Triumph in the face of adversity is what springs to mind when you speak to table tennis player Gavin Rumgay. The British number two from Perth has just lost his funding as part of the cuts to the Olympic Development Squad, for being ‘too old’ at the tender age of 26 and yet his response has been mature beyond his years, letting his game do the talking.
Rumgay has beaten the British number one, Paul Drinkhall, in their last two meetings starting at the Wolverhampton Grand Prix in May where he secured the 18th British Grand Prix title of his career. However it was this latest win against Drinkhall at the World Team Championships in Moscow last month, along with some other significant wins in the same tournament, that saw Gavin make a meteoric rise thirty places up the world rankings and land himself recognition by Commonwealth Games Scotland and Clydesdale Bank as the Athlete of the Month for May. In addition to the accolade, he receives a much needed cheque for £500 towards training and competition costs.
The scheme, being run by Commonwealth Games Scotland in conjunction with Clydesdale Bank as part of its programme of support to Team Scotland, is open to athletes in any of the 17 participating sports who are eligible to represent Scotland at this year’s Games in Delhi.
“This award couldn’t have come at a better time for me”, said Rumgay. “To make matters even worse I recently had my car stolen which makes me totally reliant on others to get to training and competitions, so I would really like to thank Clydesdale Bank for their support, which has given me a real boost.”
Despite the challenge of finding the funding to remain part of the British table tennis set-up based at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, Rumgay is determined to keep his focus firmly fixed on securing his place on Team Scotland for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October.
Whilst still to have their selection confirmed by Commonwealth Games Scotland, Table Tennis Scotland is quietly confident they have a good chance of qualifying for the men’s team competition based on their combined world rankings, demonstrating the potential to finish in the top eight at the Games. This would then make the three players eligible to also compete in the singles and doubles events. sportscotland, the national sports agency, is working closely with Table Tennis Scotland to ensure that Gavin and his teammates have the necessary support in place to make their final preparations for Delhi.
“It would mean everything to me to qualify for Delhi”, said Rumgay. “I made my Commonwealth Games debut in Manchester in 2002 which was a fantastic experience and then we were really disappointed not to be selected for Melbourne. It has been a real rollercoaster ride, but I would love to lead our men’s team in Delhi and show just what we can do ahead of a home Games in Glasgow in 2014.”
The six times Scottish senior singles champion might be down, but he is certainly not out
Falkirk shooter Jennifer McIntosh broke a long standing Scottish record, held by her mother Shirley (multiple Commonwealth Games medallist), in last week’s Rifle and Pistol World Cup event in Fort Benning, USA.
This was her first World Cup and the Aberdeen based 18 year old broke the Scottish senior and GB junior women’s 3×20 record in the Three-Position small bore event with a score of 581.
She qualified for a shoot-off eliminator to get into the final stage, between five competitors for just three places, but just missed out and finished tenth.
“For my first World Cup to come tenth, brilliant is the only word for it,” she said. “I’m pretty happy with my shoot, although obviously a little disappointed to miss out on the final.
“It’s been a great experience and great fun and I’m looking forward my next competition, the British Championships at Bisley and the next World Cup in Belgrade.”
Said her coach, Sinclair Bruce: “This was overall a fantastic result for Jen in her first ever World Cup. These competitions attract all the top shooters and are the top level of regular competition through the season.
“Shooting a PB and showing that she can be competitive at this level first time out demonstrates the progression she is making in her sporting career.”
McIntosh has produced a series of victories and results this season which have given her qualifying scores in three events for October’s Delhi Commonwealth Games*. In March she had met the Scottish team’s qualifying scores for both Prone and 3P and in last month’s Scottish Airgun Championships she achieved the required Air Rifle score. She was also named Clydesdale Bank Athlete of the Month in March in recognition of her achievements as she aims for selection for Team Scotland at year’s Commonwealth Games.
Becoming a full time athlete this season has made a big difference for McIntosh. Integral to her programme is the Grampian Institute of Sport, part of sportscotland’s institute network which focuses on preparing Scotland’s best athletes to perform on the world stage by providing high performance expertise.
