Sean McCann, the 21-year-old younger brother of Madeleine McCann, has been selected to represent Scotland in swimming at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

A student at Loughborough University, McCann is expected to compete in several longer-distance freestyle events when the swimming competition begins at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. He hopes a strong showing in Glasgow will boost his chances of selection for Team Great Britain at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

McCann is eligible to compete for Scotland through his father, Gerry McCann, who was born in Glasgow. He previously represented Scotland at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, finishing fifth in the 400m freestyle and seventh in the 1500m freestyle. He also competed for Great Britain in the 10km open water event at the 2025 European Open Water Championships in Croatia.

Sean and his twin sister Amelie were just two years old when their older sister Madeleine disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007, shortly before her fourth birthday. The case remains one of the world’s most high-profile missing persons investigations, with a Metropolitan Police inquiry ongoing since 2011.

In an Instagram video shared by Loughborough Swimming last year, McCann explained how he began swimming: “When I was eight, my mum [Kate McCann] took me to Loughborough Town [swimming club] and I hated it at first, didn’t want to go, but after a while, it grew on me and I’m still here now.”

He has described his rigorous training regime, which includes nine pool sessions and three gym workouts per week, totaling more than 20 hours. He has maintained this intense schedule since the age of 11, often rising at 4 a.m. for early sessions.

The selection marks a significant milestone for McCann as he continues to build his competitive career while the family maintains its long-standing search for answers about Madeleine.

Main Sources: Irish Examiner.