Scotland’s athletes are now under starters orders for Glasgow 2014, with the official Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) selection period to qualify for Team Scotland opening at the start of April 2013.

Already there are indications of excellent early season form, with 11 athletes in three sports having performed to agreed selection standard on one occasion. This includes marathon runners Derek Hawkins, Susan Partridge and Hayley Haining who all finished inside the standard at last Sunday’s London Marathon, completing the first step towards selection. In addition, lawn bowls have already secured their full quota of 10 athlete places following outstanding results at last December’s World Championships.

Speaking at a press conference in Glasgow today (25 April), CGS Chief Executive and Team Scotland Chef de Mission, Jon Doig, explained how the selection policy will operate.

“Competing for Scotland at a Commonwealth Games is a highlight of any athlete’s career and the added opportunity to compete at a home games is a privilege experienced by very few athletes.”

Over the last three Games cycles, Team Scotland has had increasing success, largely as a result of a robust, clear, consistent selection policy and a strong team ethos, backed with excellent high performance support from sportscotland. I can confirm that this approach will continue so that each athlete selected will be assured of the support of their team mates in the knowledge that all have deserved the honour of representing Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

“The two aims of the policy are to ensure that Scotland selects a team that performs with distinction in 2014, and has its most successful Games ever in terms of medals won.”
Amongst the key elements of the policy are:

All individual sports on the 2014 programme will be represented by a minimum of three athletes, with the performance target of top eight or top two thirds of the field at recent Commonwealth Games, whichever is the tighter, being used as the benchmark.

All host team sport places will be accepted to ensure Team Scotland representation in each sport in the Games, with the performance target of top eight in the Commonwealth.

Consideration will be given to allow athletes to participate in additional events to those they qualify in, giving an opportunity to be inspired by a “Home Games” environment.

Sport specific selection standards have now been published in conjunction with each sport’s governing body and provide clear targets for athletes to achieve.
Good luck to all of Scotland’s athletes!

Photo Credit: CGS

Scotland’s athletes are now under starters orders for Glasgow 2014, with the official Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) selection period to qualify for Team Scotland opening at the start of April 2013.

Athletes from the 17 sports on the Games programme will have just over a year to produce the necessary performances to lay claim to a coveted place on the Team, for what promises to be an amazing home Games. What makes it even more special is the fact that the Commonwealth Games is the only multi-sport event where athletes get to compete for Scotland as a nation in its own right.

With the clear aim for Team Scotland being to have its largest and most successful team ever in Glasgow, and with many of our athletes having experienced first-hand the excitement of a home Olympic Games in London last year, with its venues full of a passionate home crowd, CGS is planning to replicate that national feel good factor here in Scotland.

To highlight the start of the build-up to the Games for Team Scotland, CGS today launched its new public engagement campaign “Go Scotland!”. The campaign aims to raise the awareness of the 17 sports in the Games and give greater profile to the athletes aiming for selection to the team. It’s also calling for the whole of Scotland to get behind the team by pledging their support at goscotland.org and through social media channels.

To mark the occasion a special edition set of athlete images are being published, showing prospective Team Scotland athletes in a different and unusual light, as they have never been seen before. Taken at the magnificent Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, the theme of the photographs is about sport meeting culture, which will be reflected in 2014 through the extensive cultural festival that is being organised as part of the Commonwealth Games and which will showcase Glasgow’s international reputation as a cultural as well as sporting centre of excellence.
The group shot shows the full range of sports in the Games and the strength and unity of the team, whilst each of the individual photos links the athlete and their sport to an exhibit or the architecture in Kelvingrove, drawing out the parallels between the two either in terms of the movement involved or key attributes of the sport. They aim to create a talking point and everyone will have their own favourite!

Calling for people to back the campaign, CGS Chairman Michael Cavanagh said: “Today marks the start of the journey to Glasgow 2014 for Scotland’s athletes as they strive to meet the agreed selection standards for Team Scotland and we are greatly encouraged by the performances so far.

