Glasgow 2014 Limited, the Organising Committee for the Commonwealth Games, has today announced that funding for the event will increase to £454 million.
The funding boost follows a year of detailed planning for the Games and a thorough review of the budget required to deliver an outstanding Games for Glasgowand Scotland.
A detailed risk register developed by the Games partners has provided a sound basis to increase the funding available for contingencies. This level of planning would not have been appropriate or cost effective at the time of the bid. A number of factors including Legislative changes, and in particular rising broadcasting costs, have contributed to the budget increase.
The additional funding will come from a mixture of public and private money. The Scottish Government will provide an additional £39 million and a £20 million reserve fund, Glasgow City Council will contribute an extra £9 million and the Organising Committee will raise anadditional £13 million through its commercial activities.
The review has been verified by financial advisers PricewaterhouseCoopers. All partners are determined to ensure that the Games are funded adequately and properly and every effort has been made to ensure efficiency savings wherever possible.
Lord Smith, Chairman of the Organising Committee said:
“John Scott and the team at Glasgow 2014, supported by a number of highly experienced external advisers, have completed a detailed and thorough review of the budget requirements for the Games and I am delighted at the quality and professionalism that has been shown throughout. The Organising Committee wishes to stage an outstanding Games that will inspire the people of Scotland and be celebrated in Glasgow, across Scotland and indeed the Commonwealth. Everyone in the Organising Committee also recognises the responsibilities upon us to deliver an efficient and effective Games, minimising the cost to the public purse in these difficult economic times. The Games partners are united in the belief that these Games can be the catalyst for significant change and will generate enormous sporting, social and economic benefits for the whole of Scotland, and we believe that the budget announced today will enable all those potential benefits to be realised.”
Alex Salmond, The First Minister said:
“The Scottish Government is committed to showcasing the best that Scotland has to offer by delivering an outstanding Commonwealth Games. This necessary budgetary increase is challenging for the public purse but the funding boost is good news for 2014 and will ensure an exciting, efficient and effective event.
Bringing the Games to Glasgow will boost business, tourism, infrastructure and regenerate the city. Of course this funding represents an enormous commitment to Glasgow but the benefits and value will be felt throughout Scotland. All partners involved in staging this prestigious event are determined to work together to ensure the best value for money. The fact that 70% of the Games venues are already built will help guarantee no further pressure on the public purse.
The Scottish Government is proud to support 2014. We believe staging the event will provide lasting benefits for generations to come. That’s why we have recently launched a £23.5 million legacy plan to ensure Scotland capitalises on the economic, social and cultural advantages of the Commonwealth Games.
There are still issues to be resolved. The Scottish Government will continue to make the case for the recovery of £150 million lottery funds diverted from Scotland to pay for the London Olympics. And to call for Scotland to receive its share of Olympic regeneration investment. An estimated £165 million has been lost because this funding was not subject to the Barnett formula in the normal way.
However we can’t wait for this to happen to guarantee the position of the Games and therefore this detailed review takes account of all eventualities and will ensure that the Games are funded adequately and properly.”
Steven Purcell, Leader of Glasgow City Council said:
“I am disappointed that it is necessary to increase the budget for staging the Games. However I accept that this has been caused by changing circumstances since we submitted the bid and all the partners have worked very closely to minimise the increase.
The Games will bring real benefits for all Glaswegians and I will do all I can to ensure that those benefits are delivered”.
Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland added:
“Hosting the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 is a once in a generation opportunity to transform and enhance Scottish sport for the long-term.
This revised budget will ensure that the partners are able to continue todeliver on their commitment to the Commonwealth to organise an outstanding athlete centred Games and at the same time leave a significant legacy for Scottish sport. We are fully supportive of the proposed budget changes.”
Just 16 years of age, and therefore still playing at junior level, Kirsty Gilmour from Bothwell in Lanarkshire has been identified as a member of badminton’s elite squad aiming for selection for Team Scotland at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. This, backed by a string of recent on-court achievements both at home and abroad, has seen her named as the Clydesdale Bank Athlete of the Month for November receiving £500 towards her training and competition costs.