* Athletes achieving the selection standard will then be nominated to CGS by their respective governing body of sport. CGS will then consider all nominations against both the overall team and the individual sport’s selection policy. However, meeting the selection standard does not in itself guarantee a place on the team. All selections and final entries will be dependent on evidence of form and fitness. The full team will be announced in mid August 2010.
When Paul Foster was down and out of football with an ankle injury at the age of 12, little did he think he would be on top of the world in the sport of bowls 25 years on.
The 37-year-old was confirmed as world number one last month at the end of a vintage indoor season which saw him win a host of tournaments on the World Bowls Tour – including the Scottish International Open. Despite winning three world indoor singles titles in 1998, 2001 and 2005 this is the first time that the man from Troon in Ayrshire has attained the coveted number one title which he describes as the pinnacle of his career so far.
Foster is now setting his sights on outdoor domination as one of Team Scotland’s brightest medal hopes at this year’s Commonwealth Games. At the recent Eight Nations test event in Delhi, Foster took bronze despite some challenging conditions, and this further success has earned him the Clydesdale Bank Athlete of the Month Award for April and £500 towards training and competition costs.
The scheme, being run by Commonwealth Games Scotland in conjunction with Clydesdale Bank as part of its programme of support to Team Scotland, is open to athletes in any of the 17 participating sports who are eligible to represent Scotland at this year’s Games in Delhi.
Looking back on how he got involved in the sport Foster said: “I damaged my ankle playing football which put me out of action for a good few months. My dad Hugh was a keen bowler who competed at County level so he got me involved in the sport. I told him I thought it was an old man’s game but he said to just try it the once. I took to it like a duck to water and I loved it straight away and so I decided to stick to bowls.
“It has proved to be the right call because finishing the indoor season as world number one is probably the biggest high of my career.”
Paul is no stranger to the Commonwealth Games arena, having claimed gold four years ago in Melbourne in the pairs event, alongside former world number one Alex Marshall. And although he will be going it alone in Delhi this year playing singles, he would love to savor more success in India to cap a memorable year.
“You can’t get any higher than representing your country at singles. In pairs if you are struggling through a match your partner will help you through it, however in singles it is totally different. You are on your own out there with more pressure on yourself, however I am used to it from the indoor game.
“I would love to be confirmed in the team for Delhi and if I could win another gold medal for Scotland I would be over the moon.
Comparing lawn bowls with other sports in the Games team he explained: “People don’t think you have to be fit to play bowls, but this is so far from the truth. Games can last 2-3 hours and they can be mentally draining so I am trying to get myself really fit and in the best possible shape for Delhi. The heat will also be a big factor. It was between 38-46 degrees when we were there in April, although it should be a bit cooler in October.
“The bowlers have also been getting support from the experts at the sportscotland institute of sport for the first time, and they came out to Delhi with us for the test event. They took our core temperatures and measured our hydration levels to ensure we were drinking enough. Some of the results were quite surprising and it was a magnificent help. I only used to drink a couple of cups of water during a game and now I know this is not enough. We will continue to take this all on board to shape our preparations for Delhi.”
But to strike gold again Paul will also have to overcome the challenge of competing on an outdoor synthetic green, the first time such a surface has been used at a Commonwealth Games. And that is forcing him to relearn everything he has honed in his game over the last 25 years. He added: “I’ve just competed in the Eight Nations Test Series in Delhi where I won bronze and I’m glad I went because it was a vital learning experience for the Games.
“Out there we are competing on a synthetic surface which rolls nothing like the grass or indoor carpets. The lines are much tighter, that means you only throw the bowl four or five inches outside of the jack rather than the two feet I would normally use to draw a bowl in. The speed of the surface was also much slower than the indoor carpet.
“That’s a huge difference and in the first couple of matches out there I only just scraped through, however, I then managed to borrow bowls that were better suited to the surface.
“Basically I had to start from scratch and forget everything I have learned over the years in order to adjust my game, so I was delighted to finish third in those circumstances.
