After an uncertain week for all at Team Scotland, the team recorded some of their fastest times ever today as they accelerated out of Glasgow aboard an Emirates 777, bound for India and the 19th Commonwealth Games.
Over the next few days, Emirates, the Team’s Official Airline, will be jetting more than 300 athletes, staff and supporters to Delhi at speeds of over 900 kilometres per hour – setting the pace for the 3rd October gathering of the Commonwealth’s sporting elite .
Team Scotland hopes to match the award-winning performance of the airline, which has received over 400 international awards for its products and services, including several for its daily flight from Glasgow.
Athletes from the sports of Archery, Lawn Bowls, Shooting and Weightlifting are amongst the first to travel to Delhi, via Dubai where they will experience Emirates’ industry leading Terminal 3.
The partnership between Emirates, one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, and Team Scotland has seen the carrier working closely with the team to prepare meticulously for the journey to India.
Extra water will be on hand throughout the journey to ensure the athletes are well hydrated, and their dietary needs will be catered for throughout the long-haul flight.
The mood lighting system installed in the aircraft cabin, which changes the lighting effects throughout the flight to reflecting the changing time zones, will help the athletes relax and counter the effects of jet lag.
Emirates SkyCargo will also be supporting the efforts of Scotland’s Commonwealth Games team, and will be shipping around five tonnes of equipment to Delhi. The carrier, which offers almost 17 tonnes of cargo carrying capacity on its daily service from Glasgow, is carrying items such as state-of-the art cycling kit, pole vaults, archery equipment and hockey sticks, as well as the usual training shoes, team tracksuits and other vital equipment on behalf of Scotland’s premier athletes.
Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of the Commonwealth Games for Scotland, said: “This is the second successive Games we have teamed up with Emirates as our official travel partner. We have been working closely with them over the last two years, to prepare for the journey to Delhi, ensuring our athletes are in the best possible shape when they arrive with all their equipment intact. Having to change our plans earlier this week clearly demonstrates the importance of having the backing of a quality airline with a first class service ethos and Emirates never fails to deliver. We look forward to getting airborne and finally on our way.”
Laurie Berryman, Emirates’ Area Manager UK North, said: “As the Official Airline Partner of Team Scotland, we’re delighted to be flying them to Delhi in style and wish them the very best of luck for the Commonwealth Games.
“We are proud to be supporting the best in Scottish sport and with our award-winning service direct from Scotland, we’ll strive to ensure the team arrives refreshed and ready for the competition.”
The Minister for Public Health and Sport Shona Robison was also at the airport to wish the athletes good luck for the Games and said: “The Scottish Government and its Games partners have worked hard to ensure that Team Scotland can participate in a safe and successful Commonwealth Games and I am very pleased to see our athletes boarding flights and setting off for Delhi.
“We are continuing to review the progress made on the ground and I have once again spoken to the Indian Sports Minister to stress the importance that the assurances given by the Indian Government translate into action in order that the Village is ready to receive the athletes due to stay there.
“I would like to take this opportunity to once again commend our team who have dealt extremely well in what has been very challenging circumstances. These challenges however should not distract from the efforts of the athletes who have devoted years to training in a bid to pull on the national jersey and represent their country on the international stage.
“I look forward to offering my support to the team in Delhi and I am sure all of Scotland will join me in wishing everyone the very best of luck in their quest for Commonwealth glory.”
Team Scotland is also backed by Clydesdale Bank and has strong public sector support from sportscotland the national agency for sport.
sportscotland Chair Louise Martin CBE said: “At sportscotland we are extremely proud to be part of a team with the capacity to inspire the nation both through their sporting achievements and as ambassadors for Scotland.
“Team Scotland boasts a wealth of talent from those who we hope will deliver medals in Delhi, to those whose sights are set on Glasgow 2014. On behalf of sportscotland I would like to wish every single athlete, coach and official the very best of luck; we’re behind you all the way.”
Steve Reid, Retail Director, Clydesdale Bank added: “Representing Team Scotland, wearing the team colours and competing under the Saltire flag will I am sure be one of the proudest moments of their careers. On behalf of Team Scotland partners, Clydesdale Bank, I wish them every success in the challenges that lie in wait during the 19th Commonwealth Games in Delhi.”