“The athletes greatly value the support of their family and friends, but to know that they have the additional backing from the Scottish public as a whole, would mean a lot to them, just as it did to Team GB in London last year. This is why we have launched this campaign today to encourage everyone across the length and breadth of the country to actively support us in our quest for success in Glasgow and share our journey to the Games.”

Sport Minister Shona Robison added: “This is an exciting time for Team Scotland and all Scottish athletes who have been in training for the Games for years – now it’s crunch time. The Team has all the ingredients to succeed next year, with outstanding facilities, high standards of coaching and an extra £1 million Scottish Government funding this year for elite sport. Team Scotland will be the strongest and best prepared team possible and I want to see everyone in Scotland get behind all of our athletes and sign up for the Go Scotland! campaign. Together we can boost Team Scotland to win gold and deliver the best ever Commonwealth Games.”

When Edinburgh table tennis player Craig Howieson talks about getting the people of Scotland to support the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland, he has two agendas.

The first, as you would expect from an athlete preparing to compete, is hoping for a boisterously partisan crowd and the lift that will give.

His second is the opportunity a home Games will create for Scotland to introduce more people, particularly children, to sport.

Perhaps it’s unsurprising as Howieson is a PE teacher and he takes seriously his part in making the countries young people healthier and more active. And the prospect of a captive audience means to him exposing more people to the thrills of a minority sport like table tennis.

“You see a lot of people taking up the traditional sports and if they don’t really fancy it or they aren’t very good at it they often end up giving up”, says the 23 year old.

“You never know, if you bring kids along to the more minority sports such as table tennis then they might take a fancy to it.”

“The Game’s legacy is really important and the more people we can get involved and get interested in a variety of sports the better it is for Scottish sport. Just think of the benefits it will have for us as a nation in the long-term.”

Since competing in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, where the men’s team finished ninth and he reached the last 32 in singles and 16 in doubles, Howieson has experienced some hard times. The sport lost its national coach, leaving the squad largely to organise its own training. Fortunately last autumn a new coach, Hungarian Marton Marsi was appointed and things are on the up.

Marsi’s arrival coincided almost to the day that Howieson started his first job as PE teacher at Edinburgh’s Broughton High School. The combination has been somewhat life changing but Howieson has adapted well to the strictly 20 hours training regime and believes he is now in a far better place than post Delhi.

“Getting Marton is a huge boost for us”, says Howieson. !I admit it was pretty tough juggling a new regime and a new job but it was simply a case of being organised, getting my head down and working hard.”

“Now I’m feeling like I’m improving and I’m definitely a better player than I was in Delhi.”

Good form has come at the right time with the Team Scotland table tennis selection period opening this May. The sport’s biggest events fall in May with the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in the now-familiar Delhi, followed straight away with the World Championships in Paris.

“In Delhi we’ll get an opportunity to qualify for the team event straightaway by finishing in the top eight”, says Howieson, who is ranked No.2 in Scotland out of a training squad for Glasgow of six.

“At the moment we’re ranked eight but we believe that we are better than our ranking and hopefully in India we can prove it by getting a top eight finish. And if we get to the quarter finals you never know what can happen. So that’s a huge opportunity for us.”

The prospect of revisiting Delhi next month rekindles memories of competing there at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the boost a fiercely patriotic crowd gave his Indian opponent in the qualifying round. Come Glasgow he would like to see the exact same fervour, more if possible, from Scottish fans.

“The Delhi Commonwealth Games was an awesome experience, with a real buzz and a crowd that was absolutely crazy”, he says.

“But there’s definitely room for improvement and space for Glasgow to better it by a long way.”

“It is important that there are plenty of spectators at all the sports and it would be great if we could fill the arena, get the crowd behind us and give us a massive boost.”

“As a home player in a home games that’s something I’m looking forward to.”

