Star athletes to reveal experience of life with epilepsy ahead of Glasgow 2026

Top athletes with epilepsy will take part in a “world-first” panel discussing living with the condition in elite sport ahead of the Commonwealth Games this summer.

The athletes will discuss what it takes to travel, train and compete at the highest levels of international sport while living with epilepsy during the event, which is part of All In for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Commonwealth Games judo silver medallist Stephanie Inglis; World, European and Commonwealth 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene; four-time, world-record-holding, ultra-cyclist Katie Ford; and elite triathlete Annie Brooks, who all have epilepsy, will take part in the panel.

The event will be hosted by Epilepsy Scotland and is said to be the first event of its kind to focus specifically on epilepsy in the context of non-para elite competition.

400m hurdles champion Dai Greene will take part in the panel PA Media

All In is a Scotland-wide call to action for Glasgow 2026, inviting cultural and voluntary organisations, communities, sports clubs, schools and businesses to celebrate the Games and create inclusive local activity.

Lesslie Young OBE, chief executive of Epilepsy Scotland, said: “Glasgow 2026’s All In programme gives us a genuinely high-profile opportunity to talk about epilepsy in a way elite sport rarely does.

“We’re proud to partner with Glasgow 2026 to put lived experience and practical reality at the centre of the conversation, not as an add-on, but as part of what inclusion in sport should mean.

“This panel is an exciting step forward for visibility, understanding and ambition, and we hope it helps more people recognise that epilepsy can be part of an elite athlete’s story.”

Epilepsy affects about one in 100 people in Scotland, however, Epilepsy Scotland said the condition remains widely misunderstood.

It hopes the panel discussion, which will be hosted by former professional basketball player Kieron Achara, will increase understanding of what inclusion looks like in elite sport.

Triathlete Annie Brooks said: “As someone living with epilepsy, I know first-hand how invisible and misunderstood the condition can be – especially in sport.

“I went years without a diagnosis, and now I’ve gone on to compete in endurance events I never thought possible.

“Being part of this world-first panel with Epilepsy Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is about showing that epilepsy doesn’t have to hold athletes back – and making sure no one feels alone in their journey.”

The Games will take place in the city from July 23 to August 2 – 12 years after they were last held in Glasgow.

More than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories will compete across 10 sports and six Para sports at Glasgow.

The panel, taking place on May 19 at VS Conference & Events, Glasgow, will launch Epilepsy Scotland’s new national speaker series, Breaking Barriers.