The scheme is being run with Clydesdale Bank as part of their programme of support to Team Scotland and is open to athletes in any of the 17 participating sports who are eligible to represent Scotland at next year’s Games in Delhi. Athletes will be nominated by their respective sports and will have demonstrated outstanding performances during the build-up to the Games.
Collecting her award Kirsty said: “It is great to be recognised for what I have achieved after a lot of hard work and the £500 from Clydesdale Bank will be really useful, particularly to help with the cost of restringing rackets which is a big part of the budget.”
Given Kirsty’s family connections with the sport it is hardly surprising that she seems destined to follow in their successful footsteps. Her father Brian, who was the national junior coach, first put a racket in her hand when she was just four years of age and although she gave both gymnastics and football a go, it was to the badminton court that she returned. She is also spurred on by her uncle, David Gilmour, who was capped50 times for Scotland at badminton between 1989 and 2008.
A fiercely competitive young woman, Kirsty has elected to play singles where she feels firmly in control of her own destiny, with no one else to blame if things go wrong. But despite her keen desire to win, off court she feels the friendly nature of the sport is its biggest attraction.
Kirsty attends the Glasgow School of Sport at Bellahouston Academy, and is coached by Craig Robertson a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist from Manchester. She believes there are real benefits to training in this unique setting which offers a fully integrated programme of education and high performance sport training, with the added bonus for badminton that it is all one site.
“They are a lot more understanding about our needs to go training and getting time off for competitions, whilst still making sure we keep up with our work” said Kirsty. “My coach even makes me take my homework with me when I am away.”
Kirsty’s performances during season 2008/09 were consistently high: not only did she win the national u17 women’s singles title (playing in her own age group), but she also holds the national u19 women’s single title. At the end of the 2008/09 season, she was number one singles player in both u17 and u19 age groups nationally and 12 in the Scottish senior rankings. However despite domestic success Kirsty believes it was her unexpected appearance in the final of the Belgian Junior u19 tournament, where she lost in the final to the top seed, which was her great achievement.
The 2009/10 season which got underway in August, has seen Kirsty off to a flying start. At the highly regarded Langenfeld Junior tournament, held in Germany during August, she was women’s singles winner (Under 17), despite only being seeded to reach the quarter finals. This is a superb win as competition is of the highest standard and it is also the first time a Scottish junior has won at Langenfeld. In early September, Kirsty went on to win the UK Schools Games singles title against the best in Britain. Her first taste of a multi-sport Games was a positive one, and will be a good experience should Kirsty find herself in Delhi next October.
“The UK School Games was great with lots of people turning up from different places all in team kit. You go and compete with the badminton people and when you have finished you get to watch and mix with other sports.”
With the rest of the season focused on booking her place on the Team Scotland plane for Delhi, Kirsty is excited about the prospect and feels there is a great future ahead.
“It would a great opportunity to go to Delhi and get some experience which would stand me in good stead for Glasgow 2014 where I would love to get a medal. I am even hoping I might just make the team for London 2012.”
Clydesdale Bank’s support for this scheme will ensure that athletes training and competing at this level will benefit from extra financial support to help them achieve their goals. This competition is a great additional incentive to the athletes as they strive over the next ten months to book their place on the team.
At the Commonwealth Games Scotland Awards Dinner on Saturday night (14 November), guests will be asked to help decide which tune or anthem will be played, when athletes representing Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi next year win gold and stand on top of the medal podium.
With no official Scottish national anthem, it is up to individual national sporting organisations like Commonwealth Games Scotland to select the anthem which best reflects their sporting endeavours, engenders the feeling of national pride and can be clearly associated with Scotland.
For Commonwealth Games Scotland the anthem is used at the flag raising ceremony to announce the arrival of Team Scotland in the Games Village and for the victory ceremonies for those athletes winning the ultimate, a gold medal in their events. Hearing both its melody and the words should evoke pride and passion in your country as well as creating a bond between the athlete, their team mates and supporters.