Then, as the PE teacher talking he can’t resist adding: “It’s a great opportunity for people to come along and support us but also bring their children along and see the different variety of sports and get more people involved in sport in Scotland.”

You can follow Craig on Twitter @CraigHowieson

Photo Credit: Alistair Devine

Former Commonwealth Games Scotland Vice Chairman, Rick Kenney has been appointed as Executive President of the Commonwealth Judo Association. Rick, a judo 7th Dan, is a former wrestling and judo international with a number of GB international appearances. He was previously Chair of JudoScotland, Vice Chair of the British Judo Association and is currently Vice President of JudoScotland.

Rick, 60, has been involved in judo from an early age and was made a life member of JudoScotland in 2012.

In his new role, Rick is keen to press for judo being made a permanent sport in the Commonwealth Games. Rick was a member of the CJA Executive from 1990 and was elected as Senior Vice President in 1998. Rick has attended Commonwealth Judo Championships all over the world and was Chairman of the Organising Committees when Scotland hosted the Commonwealth Championships in 1998 and 1986.

Rick has been involved with 5 Commonwealth Games, firstly as coach and latterly, as a General Team Manager. Judo has been one of Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth sports with gold medals won in Auckland in 1990 where Rick was the team coach and then in Manchester in 2002 where Graham Randall won gold.

Judo was a demonstration sport in Edinburgh at the 1986 Games, and due to its success, the sport was then included in the following Games.

The Commonwealth Judo Championships now embrace all age groups – cadets; juniors; seniors and masters and plans are underway for special needs judo being added to future programmes.

Rick said, “I look forward to developing judo across the Commonwealth over the next few years and am sure that the Glasgow Commonwealth Games will showcase our sport across the world. Scotland has a long tradition in judo at Commonwealth level stretching back to 1986 and I see a bright future for the sport.”

Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) today confirmed the Sport Team Manager appointments for Table Tennis, Gymnastics and Lawn Bowls. This means 16 of the 18 managers are now in place and preparing to lead their sports at Glasgow 2014, as the selection period for athletes is about to get underway.

Whilst new to Team Scotland in management positions, they all bring a wealth of experience from both their professional roles and their extensive sporting involvement over many years.

Table Tennis – Euan Walker is a former Scotland number one men’s singles player, winning a record 12 Scottish titles, three British titles and making over 200 senior international appearances for his country before retiring in 2006 after 27 years in the sport.

Throughout his playing career, Euan attended seven World Championships, six European Championships, five Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships and the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He also played in the European League 1990 – 2005 and the Home Countries Internationals 1990 – 2005.

Apart from winning a record 12 Scottish Men’s Singles titles, one of Euan’s proudest moments was parading with the Scottish Team at the Opening Ceremony at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He is also now looking forward to taking up a new role with the sport as Team Manger for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Gymnastics – Tracy Rea joined Scottish Gymnastics as Head of Performance in October 2011, with her primary role being to lead and direct the implementation of the sport’s Performance Plan in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. This makes Tracy ideally placed to fulfil the role of Team Manager at the Games, a challenge which she is relishing. Prior to this she was a Performance Lifestyle Adviser with the sportscotland institute of sport and is acutely aware of the support required by athletes in the high performance environment.

As an athlete, Tracy competed as a junior international shot putter and also spent several years coaching junior national squads for netball in England.

Lawn Bowls (including Para-Sport Bowls) – Ricky Taylor has been playing lawn bowls from the age of 12, joining Bellahouston Bowling Club as a junior at the age of 16. He went on to compete for Scotland at both indoor and outdoor Home Internationals and Test Series in Australia and New Zealand at U25 Level. He has represented Glasgow in the County championships since 1997 and will earn his 100th County Cap this year. He is now looking forward to taking on a new role with the sport he is so passionate about.

Ricky is also a keen triathlete and as well as competing for Glasgow Triathlon Club he is a personal trainer and fitness instructor in his spare time, and is the strength and conditioning coach to Stranraer Football Club.