Michael Cavanagh announced: “I am delighted that the Board has been able to confirm our intention to fly to the Games on Saturday as hoped. There will undoubtedly be challenges ahead in Delhi, but we are confident that these can be effectively managed by our Team management, who have done a fantastic job over the last week to ensure we could get to this position and we thank them for their unstinting efforts.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our athletes who have remained calm throughout these extremely difficult few days and continued to pledge their commitment to the team. I know how hard they have worked to get themselves in the best possible shape for the Games and I am delighted that they will now get the opportunity they deserve to show just what they can do. They have already made us very proud and I know they will represent us with the pride and passion that makes members of Team Scotland so unique.”
Jon Doig, Team Scotland Chef de Mission said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming the athletes to Delhi and are working hard to finalise preparations. We are really grateful to the people of Scotland for the tremendous support they have shown us and we hope they can now look forward to watching our athletes compete at the Games.”
On hearing the news lawn bowler, Willie Wood said: “I am absolutely delighted to hear that we will be travelling to Delhi tomorrow as planned. It’s great to see that things have moved on significantly from the start of the week, and I can now focus on competing for Scotland at my eighth Commonwealth Games.”
The sports due to travel on Saturday 25 September are: Archery, Lawn Bowls, Shooting, Tennis and Weightlifting. Plans are currently being finalised to reschedule those who were due to travel yesterday (Rugby 7s, Boxing and Wrestling) and it is anticipated that they will now travel on Tuesday 28 September.
We would like to thank our partners Emirates Airline, Clydesdale Bank and sportscotland for their outstanding support with all our team logistics as well as our partners at Glasgow 2014, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government for their help with contingency planning.
There was better news from Delhi today, with indications that the Delhi Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is taking responsibility and driving concerted action to resolve the issues in the Games Village.
Following the Chef de Missions meeting this morning, Team Scotland’s representative Jon Doig said: “We are heartened that Sheila Dikshit has personally taken control of the situation and ensuring that the necessary additional resources are brought in, including support from the Delhi hoteliers association to address standards of cleanliness and hygiene and oversee quality control.
“We have continued to make progress addressing the maintenance and operational issues within our own accommodation block and things are looking much better. Therefore subject to a number of assurances from the Organising Committee being realised over the next 24 hours, we feel we will be in a position to confirm tomorrow that our team will travel as scheduled on Saturday.”
Amongst those reassurances required in addition to accommodation maintenance, is proof that all structural safety certificates for both the Village and the venues are in place, backed with full insurance cover through the Delhi 2010 Organising Committee.
“We also look forward to the Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell arriving in Delhi tonight to take control on behalf of the CGF.
The sports due to travel on Saturday 25 September are: Archery, Lawn Bowls, Shooting, Tennis and Weightlifting. Plans are currently being made to reschedule those who were due to travel today (Rugby 7s, Boxing and Wrestling).
European 400m champion Hannah Miley is aware that she is now a target for other medal hopefuls as she prepares for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Miley won the European title last month in Budapest and is expecting tough competition next month in India.
“I’ve got to keep looking over my shoulder, because everyone is chasing me,” said Miley. “You’ve got to expect that – it’s what happens in sport.
“And that’s what brings the best out in any athlete.”
Four years ago in Melbourne, it was the swimmers who helped boost the medal tally, with Caitlin McClatchey taking two of six Scots gold medals in the pool as part of a 20-medal haul.
Miley is also setting her sights on victory in Delhi and attributes her recent success to an unusual training regime. “It emphasises the fact that what I’m doing is working,” Miley told the gathered media pack at the Team Scotland preparation camp at University of Stirling earlier this month.
“All our crazy ideas and hard work that we put in is worth it. It’s a nice wee door opening where you think there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“We can manage it and it might be different or off the wall in the way that we train, but it works for us and it’s nice to get the results and rewards from it.
“Not only being selfish for myself, but for my dad – because the amount of work he puts in is unreal. It’s nice to see him get the benefits for the hard work he’s put in.
“I’ve always been the one chasing after things and my results have always been fourth or sixth or just making it, so it’s nice to have a breakthrough, but then you’ve got to pick someone or chase them down or chase their time.”
McClatchey will again be a key member of the Scotland swimming squad and would like a repeat of the success in Melbourne. “Looking back to 2006, it was kind of a surreal experience but great and exciting,” said McClatchey. “I had such a good time. I went in with no expectations.
“I wanted to do my best time and came out with a gold medal – and it was a fantastic experience.