The lack of a single recognised anthem used across all sports has led to a plethora of unofficial tunes being used over the years depending on the taste of each organisation, often creating confusion amongst the athletes, team members, spectators and viewers.
Up until 1958, Burns’ ‘Scots Wha Hae’ was used to mark Commonwealth Games success and since then Scotland the Brave has been the preferred anthem. The continued use of Scotland the Brave was last re-confirmed by the athletes prior to the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Despite the Scottish Parliament recently taking a lead in giving official guidance on the preferred shade of blue for the Saltire, they have yet to take a stand on their position relating to a Scottish national anthem or song. Therefore Commonwealth Games Scotland is again asking the athletes to state which tune they wish to use.
Highlighting the issue, Commonwealth Games Scotland Chairman, Michael Cavanagh said: “At the Awards Dinner on Saturday night we will give our wider stakeholders the opportunity to have an input into this process. Students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Arts Music and Drama will perform a shortlist of four options and at the end of the evening, guests will be asked to cast their vote.
The most popular two anthems will then be presented to our prospective Delhi 2010 team members at their Team Camp in January, where they will make the final choice of anthem to be played at the Games.
“Hopefully, by the time we reach the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow there will be an official anthem that is nationally recognised and endorsed through our Parliament and one that the whole of Scotland can unite behind on what will be a fabulous and memorable occasion for all Scots.”
Gregor Tait, multi-medal winning swimmer from the 2006 Games in Melbourne, including two gold, is keen to get behind the debate and stresses what an important issue this is for the athletes: “Hearing the anthem in Melbourne was one of the proudest moments of my life. To see the flag being raised to Scotland the Brave really made me feel ‘Scottish and proud’. It was great to see everyone’s reaction to the anthem and see people clapping along really made me smile. Without these moments Melbourne would not have been so memorable. Whatever anthem is chosen this time, it must evoke those same feelings.”
Background to the shortlist
Scotland the Brave
This distinctive tune is thought to have first appeared around the turn of the 20th century, and at that time was sometimes known as Scotland the Brave. However, the lyrics were written around 1950 by the Scottish journalist Cliff Hanley for the singer Robert Wilson in an arrangement by Marion McClurg.
It has been used since 1958 as the anthem for Scottish teams at the Commonwealth Games. In the 1982 and in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, the Scottish national football team used it as its anthem. Furthermore in 2006, Scotland the Brave was adopted as the regimental quick march of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Flower of Scotland
With lyrics written in 1965 by Roy Williamson of the Corries and the music composed by Peter McCormick, the song was used by the Scotland national rugby union team, after winger, Billy Steele, encouraged his team-mates to sing it on the victorious Lions tour of South Africa in 1974. The song was first sung as the pre-match anthem during the 1990 Five Nations championship (the forerunner of the Six Nations Championship), which culminated in the deciding match between Scotland and England, which Scotland won 13-7 to win the Grand Slam. The Scottish Football Association then adopted ‘Flower of Scotland’ as its official anthem in 1997,although it had been used by them in 1993. Usually only the first and third verses are sung.
Highland Cathedral
This distinctive and evocative melody composed for the bagpipes was written by German musicians Ulrich Roever and Michael Korbin a Scottish style in 1982.
Highland Cathedral has since become one of the best-known bagpipe tunes in the world, especially after being featured in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. It was chosen by pop diva Madonna to be played at her Highland wedding and has also been played alongside Flower of Scotland at rugby internationals.
After early performances by Scottish pipe bands at a Tattoo in Berlin, a number of versions of lyrics have emerged. These include those from the Edinburgh poet and playwright, Donald Smith, and Ben Kelly, an Inverness tenor who copyrighted the words in 1990 – after an eight-year effort to track down the composers and distributors. After the 2006 Commonwealth Games Kelly was quoted in the Scotsman as saying “The original purpose for writing the song wasn’t for the rugby. I was trying to write a Scottish national anthem, to have it sung at the Commonwealth Games, anywhere that Scots actually achieved something, anywhere that someone from Scotland has won something or is standing on a rostrum.”