“Over the next few months I will be playing in a mixture of indoor and outdoor events to adapt my technique.”
Foster believes that playing in the test event which was funded jointly by Commonwealth Games Scotland and sportscotland, could prove vital in his quest for success in October – as well as the help of Clydesdale Bank.
“What I have learned will certainly boost my chances of finishing even higher when I go back to Delhi for the Games.
“I’d like also to thank the Clydesdale Bank for putting up an award that will help me fund the training and preparation I’ll need to be ready.”
For all the latest news on Team Scotland’s preparation for the Delhi Commonwealth Games in October read the latest edition of Countdown.
COMMONWEALTH GAMES DELHI 2010 – MEDIA ACCREDITATION PROCESS
The next Commonwealth Games will be held in Delhi 3-14 October this year when Team Scotland will be in action. In addition, during the Delhi 2010 Closing Ceremony the Commonwealth Games Federation flag will be handed over to Glasgow as the host city for the XX Commonwealth Games in 2014.
Further to the media advisory and briefing in February, Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) has now received the necessary information from Delhi 2010 to start the media accreditation for Scottish media organisations.
CGS will be responsible for accrediting the written press, online journalists (non-video), photographers and electronic media personnel of non-rights- holding media. Rights-holding broadcasters will have their own quota of accreditations and anyone connected with this group of broadcasters should deal direct with their own head of operations.
Non-Scottish media should contact their own country’s Commonwealth Games Association.
Please email Katriona Bush, Head of Media & PR, Commonwealth Games Scotland for the necessary forms to complete kbush@bshsport.demon.co.uk
All applications must be completed by 31 May 2010. Late applications may not be accepted by Delhi 2010, but if approved, accreditation passes will not have an inclusive visa for the Games which will give you additional logistical difficulties.
For details about media accommodation please go to the Delhi 2010 website www.cwgdelhi2010.org This process has been underway for some time and accommodation is becoming limited, so immediate action is recommended.
The International Federation of Netball Associations and the Commonwealth Games Federation have confirmed the twelve countries who will participate in this year’s netball tournament at the Commonwealth Games. As all Commonwealth countries ranked 1-11, plus hosts India, have accepted the invitation to play in Delhi, this effectively rules out Scotland who were ranked in 12th position from consideration.
Commenting Jon Doig, Commonwealth Games Scotland Chief Executive and Team Scotland Chef de Mission said: “Whist it is extremely disappointing for netball that they have not received an invitation to participate, it wasn’t totally unexpected. However we will continue to involve netball in the planning process for Delhi, just in case of any last minute withdrawals. However any late inclusion would still be on the basis that netball meets the Team Scotland selection criteria and can demonstrate their potential to finish in the top eight.
“Netball will also be included in our Achieve 2014 programme which will give up to two athletes and or one coach, the opportunity to go to Delhi to gain experience of a multi-sport Games. This will aid their preparations for Glasgow when they will receive an automatic invitation as host nation, although they will still be required to meet the Team Scotland selection standards.”
Reacting to the news Denise Holland, Netball Scotland National Coach said: “Whilst we are very disappointed to fall just short, we will remain focussed on our preparation and performances over the rest of the season and be ready to take advantage and step up to the challenge should a last minute opportunity come our way. We must take some comfort from the team’s progress over the past two years with increased competition in both the Netball superleague and internationally. Our continued rate of improvement bodes well for 2014where we are determined to be playing in front of a home crowd. We will put in every effort to ensure our dream of competing in a Commonwealth Games becomes a reality.”
Details of the 3rd Commonwealth Sports Development Conference programme were announced today. At the programme launch, Prof. Fred Coalter, University of Stirling, who has been responsible for developing the programme, said that “this conference brings together an unusual variety of practitioners and funders and will provide a unique opportunity to explore new ways to ensure the consolidation and development of this increasingly important area of social policy.”
