Madeleine McCann vanished in 2007. Her brother will swim at the Commonwealth Games
Steve Bird
July 22, 2026 — 9:42am
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Madeleine McCann’s brother has been selected to represent Scotland in swimming at the Commonwealth Games.
Sean McCann is expected to compete in a number of longer-distance freestyle swimming events when the Games start in Glasgow on Thursday.
Scotland’s Sean McCann will compete at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.Getty Images
The 21-year-old student hopes success at the Games will improve his chances of securing a place to represent Great Britain at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
McCann was two years old when Madeleine disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday during a holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.
Their parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, fought tirelessly to try to find her. Madeleine, who is thought to have been abducted, has never been found.
McCann’s family is expected to watch him compete at Tollcross International Centre during the 11-day competition. His twin sister, Amelia, is a high-level swimmer and triathlete.
Madeleine McCann went missing while on holiday in Portugal in 2007. She has never been found.AP
In 2023, McCann – whose father is Scottish – represented Scotland at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Trinidad and Tobago. He finished fifth in the 400m freestyle event.
He has also represented Britain at the European junior open-water championship in Corfu.
The Loughborough University student trains in a pool nine times a week, completing 20 hours of training alongside his academic studies in chemical engineering.
Writing on the website of the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust, an organisation set up to raise awareness of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, McCann said he took up swimming when he was eight.
“In order to have achieved this, I have had to remain extremely dedicated, getting up at 4am multiple mornings each week to train, since the age of 11,” he wrote.
“I train nine times a week in the pool, as well as three gym sessions, totalling over 20 hours of training per week. I’m aiming to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and also the 2028 Olympics in LA.”
He is also a keen open-water swimmer, and is part of Britain’s national open water development squad.
Although he has not spoken publicly about his sister’s disappearance, he has supported his parents and twin sister at vigils for Madeleine, most recently in May to mark the 19th anniversary of her disappearance.
Kate and Gerry McCann hold a missing poster depicting an age progression computer generated image of their still missing daughter Madeleine, in 2012.AP
His mother has previously suggested that the family had kept busy to cope with Madeleine being missing, as well as the intense glare of publicity that surrounded the search for her.
“As a family, 98 per cent of the time we’re busy. I don’t know if that’s a conscious thing, but it helps. The urge to look for Madeleine absolutely hasn’t changed at all,” she said.
She also said that her youngest two children love to be active. “They have their own friends, and they keep busy and they’re really sporty. But their only wish is for their big sister to come home. We miss our complete family of five.”
The former GP now works as a medical worker, while her husband is a British Heart Foundation professor of cardiology at the University of Leicester and an honorary consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital. The family live in Leicestershire.
Telegraph, London
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