Welcoming the trio to the sport management team Jon Doig, CGS Chief Executive and Team Scotland Chef de Mission said: “I am delighted to welcome Euan, Tracy and Ricky to the team. We now have a strong mix of team managers on board with extensive Games and sport experience as well as some fresh ideas, which augurs well not only for Glasgow but for future Games. I know they are all excited about the prospect of leading their sports at a home Games and we look forward to working with them to build a successful overall team.”

The full team management will make an official visit to the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee in May, just as they would for any Games, as planning steps up a pace with just over a year to go.

The journey to Glasgow 2014 goes global on Commonwealth Day (Monday March 11) with the unveiling of the international route taken by the Queen’s Baton Relay – the unique multi-national relay which ends at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

The announcement will be the centrepiece of a fantastic 48 hours of milestones and celebrations building excitement and momentum in the journey towards Glasgow and Scotland’s Games.

Just last week Games organisers were thrilled by the record-breaking 50,811 people who put themselves forward to be Games volunteers.

Now, over a two-day period Glasgow 2014 will be joined by thousands of school pupils across Scotland and people in many of the 71 nations and territories across the Commonwealth in marking both 500 Days To Go until the Opening Ceremony (Sunday March 10) and Commonwealth Day (Monday, March 11) – the start of the annual celebrations of Commonwealth connections and opportunities.

500 Days to Go until the Games will be marked with a specially-created film which goes live on the Glasgow 2014 website at the weekend and which tracks a day in the life of Glasgow from sunrise to sunset.

And thousands of pupils the length of breadth of the country will Sport Their Trainers at school on Monday to mark Commonwealth Day as part of Glasgow 2014’s continued drive to get younger audiences to feel motivated and involved in the Games.

Now in its third year, the Sport Your Trainers 2013 campaign emphasis has been on pupils and teachers who will be donning their trainers in the classroom.

Clyde, the official Glasgow 2014 Mascot, will be on hand at several schools across Scotland to promote the Sport Your Trainers message.

Pupils at participating schools have the opportunity to secure special limited edition Sport Your Trainers laces for their shoes to further generate excitement on the day across all 32 local authorities within Scotland.

And the centrepiece of the two-day celebration and the highlight of Commonwealth Day is the launch of the international route of the Queen’s Baton Relay.

The Relay is a unique tradition that unites the two billion citizens of the Commonwealth in a celebration of sport, diversity and peace. It’s the world’s most inclusive relay where communities from every corner of the Commonwealth are invited to be part of creating their own chapter of Games history.

The baton, which will be specially created for Glasgow 2014, will begin its journey on 9 October at Buckingham Palace where Her Majesty the Queen will place Her message to the athletes inside. From here the baton will travel to Glasgow and from there on to its first stop on its international journey in Delhi – the Host City of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Lord Smith of Kelvin, Chairman of Glasgow 2014, said:

“It is fitting that we have chosen Commonwealth Day to announce the international route of the Queen’s Baton Relay as it is such a well-loved tradition of the Games. The announcement will be the highlight in this fantastic 48 hours for the Commonwealth and the Games harnessing the pace, momentum and excitement that is building an exciting picture of the Games and the opportunities they will bring to individuals and communities across Glasgow, Scotland and the Commonwealth.”

Michael Cavanagh, Chairman Commonwealth Games Scotland

“Commonwealth Day is a real milestone for Commonwealth Games Associations around the world, as excitement grows towards their competing in Glasgow next year. Events like Sport your Trainers are a way people in each country can get behind their team. For many athletes, the arrival of the Queens Baton relay in their country will be a real highlight, enabling the public and supporters in their country to share and be part the Games experience before the Games come to Glasgow in 2014.”

IRN-BRU unveiled a brand new limited edition can design today (27 February) to mark its sponsorship of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games with the help of Olympian and Commonwealth Games medallist Peter Kirkbride.