Prof. Coalter also took the opportunity to highlight some of the speakers who will address one of the key themes of the conference – the funding of sport-for-development organisations. The conference will include traditional funding organisations – Bjørn Omar Evju from the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports, Annemarie Elsom from Comic Relief – and a range of speakers developing different approaches to funding: Mel Young of the Homeless World Cup will outline the entrepreneurial approach to funding which underpins this highly successful worldwide competition. Fabio Segura, Investment Manager with LGT Venture Philanthropy will explore the criteria considered when investing in sport-for-development organisations; Loïc Comolli, Director of Client & Investor Relations with Nonprofit Enterprise and Self-sustainability Team (NESsT) will provide examples of social entrepreneurial investment in sport-for-development programmes and Matthew Spacie of Mumbai’s Magic Bus (which works in Dharavi, the home of Slumdog Millionaire) will outline its mixed economy model.
Some of the harsh realities and threats to sustainability faced by sport-for-development organisations in Africa will also be addressed. Bob Munro, the founder of the Mathare Youth Sport Association (MYSA) in Kenya, will speak on Policies, Perils and Partnerships. He notes that “those working on the frontlines usually focus only on the good news about their organisations and its laudable goals. But we rarely speak about the threats and risks we often face from those who benefit from maintaining the status quo and perpetuating poverty.”
The 3rd Commonwealth Sport and Development Conference theme is: Achieving Sustainable Development – Building capacity in Communities, Clubs and NGOs and takes place at Glasgow’s Mitchell Library on the 3rd and 4th June 2010.
For full details of the conference programme, or to book a place, visit the conference website – www.regonline.co.uk/commonwealthconference
The 3rd Commonwealth Sports Development Conference is run in partnership between Glasgow City Council, Culture and Sport Glasgow and sportscotland, with support from UK Sport and the Commonwealth Games Federation.
CLYDESDALE BANK MARCH ATHLETE OF THE MONTH ANNOUNCED
18 year old Jennifer McIntosh has shown she is on target for selection for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October, following an impressive performance at the Commonwealth Shooting Federation Championships in India last month, the official test event for the Games.
She won gold in the Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Pairs competition and backed this up with a second win in the Women’s Prone Pairs event. If that was not enough, she helped set new championship scores in both events despite still being classed as a junior.
This impressive medal haul, backed up by a full season of good results and numerous Commonwealth Games minimum consideration scores, has led her to be named as the Clydesdale Bank Athlete of the Month for March and she will receive £500 towards her training and competition costs. The scheme, being run by Commonwealth Games Scotland in conjunction with Clydesdale Bank as part of its programme of support to Team Scotland, is open to athletes in any of the 17 participating sports who are eligible to represent Scotland at this year’s Games in Delhi.
Winning both gold medals, Jen (as she is known) was the team’s most successful competitor and in a strong field that included India, England, Australia, New Zealand, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar, it is a good indication of what might be achieved in this October’s Commonwealth Games if all goes well.
The Falkirk 18 year old (who is now based in Aberdeen), paired with Banff’s Kay Copland, to win the Women’s Three Positions Pairs gold, then partnered the 2006 double Commonwealth gold medallist from Huntly, Sheena Sharp to win the Women’s Prone Pairs.
“Winning the gold medals was almost certainly the best I’ve done compared to anything I’ve won before,” she said.
“It was pretty exciting to win the 3P with Kay. After that the biggest challenge was making sure I had calmed down before the next match.”
The Championships was the test event for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games shooting competition and were staged at the same venue which will host the sport at the Games this October.
“Delhi was brilliant, the facilities world class, the ranges are huge and much better than anything we have here,” said Jen. “It was a good experience which will really help if I make it into the Commonwealth Games team for this October.”
McIntosh is making a habit of winning medals in India. In the 2008 Pune Commonwealth Youth Games she won the silver medal in the 3P. She admits that experience was definitely useful to acclimatising her to the conditions of the sub continent: “Pune definitely helped me get used to coping with the heat and get used to the culture.”
The Commonwealth Games shooting team is still some months away from being decided although Jen has already met the team’s qualifying criteria for both Prone and 3P. She is also hoping to qualify for the Air Rifle and has until July to produce a qualifying result.
