stepping stone for our young athletes, providing them with their first experience of a multi-sport international environment. We’re particularly excited to see the continued growth of Para sport within the programme, as well as the introduction of new sports like sailing and water polo.

Malta 2027 promises to be an inspiring and memorable event, and we look forward to supporting the next generation of Team Wales athletes as they take this important step in their sporting journeys.’’