The special design draws on Barr’s packaging from 1901, when moustachioed Highland strongman, Adam Brown, featured on the original label of ‘IRON BREW’ as it was then known.

A.G. Barr, whose links with Glasgow date back more than 100 years, is supporting the Games through its wide portfolio of brands. The new limited edition design will help celebrate over a century of A.G. Barr’s sporting heritage, including early sports sponsorships involving Donald Dinnie, all round Champion Athlete of the World, and Alex Munro, Champion Caber Tosser of the World and Champion Wrestler.

Now available in shops across Scotland, the limited edition design features on IRN-BRU Regular and Sugar Free 330ml cans, and is the first in a series of three standout designs being created in the run up to Glasgow 2014, the largest multi-sport event Scotland has ever seen.

Team Scotland weightlifter Peter Kirkbride from Kilmarnock, who won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010 and was the only Scot on the five strong Team GB weightlifting squad at London 2012, teamed up with Scotland’s other national drink to bring the special edition design to life near the Clyde Auditorium – which will play host to the Glasgow 2014 weightlifting competition next year.

IRN-BRU’s Head of Marketing, Adrian Troy, said: “IRN-BRU has a proud sporting heritage dating right back to 1901. We’re bringing that to life through our new limited edition design and with the help of Peter Kirkbride – a modern day ‘strongman’. We’re extremely excited to be part of what’s set to be an extraordinary event for Glasgow and the rest of the nation.”

Following an open recruitment process, Commonwealth Games Scotland is pleased to confirm that five media officers have been appointed to work with Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014 and provide additional support to Katriona Bush, Head of Media & PR in the lead up to the Games.

Welcoming the team on board Katriona said: “London 2012 has given us a clear indication of the level of media interest we can expect around the home team competing in Glasgow 2014. I am delighted to have such a strong team on board at this early stage, so we can be ready to support the sports and athletes through the media environment at a home Games and maximise the profile of the Team.”

All the appointments are on a voluntary, part-time basis and each of them will now start to liaise with their allocated sports.

StuartMackenzie is PR and Media Manager with EventScotland and previously worked with sportscotland. He brings extensive experience of working with Team Scotland, first as a media officer in Delhi 2010 and then with Youth Team Scotland in Isle of Man 2011. Stuart has a particular interest and expertise in social media. He will predominantly work with the sports based at the SECC precinct: Boxing, Gymnastics, Judo, Netball and Weightlifting.

Rob Eyton-Jones is a freelance sports PR specialist, Rob is also well known to Team Scotland, having been a media officer back in Manchester 2000. He also headed up communications with Youth Team Scotland in Pune in 2008. An accomplished sports writer, Rob has also complementary skills in the area of photography and video. Rob will work on the south side of the city with Athletics, Lawn Bowls, Squash and Table Tennis.

New to Team Scotland, David Christie works with one of CGS’s key partners, University of Stirling, as a Public Relations Officer and Winning Students Communications Manager. He works with a wide range of sports, and until recently gave part-time media support to triathlonscotland. David was previously a regional and national newspaper editor. David will be based from the Emirates Arena in the east end looking after Badminton, Cycling, Hockey and Triathlon.

Kirsten Phillips is also new to the team and is the Marketing and Communications Officer with Scottish Swimming. She has worked for the governing body through two previous Commonwealth Games cycles providing support to CGS and is looking forward to a more hands on role for 2014. In a previous role she was the media officer with London Scottish Rugby Club. She will look after Swimming, Rugby 7s and Wrestling.

Lorna Campbell worked as a media officer with Team Scotland in 2006 and 2010 and last year returned to set up her own sports PR consultancy based in Singapore. She will re-join Team Scotland in June 2014 and will look after Shooting and Diving based at satellite venues in the east. She will also look after media at the Preparation Camp and have a roving role in Glasgow after the conclusion of the shooting events.

Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) is pleased to confirm that John Lunn has been appointed as the Sport Team Manager of Triathlon for Team Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

In addition to his full-time role as Lead Manager with sportscotland, the national agency for sport, John has a wealth of experience in a range of roles in Triathlon over the last 25 years. He is currently Head Coach of Stirling Triathlon Club and is also a coach education tutor with Triathlon Scotland. He has previously worked with Team Scotland as Team Manager at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, where Triathlon made its Games debut. 2014 will be another first for Triathlon with the inclusion of a mixed team relay event.

Join joins 12 other sport team managers appointed in December 2012.

Aquatics – Derna Campbell
Athletics – Stephen Maguire
Badminton – Christine Black
Cycling – Alasdair MacLennan
Hockey Men’s – Eugene Connolly
Hockey Women’s – Susie Elms
Judo – Graeme Randall
Netball – Karen McElveen
Rugby Sevens – John Manson
Shooting – Donald McIntosh
Squash – Roger Flynn
Triathlon – John Lunn
Weightlifting – Jim Holland

The Scottish Commonwealth Games Youth Trust today announced the second year of awards up to £1000 for ten young Commonwealth Games hopefuls from the PHM Scholarship Support Fund.

This is additional athlete support funding which is being administered by the Commonwealth Games Scotland Youth Trust, following support from a private individual impressed by the potential of Scotland’s young athletes.

Support has been made available for up to 12 prospective Commonwealth Games athletes under the age of 26, towards their preparation for events leading up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games and beyond. Athletes were initially selected based on their performances at the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games with additional new talent able to be added as appropriate.

The funding will be put to a range of good uses, but focused on helping with living costs and special dietary requirements, purchasing kit and equipment, assisting with travel costs to training and competition or even for areas of personal development.

Whilst the award was made for an initial one year period, an in principle commitment was given for a further two years, subject to satisfactory progress being made against agreed goals set. This longer-term commitment gives athletes greater security and allows them to focus fully on their training and competition. Care has also been taken to ensure that this funding provides an enhanced level of support and does not duplicate funding awarded by other providers.

The nine original athletes named are benefiting from a second year of funding, following continued success at junior national and international level and demonstrating the potential to go on to represent Scotland at future Commonwealth Games.

However the highlight of 2012 was Craig Benson achieving selection for the London 2012 Olympic Games where he made the semi-finals of the 100m Breaststroke. He has been awarded an additional £500 towards driving expenses which makes a significant contribution to his training regime, enabling him to be self-sufficient.

Also making his mark, 18 year old heavyweight boxer Scott Forrest from Forth, North Lanarkshire has been added to the list of recipients, following an impressive display at the 2012 World Youth Championships in Armenia. He defeated some world class opposition on the way to the final, and took silver after a narrow points defeat, but still became the first eve Scot to win a World Youth boxing medal.

CGS is truly indebted to this individual who has recognised the potential that so many of our young athletes in Scotland have. It is fantastic that he has personally stepped forward to support a number of them on an ongoing basis in order to help secure their sporting future. This is a crucial time in their development when it would be easy for external factors such as cost to influence their decision whether to quit, or continue and flourish in their chosen sport.

Already the initiative is helping to deliver tangible benefits for the athletes, allowing them to fully focus on realising their sporting aspirations and this will undoubtedly give him a great deal of satisfaction seeing them achieve great things for Scotland.

With a long term commitment given to the PHM Scholarship Support Fund this is great news for Scottish athletes.

Athletics
Zoey Clark (18), Aberdeen – £1000
Tom Holligan (18), Edinburgh – £1000

Boxing
Charlie Flynn (19), Motherwell – £800
Mark McKeown (18), Coatbridge – £1000
Kieran Smith (19), Greenrigg – £1000
Scott Forrest (18), Forth – £700

Cycling
Grant Ferguson (18), Peebles – £1000

Badminton
Kirsty Gilmour (19), Bothwell – £1000

Swimming
Craig Benson (18), Livingston – £1000 + £500 for driving expenses
Emily Jones (17), Inverurie – £1000