While Rugby 7’s has only been a Commonwealth Games sport since Kuala Lumpur 1998, Scotland has contributed massively to the growth of the format and has been a key component in the World Sevens Series since its inception in 1999. To round off our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport:

1. The game of Rugby 7s was originally conceived in Melrose in the Scottish Borders in 1883 by two butchers, Ned Haig and David Sanderson. Melrose, a fine historic rugby club was experiencing serious financial difficulties and proposed a sports gala to raise funds. Worried about the financial outlay of a 15-a-side Tournament, Haig and Sanderson proposed the format of halving the teams and shortening the length of playing time. The tournament proved to be a great success, and little did they know how popular their creation would prove to be.

2. Rugby 7s made its Commonwealth Games debut at Kuala Lumpur 1998 with a men’s tournament, but it wasn’t until 20 years later that Women’s 7s was first introduced at Gold Coast 2018.

3. The New Zealand men’s team have claimed five of six Commonwealth Games gold medals available since 1998, their only blemish being at Glasgow 2014 when they were defeated 17 – 12 in the final by South Africa. New Zealand’s Women’s 7s team continued the nation’s trend of dominance by winning the inaugural tournament at Gold Coast 2018, defeating Australia 17 – 12.

4. Rugby 7s was adopted into the Olympic Games programme for the first time at Rio 2016, Rugby’s first inclusion in the Games since Rugby Union was dropped from the programme after 1924. Fiji won the men’s competition, demolishing Team GB 43 – 7 to win their first ever Olympic Medal. The women’s competition was won by Australia who beat New Zealand 24 – 17 in the final.

5. The first Rugby World Cup 7s was held in Scotland in 1993 when England were victorious. A women’s tournament was added in 2009. The winners of the men’s tournament are awarded the Melrose Cup, in honour of the town where the first Rugby 7s game was played.

6. In Rugby 7s the ball is in play for 53% of the time according to statistics produced by World Rugby, the highest percentage of any form of Rugby Union. That’s equivalent to 7 minutes and 24 seconds per standard 14-minute match.

7. England Back-rower Lawrence Dallaglio is the only player to have played in World Cup finals in both formats of Rugby Union. He was a key member of the England 7s side who defeated Australia 21- 17 to win the first ever World Cup 7s Title in Edinburgh. He was also an important player when England’s test team defeated the same opponents 20 – 17 in the 2003 World Cup Final in Sydney.

8. Traditionally, 15-a-side rugby benefits from the cream of the crop and the biggest stars. However, legends and rising stars of the game alike have used 7s as an experience to progress and expand their careers. Jonah Lomu, Stuart Hogg, David Campese, Sonny Bill Williams, Shane Williams, Chester Williams and Cheslin Kolbe, to name just a few, are superstars to have played both formats.

9. The sport has typically been dominated by Southern hemisphere teams at the Commonwealth Games with 18 of the 21 medals available being won by four southern-hemisphere nations: New Zealand (7), Fiji (4), Australia (4), and South Africa (3). England are the only non-Southern hemisphere nation to ever claim a Commonwealth medal with their notable haul of three.

10. New Zealand, Australia, England, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Wales and Sri Lanka are the only nations to participate in Rugby 7s in every Commonwealth Games.

11. Scotland’s most capped 7s player is Scott Riddell with an astonishing 333 caps. Scotland’s top scorer in World 7s Series history is former stalwart and captain Colin Gregor with 1345 points.

12. Scotland men’s best ever finish at the Commonwealth Games was 6th place at both Delhi 2010 and Gold Coast 2018. Scotland’s women are yet to make an appearance at the Games but will hope to make their debut at Birmingham 2022.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first Commonwealth Youth Games, held in Edinburgh in 2000, Team Scotland has announced a special reunion event bringing together past team members from all six Youth Games to date.

First held as part of Scotland’s Millennium celebrations, athletes from 14 countries competed in Edinburgh in 2000 and the event quickly proved to be a great success. The Youth Games now attracts entries from all 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth and has been the ideal introduction to multi-sport Games for a host of international stars.