Loch Lomond
The final contender is the well-known song ‘Loch Lomond’, which was first published around 1841.The song has been recorded by many performers over the years. Both Runrig and Quadriga Consort performed Loch Lomond as their concert’s final song. While the original author is unknown, it is widely believed that he may have been a Scottish soldier who awaited death in enemy captivity. In his final letter home he wrote this song, portraying his home and how much he would miss it. Another tale is that during the 1745 Rebellion a soldier on his way back to Scotland during the 1745-6 retreat from England wrote this song. The ‘low road’ is a reference to the Celtic belief that if someone died away from his homeland then the fairies would provide a route of this name for his soul to return home.
Mark Dry, Scottish Hammer Champion and Scotland’s newest member of the plus 70m club, has this week declared his intention to win a medal at next year’s Commonwealth Games.
After a summer which saw him surpass the Delhi qualification mark of 66m fifteen times, Mark is now turning his attention to next year’s Games and his coach Chris Black’s 26 year-old Scottish record.
Speaking after picking up the in inaugural Clydesdale Bank Athlete of the Month award, Mark said about the Commonwealth Games: “It’s absolutely up for the win. I’m sitting third at the moment. There are a lot of guys behind me who could move up but the two guys who are ahead definitely aren’t out of reach. If things don’t change and I progress the way I want to there is no reason why winning is out of the question”.
The 21 year old, who moved from Elgin to Glasgow in 2007 in order to work with Scottish Hammer throwing record holder Chris Black, declared his appreciation for his new mentor: “Chris’s knowledge is the best in the world. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for him and his help. The amount of time and effort and research he has put in, video analysis and comparing me to the world’s best, is phenomenal”.
Dry said, with a nod toward his coach’s national standard: “it’s a target for next year. I respect the record but it’s been there far too long. It’s a shame that there’s been nobody between Chris and me who’s got the record and I want to be the man to change that”.
Mark will compete in his final competition of the season next weekend in Hull before returning to Glasgow for winter training.
In exactly one year’s time (3 October 2010) Team Scotland will march into the stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, with Inverurie swimmer Hannah Miley and Moray hammer thrower Mark Dry determined to be part of the action.
Both athletes were announced today as the first winners of the Clydesdale Bank Athlete of the Month Awards which will see them receive £500 each towards their training and competition costs in recognition of their outstanding achievements over the summer months.
The scheme is being run with Clydesdale Bank as part of their programme of support to Team Scotland and is open to athletes in any of the 17 participating sports who are eligible to represent Scotland at next year’s Games in Delhi. Athletes will be nominated by their respective sports and will have demonstrated outstanding performances during the build-up to the Games.
Hannah Miley made her Commonwealth Games debut in Melbourne in 2006 at just 16 years old, where she was inspired by the medal winning Scottish swimmers around her and finished an incredible 4th in her favoured 400m individual medley (IM) event.
Hannah has gone from strength to strength since then and is a regular on the British swimming scene, competing in multiple events. She had an excellent season in 2009 culminating in 6th in the 200m IM and 4th in the 400m IM at the World Championships in Rome, missing out on a medal by less than 0.5 seconds. She broke numerous Scottish, British and Commonwealth records along the way this year, with the highlight being breaking the European record for both the 200m and 400m IM which had been held for over eight years by Olympic double gold medallist Yana Klochkova of Ukraine. At 4:31.33 Hannah’s best 400m IM time is now 16.62 seconds faster than her final swim in Melbourne.
With Commonwealth Games qualification times already posted in no less than seven events, Hannah has her sights firmly set on coming of age in Delhi less than two months after what will be her 21st birthday.
“I am really pleased and honoured to be picked and it is nice that the hard work is recognised” said Hannah. “It would be great fun to be part of the team in Delhi. Melbourne was when I decided to make swimming my career and it will be great to compete again for Scotland.”
Mark Dry also had a fabulous season, exceeding the 66m Commonwealth Games qualification mark on 15 separate occasions. In August, Scottish Champion Mark became the first Scot in over 25 years to break the 70m barrier in the hammer, throwing 70.81m to put him second on the Scottish All-Time list behind his coach Chris Black. 21 year- old Mark is now top of the UK rankings for 2009 and is third in the Commonwealth.