Time is on her side in other ways too. Becoming a full time athlete for the first time this season has its advantages. Four hour training sessions at the shooting range are much easier to fit in when school work is no longer part of the equation and she has also had the time to become physically fitter and a better athlete.
“It’s been a hectic few months with all the travel to competitions and I aim to get to the range four times a week and on top of that I have my strength and conditioning training with the Grampian Area Institute of Sport,” she said.
“Six months ago I would never have got through six matches out in Delhi,” she said. “The strength and conditioning programme is specific for shooting, a combination of supervised free weights exercises, along with cardio vascular training.
“It makes a huge difference both physically and mentally. The main difference is physical at the moment but I am feeling a little bit sharper as a result. Also because I am fitter I can train for longer which makes me better at shooting.”
For Jen, taking up shooting was the most natural thing in the world, with mum Shirley a multiple Commonwealth Games medallist, and dad Donald a Commonwealth Games representative in 2002 and now the Scotland and Great Britain National Coach. She spent many hours watching them practice and compete at the shooting range.
“I remember my mum arriving back from Victoria in 1994 and putting her gold medal round my neck at the airport when I was just three and I knew then that I wanted to win one too.
“I first shot a rifle when I was 10. I would go with my parent to the range and I would get a go at the end of the session when they were finished. I then got my first air rifle when I was 14 years old.
“Quickly I knew I really liked this and started shooting really well and it escalated from there. Everybody else always thought I had real potential, especially my dad, but now I have started getting there, I am starting to believe it myself.”
Looking forward to Delhi Jen added, “My 3P is my stronger and my favourite event and my aim is to make the final and I am really looking to Glasgow 2014 for medal success. However I really want to win the women’s prone. That is the one my mum won and they are taking it out of the programme after these Games. She was the first person to win it and I would love to be the last.”
Clydesdale Bank’s support helps to ensure that athletes training and competing at this level will benefit from extra financial support to help them achieve their goals. The award scheme is a great additional incentive to the athletes as they strive to deliver top performances over the next four months to book their place on the team.
Commonwealth Games Scotland, with support from sportscotland, today announced a new initiative designed specifically to enhance the winning opportunities of Scottish athletes and coaches on the world stage. The Achieve 2014 programme has been created to offer a select number of talented athletes and coaches the opportunity to gain critical knowledge and experience of a multi-sport environment to assist their own preparations for medal success in Glasgow 2014 and beyond.
The project will cost up to £144,000 and includes funding from Commonwealth Games Scotland and an award of £20,000 from sportscotland, with discussions also ongoing with a number of other funders. The national agency for sport has also agreed to provide expertise to operate the programme, and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, World Champion and Olympian in Judo, Graeme Randall MBE has been appointed as the Achieve 2014 Director, part of his new role as a Partnership Manager at sportscotland.
Post Games studies and reports on athlete success at multi-sport Games have consistently highlighted that the environment experienced is significantly different to that which most athletes and staff encounter at their own single sport championships. However with prior multi-sport Games experience, team members are better able to cope with this unique environment and are more likely to perform and deliver to their full potential.
Achieve 2014 will offer targeted athletes and coaches identified by sports in the Glasgow 2014 programme, the opportunity to travel to the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games for a five or six day learning experience. Each team member will be afforded the opportunity to observe their own or similar sport in competition and, if time permitting, other sports competing during their stay. Each Achieve 2014 Team member will complete specific learning tasks, daily event logs and, upon return, complete a brief report on their personal experiences throughout the whole event.
Assigned to each Achieve 2014 Team member will be an athlete mentor or coach mentor who will work closely with the individual athletes and coaches prior to departure, during the 2010 Games in Delhi and afterwards to ensure the time spent in Delhi is utilised to achieve a robust, performance related outcome. Today the search started for the mentors who will be recruited by the end of April 2010.
Selection of athletes onto the Achieve 2014 Team will be through a nomination process in partnership with Scottish Governing Bodies of sport and sportscotland. It is anticipated that this opportunity will be offered to up to two athletes and/or one coach per sport.