All athletes and staff who represented Team Scotland at Edinburgh 2000, Bendigo 2004, Pune 2008, Isle of Man 2011, Samoa 2015 or Bahamas 2017 is invited to join us, take a trip down memory lane and catch up with friends. Commonwealth Games Scotland Archives will host a display of memorabilia and photographs from all six Youth Games to spark memories and get the conversation flowing.

Come and join in the celebrations on Saturday May 16^th at Oriam on Heriot Watt University’s campus in Edinburgh, the site of the first Commonwealth Youth Games Athletes’ Village.

For more information and to register interest, please contact Keli at keli.dick@teamscotland.scot or call the Team Scotland office on 01786 466 480.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Sport Programme for Trinbago 2021 has now been confirmed with eight sports set to feature at the Commonwealth Youth Games next year.

The seventh edition of the competition, which began in Scotland in 2000, will take place in Trinidad & Tobago from 1-7 August 2021.

The eight sports that will feature at the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games are:

• Aquatics (Swimming) – male and female
• Athletics – male and female
• Beach Volleyball – male and female
• Boxing – male and female
• Cycling (Road Race, Time Trial and Track) – male and female
• Fast5 Netball – female
• Rugby Sevens – male and female
• Tennis – male and female

Athletics and Swimming must be included at each Youth Games with the host nation choosing a number of other sports to complete the programme. Netball makes its Commonwealth Youth Games debut in a Fast5 format, while Beach Volleyball returns after a successful first outing at Bahamas 2017. Boxing, a Youth Games fixture since Bendigo 2004, is once again included as are Rugby 7s and Tennis, which both make their fifth Youth Games appearance. Following Road Cycling events in 2011 and 2017, Track events are also included for the first time since 2004.

The Sport Programme for Trinbago 2021 was confirmed at a meeting of the CGF Sports Committee in London and Team Scotland will work closely with the relevant governing bodies as preparations build towards the Games.

CGF President Dame Louise Martin said: “I am delighted that the Sports Programme for Trinbago 2021 has now been confirmed and that we have a truly competitive event for the young athletes of the Commonwealth. I would like to thank the Trinbago 2021 team and the CGF Sports Committee for their commitment to delivering a top-quality multi-sport event.

“The inspirational approach that Trinidad and Tobago have taken in their planning for the Commonwealth Youth Games is to be commended and we hope this continues as we enter the crucial planning stage for the event. Through hard work and commitment, Trinidad and Tobago have the potential to deliver a spectacular competition that will showcase the very best of the Caribbean.”

The first ever Commonwealth Youth Games was held in Edinburgh in 2000 with the event subsequently going to Australia, India, Isle of Man, Samoa and most recently the Bahamas in 2017.

Since its inception in 2000, the Youth Games has proved to be a fantastic development opportunity, with athletes such as Jen McIntosh, Josh Taylor, Charlie Flynn, Lynsey Sharp and Hannah Miley just some of those who have participated before going on to make their mark in the Commonwealth Games and on the world stage.

Our Sport Focus on Rugby 7s continues as Scotland’s men head to Los Angeles and Vancouver for the next two events in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

A 13-man Scotland squad has been named for both tournaments, led by leading points scorer and captain Robbie Fergusson, with Kyle Rowe returning to the team having missed the past two events with a shoulder injury. He is joined by Jamie Farndale who replaces Dougie Fife.

This weekend (29 Feb – 1 Mar) the series heads to Dignity Health Sports Park on the outskirts of Los Angeles, home to Major League Soccer team LA Galaxy and NFL side LA Chargers. It is the first time for the series at this venue with the USA leg having previously been held in Las Vegas.

Sitting in 12^th place overall in the series standings, Scotland face a tough draw in Pool C against USA, Australia and Samoa. They face Australia and USA on Saturday before their final Pool game against Samoa on Sunday. The hosts will be looking to win their third straight title on home soil after victories in the finals at both the 2018 and 2019 events in Las Vegas, while Australia were bronze medallists in Hamilton, NZ in January.

From Los Angeles the series moves to Vancouver from 7-8 March with the draw for this event yet to be completed.

Scotland Head Coach Ciaran Beattie said: “We are delighted to get back into live action and the events are structured in a way that excites us.

“It was extremely difficult to name a final squad for these tournaments which is testament to how well the boys have trained since Sydney.

“We know USA and Australia well from recent encounters and will have to be at our best to compete with those sides, as well as a very good Samoan squad.”