“It’s come as a surprise to me; I’m chuffed to bits” said Mark. “It’s been a good season so far, I’ve had sixteen or seventeen throws over 66 metres. I’ve got a year to go to Delhi and there is still plenty of work to do.”
Whilst Mark needs to continue to demonstrate form and fitness through next season he is well placed to be selected for Delhi 2010.
Congratulating Hannah and Mark, Jon Doig Commonwealth Games Scotland CEO and Chef de Mission of Team Scotland for 2010 said: “With just a year to go until Team Scotland is in action in Delhi it is great to see so many of our athletes rising to challenge and meeting the selection standards set for the team. Congratulations to both Hannah and Mark on their numerous first class performances which make them worthy winners of the Clydesdale Bank Athlete of the Month Award for October.
“Many thanks also to Clydesdale Bank whose support for this scheme will ensure that athletes training and competing at this level will benefit from extra financial support to help them achieve their goals. This competition will be a great additional incentive to our athletes as they strive over the next ten months to book their place on the team.”
In London today, the official launch of the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi took place within the historic Forecourt at Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II heralded the start of the relay, by placing her ‘message to the athletes’ into the wonderful and uniquely Indian styled baton which then set off on its journey around the globe.
The Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi will traverse the length and breadth of Commonwealth for 240 days visiting all of the other 70 nations, before embarking upon a 100 day national tour of India. The relay will conclude in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi on 3October 2010. During the ceremony, the final Batonbearer will hand the baton back to Her Majesty, or her representative who will retrieve the message and read it aloud, officially opening the Games.
Mike Fennell, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation said “In the wake of recent global events, the relay extends an important message of hope and community to the broader Commonwealth family.”
Mr Suresh Kalmadi Chairman of the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi said, “The inclusion of every Commonwealth nation in the relay route provides Commonwealth Games Associations in each region with an exciting opportunity to participate and generate excitement for the Games at a local level.”
The Queen’s Baton 2010 Delhi will be arriving in Scotland for the eighth leg of its marathon journey. It will be in Glasgow on Sunday 29 November for a series of events and celebrations and on Monday 30 November it will be in Renfrewshire, Falkirk and Edinburgh.
Attending the event at Buckingham Palace and looking forward to the Baton’s arrival north of the Border, Commonwealth Games Scotland Chairman, Michael Cavanagh said: “Our preparations for Team Scotland participating in Delhi 2010 are well on track and the start of the Queens Baton relay brings it all a step closer still. We look forward to welcoming the Baton to Scotland where we have an exciting range of celebrations planned including a gathering of the Thistle Club with our member athletes and officials past and present.”
Following the General Assembly in Delhi last week, Commonwealth Games Scotland has received confirmation from the Commonwealth Games Federation that Great Britain and Northern Ireland representative, Andy Frost is eligible to compete for Scotland in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi based on his residency in Scotland. Andy is the third ranked hammer thrower in the UK for 2009 and one of only three athletes in the UK to have exceeded 70m this year.
27-year-old Frost, fourth in the 2006 Commonwealth Games hammer final in Melbourne for England, has a lifetime best of 72.62m, set in that competition. He won the Scottish Senior Championships hammer title on four consecutive occasions from 2005 through to 2008, and in 2009 represented GB&NI in the SPAR European Team Cup in Portugal.
Frost trains with 2009 Scottish champion and current UK number one Mark Dry under the tutelage of Chris Black, a former Scottish Commonwealth Games bronze medallist in the hammer and top ranked on the Scottish All-Time list (75.40m).
On being given the news, he said: “This is great news for me. I have resided and worked in Scotland since October 2005 and I consider Scotland to be my home country. I train in Scotland with my Scottish coach Chris Black and compete as often as possible in Scotland for my Scottish club. I’m proud to have won the hammer title at the Scottish Championships for four out of the past five years and look forward to competing at the Commonwealth Games in Dehli and in Glasgow 2014 wearing a Scottish vest.”
