Who is commentating on the Women’s 100m Freestyle S13 Heats at Glasgow 2026? James Parrack and Grace Harvey on HBO Max in the UK

Match date: 24 July 2026

Glasgow 2026 continues its opening swimming programme on HBO Max in the UK, with the Women’s 100m Freestyle S13 Heats set for Friday 24 July as part of the Para swimming schedule at Tollcross International Swimming Centre. The session is being presented in the UK with James Parrack as main commentator and Grace Harvey as co-commentator, giving viewers a strong blend of technical race calling and athlete insight.

James Parrack is a familiar voice to British swimming audiences, having built a long broadcasting career after representing Great Britain as an elite swimmer. His experience in and around international aquatics makes him a natural fit for a major multi-sport event such as the Commonwealth Games, where explaining classification, race tactics and lane-based strategy is often just as important as describing the result.

Joining him is Grace Harvey, whose perspective is particularly valuable for para swimming coverage. Harvey is an accomplished British para swimmer and a Paralympic medallist, and her first-hand understanding of classification and competition pressure should help viewers follow the nuances of the S13 event more closely. That kind of on-air pairing is especially useful in para sport, where informed analysis can add context that general commentary sometimes misses.

The Women’s 100m Freestyle S13 is one of the headline events on the opening day of para swimming at Glasgow 2026. According to the competition preview, the Para swimming programme runs from Friday 24 July to Wednesday 29 July at Tollcross International Swimming Centre, with the opening day also featuring the men’s 100m freestyle S13, women’s 200m individual medley SM10 and men’s 100m butterfly S10. The women’s S13 final is scheduled for later in the session, making the heats an important first step in the medal race. [3][5]

For UK viewers, the key point is that HBO Max is carrying the action, which means fans do not need to rely on traditional free-to-air coverage to follow this session. The broadcast setup reflects how major rights packages for the Commonwealth Games now extend across multiple platforms, with different territories using different broadcasters and streaming services. In India, for example, Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV are carrying the Games, showing how widely distributed the coverage is internationally. [6]

The event itself is taking place in Glasgow, bringing the Commonwealth Games back to a city with a strong sporting pedigree. The swimming and para swimming schedule is one of the most watched parts of the programme because it combines speed, precision and strong British interest, particularly when home athletes and familiar commentators are involved. For many viewers, the presence of experienced voices such as Parrack and Harvey is part of what makes the broadcast accessible as well as authoritative.

Swimmers competing in the S13 category will be aiming to set up a place in the final, and the heats are likely to be tightly contested. The S13 classification is used in para swimming for athletes with visual impairment, so the race demands sharp starts, clean turns and careful pacing over the one-lap sprint. That technical backdrop should give Parrack and Harvey plenty to work with as the session unfolds on screen.

More information on the wider competition and venue can be found via the official Commonwealth Games coverage hub at BBC Sport, which is tracking Team Wales and the day-one swimming timetable in Glasgow. [1]

For British and global fans alike, this is one of the early-session races worth watching closely: a fast, tactical sprint, a major stage in Glasgow, and a commentary team built to explain both the speed and the story behind it.

Article generated: 24 July 2026, 11:15 GMT