“I felt proud to be part of Team Scotland and to have won a medal for my country. “I’m excited to see what everyone is going to be doing in Delhi. “The whole team is fantastic. Some of the sports, we’re really strong in. The surge that happened last time in Melbourne was great to be part of.”
Forrest, who has featured in 28 IRB World Sevens Series tournaments around the globe will make his first apearance at the Games as captain of the 12-man group lead by head coach Stephen Gemmell.
The squad contains seven players who lifted the Plate in the Edinburgh leg of the 2010 IRB Sevens World Series and an additional two players who played in the successive semi-final places in the London and Edinburgh legs in 2009.
Scotland 7s’ all time highest points scorer, Andrew Turnbull, is the only player with Commonwealth Games experience having featured in the the 2006 Melbourne Games.
Forrest said: “I’ve always been very proud to captain the Scotland 7s team but to be a captain competing in the Commonwealth Games as part of Team Scotland, alongside 15 other sports, in the second biggest multi-sport competition in the world, is a huge honour.
“We ended last season on a high at Murrayfield, beating South Africa and Argentina on our way to lifting the Plate, so we’re confident we can build on our performance in Edinburgh and continue to perform on the world stage at the Commonwealth Games, before taking on the 2010/11 season of the IRB Sevens World Series.”
Joining Forrest and Turnbull are Glasgow Hawks’ Mike Adamson; Chris Fusaro, Hefin O’Hare and Colin Shaw of Glasgow Warriors; Alex Blair, John Houston, Lee Jones, Stuart McInally and Scott Newlands of Edinburgh Rugby and Anglo Scot, Scott Riddell, of Blaydon.
The Scots go into the Games seeded eighth by the IRB and, on the first day of the 16-team tournament, will take on defending Games’ champions and top seeds, New Zealand, World Series regulars Canada, and Caribbean champions Guyana, who this year competed in their first World Series event in Las Vegas.
Talking through the group, Scotland 7s head coach, Stephen Gemmell, said: “As current Commonwealth and eighth time IRB Sevens World Series Champions, New Zealand have long dominated sevens but we can take confidence from recent victories over major sevens nations like South Africa, Samoa, Fiji and Australia.
“We’re well aware of Canada’s potential and ability as they have beaten us in the past but we have the personnel, the ability and the confidence to beat them in Delhi, while Caribbean champions, Guyana, will provide a tough challenge as they have been targeting and preparing for the Games for some time.”
Looking ahead to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Gemmell added: “It’s incredible that the Games are coming to Glasgow in 2014. It’s a great opportunity for Scottish sport and for Scotland’s young people to get active and to leave a lasting legacy for sport in Scotland.”
Four years ago identical twins Helen and Carol Galashan competed for Scotland in Melbourne as part of the gymnastics squad.
On the plan on the way home they were reflecting on their experiences and looking to the future, and Delhi 2010 when they had an usual vision for the next Games. “We definitely want to do another Commonwealth Games,” they said in unison.“But we won’t be gymnasts. We’ll be divers.”
This was a pretty bold ststement given that they had never even dived from a board when they made that prediction.
“It came around when we were in Melbourne,” said Helen. “There was a diver there I had competed against four years earlier, as a gymnast, called Alex Croak. We were like, ‘Oh, we’d be really good at that’ and our mum said we should try it.
“We always thought it would be really cool if we could do synchronised gymnastics and compete as a team. We were competing and sometimes, because it was individual competition, one was on a high and the other was on a low. Now we can have them together, we’re both here together and it’s amazing.”
Things happened incredibly quickly after Melbourne. After kicking the idea around for a couple of months, the twins attended a diving class in Leeds, where they were attending University.
“We were like kids, jumping off the boards, getting out of the pool and running round to do it again. We loved it,” said Helen. “The coach said, ‘have you ever done diving before’ and we said, ‘no’.
“He told us to do a straight jump off the low, low board. Carol got up and did a perfect jump, pointed toes, everything. He looked at me and said, ‘you’ve never done that before?’ and I said, ‘no, but we used to be gymnasts’. He said, ‘that explains it’. In that half-hour lesson he said we had covered an eight-week diving course.”
They were quickly picked up by the national coaching system and taken to Sheffield for a trial. Talent transfer was on a roll and the combination of their gymnastic background with “the twin thing” was an easy sell for the coaching team.