Scotland 7s squad to compete in the Los Angeles and Vancouver legs of the 2019/20 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series:

1. Paddy Kelly
2. Ally Miller
3. Alec Coombes
4. Robbie Fergusson (Captain)
5. Harvey Elms
6. Kyle Rowe
7. Jamie Farndale
8. Nyle Godsmark
9. Sam Pecqueur
10.  Gavin Lowe
11. Max McFarland
12. Ross McCann
13. Tom Brown

In recognition of steps taken to support staff wellbeing, Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) has recently been awarded Paths for All’s ‘Walk at Work Award’ as well as being accredited as a ‘Cycle Friendly Employer’ by Cycling Scotland.

Recent findings from UK workplaces reveal that half of all employees experience poor mental health at work, including stress, anxiety and depression. Studies have also shown that those who regularly cycle to work typically take fewer sick days than less active commuters, while regular walking can reduce the effects of poor mental health, particularly walking in greenspace.

As part of the ‘Walk at Work Award’, which recognises workplaces in Scotland creating healthy and active workforces, CGS staff have been encouraged to move more throughout the working day with the introduction of standing desks, a lunchtime walking club and a ‘Walk to Birmingham 2022’ Step Count Challenge which challenged staff to walk the equivalent distance of a return journey from the CGS office at the University of Stirling to Birmingham, the site of the next Commonwealth Games.

The introduction of a bicycle mileage allowance for business journeys, provision of equipment storage and drying space and access to a pool bike for on-campus, local and lunchtime travel were among the steps taken towards ‘Cycling Friendly Employer‘ status.

Scotland’s walking charity Paths for All set up their ‘Walk at Work’ award to help tackle poor health in the workplace and reverse the trend of inactive workplaces where staff sit for up to 9 hours a day. The nationally recognised ‘Cycling Friendly Employer’ programme provides an award scheme and funding to help organisations make it easier for their staff to cycle and enjoy the benefits of active travel. Both charities provided Commonwealth Games Scotland with one to one support to set up activities to get their workforce more active.

By promoting walking and cycling as easy ways to get to and from work and meetings, CGS are also reducing their carbon footprint and helping to reduce congestion and emissions.

Ian Findlay, Paths for All’s Chief Officer, urges all Scottish workplaces to take their employee’s health seriously.

“Congratulations to Commonwealth Games Scotland for achieving our Walk at Work Award. It’s brilliant to see Scottish workplaces take the lead in creating a work-based walking culture and making improvements to staff health and wellbeing.”

“Research shows that employees who are physically active in and around the working day take fewer sick days, are more motivated and productive, and are more able to concentrate, so walking is not just good for us, it’s good for business.

“I would urge any Scottish workplace to follow Commonwealth Games Scotland’s lead and use Paths for All’s support to take small steps to a healthier workforce.”

Taking part is free and open to any Scottish workplace that wants to promote an active workforce. Find out more at www.walkatwork.scot and www.cycling.scot

As part of our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ theme, each month, Team Scotland is putting one or two sports in the Sport Focus spotlight, which will feature all 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Look out for all things Rugby Sevens on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this month and join us as we delve into the archives to uncover tales of past success and look ahead to the rising stars of Scottish sport.

Rugby Sevens on the Global Stage

Rugby Sevens is a variant of Rugby Union in which only seven players per team, rather than the standard 15, are on the pitch an any given time. The fundamentals of Rugby – such as running, passing and tough tackling – are still central components in Rugby Sevens. However, due to the pitch size being the same as a standard Rugby Union pitch, competitors are tasked with covering a lot of ground. Due to this, Rugby Sevens players need to be extremely mobile, full of pace and power, and have plenty of skill and stamina to meet the demands of the game.

The popularity of Rugby Sevens has grown enormously over time, as demonstrated by the impressive growth of the International Rugby Board (IRB) Rugby Sevens Worlds Series, an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby in 10 countries across the globe, as well as the game’s inclusion in both the Commonwealth Games from 1998 and more recently at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016. That Olympic debut in Rio saw Team GB so nearly top the podium before losing the gold medal match to Fiji. Team GB still secured a silver medal however, with Scotsmen Mark Bennett and Mark Robertson, both part of Team Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, playing a pivotal part.