Hugh Murray, Scottish National Events Manager for Throws, added: “Andy has been a well kent and respected face around the Scottish throwing community for several years now. His wish to throw for Scotland is a measure of his commitment to a country where he lives, works, trains and competes. He is a valued and welcome addition to the Scottish Squad and I look forward to working with him, and his coach Chris, in the years to come.”
With 400 days to go until the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Clydesdale Bank as part of their programme to support Team Scotland, has today (4 September) announced the launch of its ‘Athlete of the Month’ programme.
The scheme, which is being run in conjunction with Commonwealth Games Scotland and the 17 participating sports’ governing bodies, is open to all athletes who are eligible to represent Scotland at next year’s Games in Delhi.
Launching the scheme today Steve Reid, Retail Director of Clydesdale Bank said “The commitment and dedication of athletes in the build up to the Games is inspiring. As proud sponsors of Team Scotland we want to do everything we can to give them encouragement and recognition as Delhi approaches; our Athlete of the Month programme is one way of doing this.”
With the first winner being announced on October 3, exactly one year before the Delhi Games gets underway, each monthly winner will receive an athlete award of £500 toward training and competition costs. Following Delhi one lucky athlete will be named ‘Athlete of the Games’ and will receive a £1,000 award which will be presented at the Commonwealth Games Awards Dinner in November 2010. Two runners-up will also receive awards of £500 each.
Athletes will be nominated by their respective sports and will have demonstrated outstanding performances during the build-up to the Games.
Welcoming the scheme, Jon Doig Commonwealth Games Scotland CEO and Chef de Mission of Team Scotland for 2010 said: “It is teriffic that Clydesdale Bank is supporting this scheme which will ensure that athletes training and competing at this level will benefit from extra financial support to help them achieve their goals. This competition will be a great additional incentive to our athletes as they strive over the next twelve months to book their place on the team.”
£23.5 million planned investment to ensure Scotland capitalises on the economic, social and cultural advantages of the 2014 Commonwealth Games was announced by the First Minister in Glasgow today.
At the launch of A games legacy for Scotland at The People’s Palace, First Minister Alex Salmond and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon outlined how the Scottish Government and its partners aim to deliver long lasting benefits from the Games.
The plan has been launched with £18 million sportscotland funding from a total £25.5 million it has earmarked for the legacy. This investment will support athletes, improve facilities, coaching, and together with key stakeholders, including Cosla, help to create a network of Community Sports Hubs across Scotland.
The legacy is also supported by £5.5 million planned investment from the Big Lottery Fund 2014 Communities Grants Programme which aims to build a legacy of wellbeing before and beyond the Games. This funding follows on from £1.3 million already allocated up to 2010.
The legacy plan aims to create a healthier Scotland through Active Nation, the Government’s new physical activity programme. With health as the unifying theme, the plan focuses on four key areas:
· An Active Scotland – to get Scotland more active with people from all backgrounds living long, healthy lives
· A Connected Scotland – promoting learning and culture and creating strong international links
· A Sustainable Scotland – encouraging greener lifestyles and supporting the regeneration of the east end of Glasgow
· A Flourishing Scotland – developing business, skills and employment, tourism and promoting a positive image of Scotland as a place to live, visit, work, learn, invest and do business
First Minister Alex Salmond said:
“The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games offer vast opportunities to put Scotland on the path to a healthier and more successful future.
“As well as having great ambitions for Scotland’s sporting stars at the 2014 Games, this Government has great aspirations for the event to be a catalyst for physical, economic and social regeneration.
“A games legacy for Scotland outlines an ambitious long term approach that aims to capitalise on this once in a generation opportunity to host a major international sporting event in the heart of Scotland.
“We will work to create new funding opportunities to support this ambitious programme and, with cross-party support, we will continue to make the case for the recovery of £150m Lottery funds diverted from Scotland to pay for the London Olympics.
“Meanwhile the investment of £23.5 million will help build a positive and long lasting legacy from 2014 with benefits to sport, health improvement, tourism, business development, regeneration and education for generations to come.”
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
“Our legacy plan aims to inspire everyone in Scotland to get involved and take advantage of this unique opportunity to become a healthier nation.