“We have that special twin thing,” explained Carol, and Helen. “Sometimes at training we won’t say ‘go’, we’ll just look at each other and go at the same time. We totally finish each other’s sentences. We go out shopping separately and buy the same things. One year we bought each other the same birthday card and present.
“There was a pair at the Athens Olympics who dyed their hair the same colour. Because it’s a synchronised sport, if you can stand on the board and look the same, it does give you that edge, because it’s a subject-ive sport. We can train separately, but as soon as we’re together, it just happens – we don’t even try.”
Two years after taking their first step off a board, they narrowly missed out on a place in Team GB for the Beijing Olympics. The following year, they were national champions, after unveiling a dive that had never been attempted by a synchronised team before.
“We were the first pair in the world to try the synchronised back handstand dive and we will be competing with that in the Commonwealth Games,” said Carol. “It’s difficult to have that control, and to be able to speak in a handstand, to say ‘go’ and to take off at the same time. But because of our gymnastic background we have quite a steady handstand, and being twins… our coach said, ‘if anyone can do it, it’s you two’.”
The dive has since been adopted by a German team, who took gold with it at this year’s European championships. The Galashans did not compete in that event, after a bronze medal in 2009, and have had an inactive year due to injuries. They are desperate for Delhi, and have been working on their signature dive, improving the consistency of a risky, potentially match-winning manoeuvre. Four years after making their bold prediction on a plane from Melbourne, the Galashan twins are ready to make a splash.
Final Preparations took place for over 250 Team Scotland members from across Scotland and beyond who met at the Commonwealth Games Scotland base at Stirling University over the weekend of 3-4 September.
The occasion was the final Team Scotland preparation camp that was part of an extensive training and information programme put in place over the last 4 years to prepare for the Delhi Games. Athletes and staff had an opportunity to meet other selected team members along with other partners, sponsors and supporters. For many there was renewal of old acquaintances from past Games and first time Team Scotland members it was an opportunity to find out what it will be like to be part of the Games experience and part of one single Scotland team comprising of 16 sports.
Information sessions on Delhi and areas such as Games Village operations, safety and security, medical, and anti-doping were held. In addition there was a large media presence with a number of in depth interviews taking place.
The pride and passion in representing Scotland was evident throughout a day that finished with distribution of the striking team leisure and parade clothing that drew positive comment from all athletes.
Athletes left Stirling left focussed on the task ahead knowing they are part of one of Scotland’s best prepared teams, ready for the challenges and opportunities the Delhi will provide.
The first advance party leave for Delhi on the 15th September and the first athletes on the 23rd September
WILLIE Wood’s first Commonwealth Games were in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1974. In the build-up, there was only limited media work, no squad gatherings, no holding camps or training programmes, just a flight ticket with instructions to collect your kit at the airport. When they touched down on the other side of the world, the Scotland team discovered that half of their suitcases had burst open.
When Wood arrives in Delhi for next month’s Games, as Team Scotland’s most capped athlete and at 72-year-old the oldest member of the 2010 team the East Lothian player is sure things will be very different. “It’s more professional now,” he says. “In those days, we didn’t have physios and coaches like we have now. I learned my game from watching other people. With my father being a good player, I just watched him. Nobody came to coach me when I was young.”
Wood, who grew up in Gifford, first tried bowls in 1951. Fifteen years later, he was representing Scotland, and eight years after that, winning a bronze medal in Christchurch.
At the time, he wondered if it would be his only experience of the Commonwealth Games, but three more medals – two gold and one silver – provided the answer. “If you had said in 1974 that I would still be playing in the Commonwealth Games in 2010, I would have said, not in your wildest dreams. I couldn’t have imagined it.”
But at the Team Scotland preparation camp earlier this month Willie was looking in fine fettle. Along with David Peacock and Wayne Hogg they are the world triples champions. He might be by far the oldest athlete in the Scottish ranks, but he is deadly serious about winning, even subjecting himself to the kind of physical preparation that was unheard of in years gone by, with lawn bowls now supported by the sportscotland institute of sport. “I am among the fittest of the lot. You get warm-ups, cool-downs, exercises twice a week. Some of them go to the gym, but I don’t. I do a lot of walking. I do a lot of grass cutting for people which means that you’re walking miles and miles every day.”
As far as Wood is concerned, you are only as old as the people around you. One of his fellow bowlers on the Scotland team is 24-year-old Michelle Cooper, while India are ready to thrust 15-year-old Tania Choudhury on to the rink in Delhi.