Commenting on this exciting new initiative Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “I am absolutely delighted that this initiative has come to fruition in time for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October. As we have known for many years, some athletes rise to the big multi-sport occasion whilst others are overwhelmed by it and in 2014 competing on home soil will bring huge additional pressures.
“Commonwealth Games Scotland has always been at the forefront of development, innovation and looking to the future. We established the Commonwealth Youth Games back in 2000 and we believe that Achieve 2014 will build on this. We are confident that investing in our future talented athletes and coaches will be money well spent and will help to ensure that our athletes have the best preparation possible and can compete with distinction in 2014 and beyond.”
“Welcoming his role as the Achieve 2014 Director, Graeme Randall said: “This is a really exciting project and I am delighted to be able to use my years of experience as an athlete and a high performance coach to help others in the same position.
“Just getting a glimpse of the size and scale of a Commonwealth Games will help the selected athletes and coaches get a feel for what they will face and allow them to plan how they will deal with it to make the most of their winning opportunities.”
If successful the programme will run again in 2012 with athletes attending the London Olympic Games and then for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Scotland celebrated Commonwealth Day today, with the launch of a new Glasgow 2014 brand identity and web site at an event at the Clyde Auditorium, which will be the venue for the Weightlifting Competition during the Games.
As with all previous Games, and as set out in the Host City Contract, Glasgow 2014 has created a completely new Games brand with the primary aim of offering its exclusive use to companies to generate revenue through sponsorship.
The creative concept behind the brand is derived from the basis of all sport – Time, Data, and Measurement. Who jumps the highest, swims the fastest, lifts the heaviest. The brand identity is made up of four distinct parts, based on Time, Data and Measurement:
The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games will be the 20th Games. This is a landmark number that adds to Glasgow’s pride in being its host. The outer ring, that encompasses the others, is a strong, vibrant red – the official “True Red” of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) palette.
There will be 17 sports on the programme at Glasgow 2014. The next ring of the brand identity, in “Triumph Yellow” from the CGF palette, represents the number of sports. It’s exactly 17/20ths of the full circle.
Glasgow 2014 will host 11 days of competition, which are represented in the third ring of the brand identity, rendered in the CGF’s “Heritage blue”, and making up 11/20ths of the circle.
At the heart of our brand identity is 1 Host City, represented by “G” for Glasgow, meaning “Dear Green Place” in Gaelic, and is in a suitably vibrant green.
The new brand identity was produced by Glasgow based design company Marque Creative Ltd., and the selection panel that chose and approved the final logo included Shirley Webb, Team Scotland representative in the hammer in 2002 and 2006 and a member of the Organising Committee’s athlete’s commission.
Revealing the new brand, John Scott, Chief Executive of the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee said:
“Today is a big milestone for everyone involved in the planning for Glasgow 2014, as the unveiling of the new brand symbolises the start of a new and exciting journey towards the Games.
“We now need to raise the revenue required to help stage the Games through selling the rights to the brand identity as sponsorship. I am confident that its distinct style, its inherent element of fun and flexibility for both on and off line environments will attract organisations wishing to be associated with the Commonwealth Games to become our sponsors.”
Welcoming the new brand Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland and Glasgow 2014 Board Member said: “The essence of the logo communicates everything that is intrinsic to sporting performance in terms of Time, Data and Measurement. These are all criteria that prospective Team Scotland athletes will be driven by, as they strive towards achieving success at Glasgow 2014.
“We are delighted that the brand reflects the continued commitment to an athlete-centred and sport focused Games.”
Shirley Webb, Scottish record holder and Commonwealth Games representative added: “As an athlete I have been to two Commonwealth Games and there are personal images that I have stored away which will live with me forever, and I am sure that this new logo will form the beginning of photo albums of thousands of athletes, volunteers and spectators around the world.
“The journey to select Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games identity has been fascinating, and each and every one of the brilliantly creative people we met were genuinely excited and inspired by the prospect of working with the Games. It will be amazing to see the logo and the Games-buzz grow over the next four years.”