The Prez who lifted, the PM who bowled — when heads of state compete at CWG

5 min readJul 25, 2026 09:44 PM IST Nauru's Marcus Stephen did it years before he ever held office. Niue's Dalton Tagelagi did it while he was already Prime Minister. Neither is on the floor at Glasgow this week. (ANI Photo)Nauru and Niue are self-governing Pacific nations of a few thousand people, and both have had a head of government compete at the Commonwealth Games. Nauru’s Marcus Stephen did it years before he ever held office. Niue’s Dalton Tagelagi did it while he was already Prime Minister. Neither is on the floor at Glasgow this week. Marcus Stephen was Nauru’s lone athlete at the 1990 Auckland Games, a twenty-year-old ranked fourth or fifth in his weightlifting class, not expected to medal. Nauru had joined the Commonwealth Games Federation three days earlier. “When I won a gold