Don’t even think about telling the sprightly septuagenarian to go and play with someone his own age. “I hardly ever play with the old people,” he says. My father was the same. He never played in the seniors all his life.”
Wood has never retired from the sport he loves, although he has come close a few times.
In 1998, he told the Queen that Kuala Lumpur would be his last Commonwealth Games. And here he is again going for gold.
A keen golfer, he was inspired by Tom Watson’s challenge for the Open Championship last summer, but the American legend was 59 at the time.
Wood will be 76 when the Games come to Glasgow in 2014. Surely a trip to Delhi, and a possible a fifth medal, would be a suitable juncture at which to bow out. “Well, never say never but… probably, yeah.”
The Athletes’ Village is not only at the heart of any Commonwealth Games, but is fundamental to the staging of the event.
The specification for the Village set by Delhi 2010 promised to be of the highest standard surpassing anything that had gone before. However on arrival in Delhi on Thursday last week (16 September), Team Scotland officials found that building works had fallen seriously behind schedule and that its allocated accommodation blocks were far from finished and in their view, unsafe and unfit for human habitation.
After representation to the Organising Committee (OC) Scotland was reallocated finished accommodation, but which still required serious cleaning and maintenance to bring it up to the necessary Games ready standards. This has now been largely addressed by the Scotland team management, cleaning the seven story tower block from top to bottom themselves with assistance from Delhi Games volunteers. However many of the other blocks in the Residential Zone still remain in a highly unsatisfactory state.
Scotland is one of six countries that has arrived in Delhi at the earliest opportunity to set up its Team HQ along with England, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. During the last few days, despite repeated promises, only slow progress has been made, to the extent that there are now grave concerns as to whether the Village as a whole will meet the health and safety standards required to host all 71 CGAs and their 6,500 team members, which are due to start arriving on 23 September.
Yesterday in Delhi, Team Scotland Chef de Mission Jon Doig met jointly with his counterparts and the High Commissioners of their respective countries to try and bring pressure to bear on the Delhi 2010 Organising Committee through the Indian Government, to respond immediately to address the issues. Representation was also made to the Commonwealth Games Federation to make a realistic decision as to at what point and under what conditions they would determine whether the Games will be able to go ahead should the Village issues not be resolved.
Commonwealth Games Scotland is pleased that the Commonwealth Games Federation has now responded and formally written to the Indian Cabinet Secretary to express their concern and to request immediate action.
“We will continue to work closely with the organisers, to do everything possible to ensure that a satisfactory solution can be achieved for the benefit of all 71 competing countries”, said Chef de Mission Jon Doig.
“Whilst we are a considerable way down the track to resolving our own specific accommodation issues, moving those arriving first has simply pushed the problems further down the line. The other countries will be arriving soon and the organisers will simply be overwhelmed by the volume of the problems they face unless they take action now. Those countries already here have articulated this at the highest level.
“We will continue to monitor the situation before determining our next response. At this point we are planning for full participation in the Games and sincerely hope that the outstanding issues can be resolved, however we will not compromise on issues of health, safety and security.”
Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland announced today that the Board had made the decision to delay the departure of Team Scotland’s first party of 41 athlete and staff, due to travel to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi on Thursday 23 September, arriving on Friday 24 September. This involves three sports, namely Boxing, Rugby 7s and Wrestling.
The decision has been made on the back of concerns raised earlier this week, by Team Scotland Chef de Mission Jon Doig, that a significant part of the Athletes’ Village Residential Zone is far from finished and nowhere near an acceptable standard in terms of health, safety and hygiene, ready to cope with the imminent influx of 6,500 athletes and officials. There are also a number of serious operational deficiencies.
Confirming the decision Michael Cavanagh said: “By delaying the arrival of our athletes by a few days, we hope to give the Delhi 2010 Organising Committee the necessary time to address the concerns that have been raised by both the Commonwealth Games Federation and the countries which arrived early.
“We have discussed this with the sports involved and are in agreement that this is the best course of action under the circumstances. Whilst this is an untimely alteration to their plans, it will ultimately cause less disruption to their final training and preparation than if they were to arrive in the Games Village which is not yet fit for purpose and fully functional.
“Scotland is hugely committed to the Commonwealth Games. Our team on the ground will continue to monitor the situation however we will not compromise on areas of athlete health, safety and security. We need urgent action from the Commonwealth Games Federation and the Delhi Organising Committee to address these crucial issues