RevSportz Story Sparks Final Push as Frank Hardee Completes His 74-Nation Selfie Collection

The message came around half past 11 in Glasgow.

“Hey – just so you know I completed it.”

It was from Frank Hardee, the London high school politics and economics teacher who had set himself a rather unusual mission at the Commonwealth Games 2026—to collect a selfie with someone from each of the 74 participating nations and territories, be it an athlete, coach or official.

When we had met on July 31 at the entrance of Scotstoun Stadium, after he had asked me where I was from, little did I know that his challenge would soon take such an extraordinary turn.

At that point, Hardee had already completed 68 countries, with Gabon, Brunei, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Norfolk Island still remaining. Before we parted ways, he managed to tick off Gabon, and he remained optimistic that the rest would eventually fall into place before the Games came to an end.

As it turned out, the final stretch proved to be every bit as dramatic as one would expect from a sporting event itself.

The story of Hardee’s challenge, first highlighted by RevSportz, travelled much further than either of us had imagined. It caught the attention of the Commonwealth Games media team, who reached out to him after reading about his remarkable quest.

“They picked up your article,” Hardee told me as he sent his full album. “Brian McIver from CWG media contacted me on Facebook and then WhatsApp to hear my story.”

That conversation would become the turning point.

McIver did much more than conduct an interview. Understanding how close Hardee was to completing the challenge, he helped arrange a meeting with Brunei’s Chef de Mission in the lobby of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Just like that, the tally became 73 out of 74.

“He was able to arrange a meeting with the Chef de Mission of Brunei in the hotel lobby of the Crowne Plaza,” Hardee recalled.

Only one country now stood between him and a challenge that had begun as a joke between friends.

Saint Kitts and Nevis.

McIver also passed on the contact details of Lester, the Team Manager of Saint Kitts and Nevis. What followed was a frantic race against time on the day of the closing ceremony.

“He also gave me Lester’s number – the Team Manager for the St Kitts and Nevis team,” Hardee said. “After a lot of frantic WhatsApping before the closing ceremony, we realised that we were in two different buildings as the teams gathered for the arrival of athletes in the SEC before heading into the Hydro.”

For a while, it appeared that the challenge would end one country short.

“I thought that the final selfie had eluded me,” Hardee admitted.

Then came one final message.

“Lester messaged to say that they were passing the infamous ‘Door C’ on the ground floor of the Hydro.”

Hardee did not hesitate.

“I sprang out of my seat on the top floor, sprinted down the stairs and escalator, and finally made it to Lester and his deputy. Complete with the St Kitts and Nevis team jacket and flag, we managed to do the final one.”

Mission accomplished.

He quietly returned to his seat to enjoy the rest of the closing ceremony, carrying the satisfaction of knowing that the challenge, which had occupied him throughout the Games, was finally complete.

The story, however, did not end there.

The following morning, Brian McIver caught up with Hardee once again for another interview, with Scottish newspaper The Daily Record also expressing interest in carrying the story.

Yet, for Hardee, media attention was never the objective.

“In any case, this was never about getting in the newspaper or doing it just for the media,” he said. “This was about the spirit of the Commonwealth Games – bringing together 74 nations and territories and meeting people from all over the world.”

Those words perhaps best explain why his story resonated with so many people over the past week.

Hardee is no stranger to meeting people across cultures. Having already travelled to 98 countries, with his 99th destination planned later this year, he believes the greatest reward of travelling is not the places themselves but the people encountered along the way.

“One of the wonderful things about travel is meeting people from all over the world and connecting with them on a human-to-human level,” he reflected. “If, even in a small way, this silly challenge, which started out as a bit of a joke that I thought I’d never complete, has gone some way towards achieving that goal, then it’s been worth it.”

Looking through the final collage of all 74 selfies, one realises that it is far more than a collection of photographs.

Each frame represents a conversation, however brief. A smile exchanged between strangers. A shared moment across languages, cultures and continents. Some selfies came from athletes inside competition venues, others from coaches, officials, hotel lobbies, opening ceremonies and even outside stadium gates. Together, they formed perhaps one of the most unique souvenirs anyone took home from Glasgow.

When I first met Hardee, what struck me was not merely the challenge itself, but the simplicity with which he approached every conversation. A smile, a greeting and genuine curiosity were all it took to create a connection.

A few days later, the Commonwealth Games media team stepped in to help him complete the final piece of the puzzle. Fittingly, it was the Games themselves that ensured one of their most heartwarming stories reached its perfect ending.

In an event remembered for medals, records and podium finishes, Frank Hardee’s 74 selfies may never feature in the official results book.

Yet they captured something equally valuable—the true spirit of the Commonwealth, one selfie at a time.

Hardee is already looking ahead. With India set to host the next Commonwealth Games in 2030, he hopes his journey with the Games is far from over.

“I need an invite to India in four years’ time,” he said with a laugh. “Happy to volunteer on the media team.”

After spending two weeks bringing together 74 nations, perhaps there could be no better ambassador for the spirit of the Commonwealth than Frank Hardee himself.

As a journalist, you cover hundreds of competitions and thousands of results. Most eventually become statistics. But once in a while, a story comes along that stays with you. Frank Hardee’s journey will certainly be one of those for me. Because beyond the medals, these are the stories that give sport its soul.

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