Scottish performance directors of 15 sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme joined Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) staff and representatives of the sportscotland Institue of Sport and Eventscotland on a visit to the Queensland city to experience venues first-hand and engage in collaborative discussion with the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) Organising Committee.

The group heard updates from GOLDOC Heads of Division responsible for areas including transport, sport, venues, and the Athlete Village and were invited to feed back before heading off on a tour of sporting venues and the Village site. All were impressed by the scale of investment being made into the facilities and the information gathered will inform Team Scotland’s general and sport specific preparations in the lead up to the Games. Potential sites for a Scotland House, a regular feature of the Team Scotland Games support programme, were also investigated.

The group also took the opportunity to visit potential holding camp facilities in Sunshine Coast to assess the feasibility of basing Team Scotland there to assist athlete and staff acclimatisation to Australian time zones, culture and temperature immediately before the Games. Possible training venues and the support services required were reviewed and, with the performance directors having experienced the venues first-hand, they are now leading discussion within their individual sports before a final decision is made on venue and operational requirements later this year.

“The welcome we received on both the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast was absolutely fantastic,” said CGS Games Team Operations Manager, Elinor Middlemiss. “The facilities being built for the Games are progressing well and the opportunity to hear updates and share information with the organising committee was very useful for everyone.

“The Team Scotland group were fantastic to work with. Having so many of the performance directors there gave the trip a real multi-sport feel and we thank the sports’ governing bodies and sportscotland for their commitment to ensuring Team Scotland travel to Gold Coast in 2018 with the best preparation possible.”

CGS CEO Jon Doig said “For each Games we have raised the bar in terms of our preparations and have got the results. We are looking for Gold Coast 2018 to be our best ever overseas Games, bettering those last in Australia in 2006. Ensuring we are fully aware of the situation on the ground and have bases that can support our athletes as soon as they arrive, as well as in the Gold Coast, is a critical part of our planning as we enter the last two years”

Queensland’s Gold Coast will host the 21st Commonwealth Games from 4 to 15 April 2018, the fifth time Australia has staged the Games and the first time it will be held in a regional Australian city.