“At the heart of the plan is participation in physical activity. We can embrace our nation’s passion for sport by using the inspirational opportunity of the Commonwealth Games to build on this enthusiasm by encouraging people to make lasting lifestyle changes.
“We will build on our existing programmes to launch our Active Nation campaign and develop Community Sports Hubs to create an innovative range of opportunities to take part in physical activity. Working with our partners in sport, health and local government our priority is to get Scotland physically active with people from all backgrounds, living long and healthy lives.
sportscotland Chair Louise Martin CBE said:
“Over the next five years, sportscotland will focus on leading the development of the new Community Sports Hubs concept, to raise the profile of sport and physical activity in local communities, encouraging an increase in participation.
“We are also making significant progress working with Scottish governing bodies of sport to ensure that enhanced performance pathways are in place in Commonwealth Games sports, which will help to deliver success in Glasgow and beyond.”
Michael Cavanagh Chair Commonwealth Games Scotland said:
“The opportunity to deliver a legacy for Scottish sport was one of Commonwealth Games Scotland’s key objectives when we set out to bring the Games to Glasgow. We are delighted to see this document launched today which lays out our collective plans and we look forward to playing our part, as we all embark on the journey to 2014 and beyond.
“For CGS our priorities will be to deliver Scotland’s most successful team in 2014, as well as ensuring that improved high performance structures are funded and embedded within Scottish governing bodies of sport, to raise performance standards for the long-term.”
Also taking part in the launch were Commonwealth Games athletes of the past, present and future, Yvonne Murray-Mooney (athletics), David Carry (swimming) and Jennifer McIntosh (shooting).
Yvonne, David and Jennifer were joined by schools and community group members in Glasgow for the launch of the Games legacy blueprint
On 11 August, Judo Scotland and the sportscotland institute of sport launched its search for judo talent through Gold4Glasgow. This talent initiative was designed by the sportscotland institute of sport, to identify athletes to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2014. The judo talent search follows the successful Gold4Glasgow cycling event, which took place in May this year and identified 12 female cyclists with the potential of competing in the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
Judo Scotland and the institute are on the hunt for males and females across all weight categories, in particular focusing on females to compete in the lightweight (under 52kg) and the heavyweight category (over 79 kg); as well as males for the heavy weight category (over 100kg), however this is not exclusive and individuals of all weights are encouraged to attend.
The first Gold4Glasgow judo event will take place at Ratho, Edinburgh on Sunday 27 September. Following the application process, Scots aged between 17 and 25 will be invited to attend the testing event day where they will be put through rigorous skill acquisition and cardiovascular testing. Those who meet the requirements will then be asked back to a training weekend for further tests.
Graeme Randall, high performance judo manager at the sportscotland institute of sport and Commonwealth Games gold medal winner, said: “We would encourage anyone who thinks they have what it takes to be a successful judo player to apply, whether they are already playing a sport, for example rugby, gymnastics or a martial art expert already, or are a complete novice.
“We are looking for individuals who are driven, focused and are quick to learn. Our hope is that these candidates will add value to the current judo programme and work alongside some of the existing athletes. We feel Scotland has a great chance of picking up medals in judo in 2014 and are in the process of strengthening the judo team to ensure the athletes selected, coupled with our existing athletes, receive the best possible support over the coming years.”
Tony Stanger, talent manager at the sportscotland institute of sport added: “We are delighted to now be recruiting for judo in our Gold4Glasgow campaign, following on from the successful cycling event held earlier in the year. This is a really exciting time for us, unearthing young talent which we could potentially see competing on the World stage in five years time.”
Gold4Glasgow aims to fast-track entry and development of more Scottish athletes into existing Scottish programmes to achieve medal success in 2014, and, where possible, work with the UK World Class Talent Team to identify exceptionally talented individuals who may have the potential to join Olympic development programmes. Set up to complement existing talent pathways, the programme aims to use innovative methods to uncover potential competitors.
For more information about Gold4Glasgow, the application form and the event on 27 September, visit www.gold4glasgow.com