Rugby Sevens at the Commonwealth Games

Rugby Sevens made its Commonwealth Games debut at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur as a core sport and has been a fixture at every Games since. The sport has typically been dominated by Southern hemisphere teams with 18 of the 21 medals available being won by four southern nations: New Zealand (7), Fiji (4), Australia (4), and South Africa (3). England are the only non-Southern hemisphere nation to ever claim a Commonwealth Games medal with their notable haul of three. The Gold Coast 2018 Games were the first to feature a Women’s Sevens tournament with Birmingham 2022 set to follow suit.

Scotland’s men made their Games debut at Manchester 2002 where they finished in 7th position after beating Tonga 40 – 26 in the Bowl Final. This great debut performance by Scotland has only been matched once in 2014 – when roared on by the boisterous, ferocious support of the home crowd in Glasgow – and only bettered twice in Delhi 2010 and most recently at Gold Coast 2018. Scotland’s Women’s Sevens have yet to make an appearance at the Games and, after missing out on the 2018 event, will hope make their debut in Birmingham in 2022.

Scotland’s highest capped players at the Commonwealth Games are winger Lee Jones and prop Scott Riddell (Riddell is also the most capped Scottish player in Rugby 7s history). They are the only Scottish players to represent their nation at three different Games: Delhi 2010, Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018. Only a select few players have played for Scotland in both formats of Rugby Union (7s and Test) including Sean Lamont who appeared at Manchester 2002 and Glasgow 2014 as well as being the second most capped Scot in International Rugby Union history with 105 caps. Test Captain Stuart Hogg also played for the national 7s team when he played at Glasgow 2014 when he was just 22 years old.

The Road to Birmingham 2022

With just over two years until the 2022 Games get underway, Rugby fans around the world have two World Series campaigns and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo to look forward to before the action begins in Birmingham. One player to keep an eye on in the build up is Femi Sofolarin, a US-born, former Scotland youth international who represented Team GB in the qualifying for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. A winger by trade, with all the pace and power demanded by that position, he has been touted as one to watch and one of the future stars of Scottish Rugby. Having played for both England and Scotland in previous IRB World Sevens Series he has now pledged his allegiance to Scotland.

The fortunes of the Women’s 7s side have been on the rise, promoted into the top flight of Rugby Europe Grand Prix Series after winning the Trophy division in 2017. They have more than held their own in the top division with 4th place in 2018 and 5th in 2019. They also narrowly missed out on promotion into the World Series in 2019 and were granted a wildcard invite to the final World Series event of the 2019 season in Biarritz, France where they finished 11th. Six Scotland players have also been selected to be part of the extended GB 7s squad who will compete for a place in the final squad for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Megan Gaffney, Rhona Lloyd, Helen Nelson, Chloe Rollie, Hannah Smith and Lisa Thomson are named as part of the 24-strong squad which will be narrowed to 13 players just ahead of the Olympic Games in July.

Find out more about Rugby Sevens at the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Rugby 7s page.

Youth Games Success

Rugby Sevens has been included in the Commonwealth Youth Games on four occasions: 2004, 2011, 2015 and 2017 with a women’s tournament introduced for the first time in 2015. With participation by invitation from the Commonwealth Games Federation, Scotland fielded a men’s team in 2004 and 2011 and have yet to field a women’s team. Scotland’s best finish was at the 2011 Youth Games in the Isle of Man where they narrowly missed out on a medal by finishing in 4th place. Following defeat to eventual gold medal winners England in the quarter-finals, Scotland faced Australia in the bronze medal match where, in an agonisingly close game, Australia came out on top 15-12. Captain of that Youth Games team, Jamie Farndale, went on to represent Scotland at Gold Coast 2018 along with 2011 team mate Robbie Fergusson.

Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is the only occasion where Scotland gets to compete in a multi-sport event as a nation in its own right and is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since their inception in Hamilton in 1930. Represented by 15 athletes participating in six sports at those first Games, and winning a very creditable 10 medals, Scotland have gone on to win medals at every Games since.

Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986 and also became the first city to host the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland hosted the Games for a third time when Glasgow welcomed athletes and officials to the XXth Commonwealth Games from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. That year, team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals. The team then went on to record their highest ever overseas medal tally at Gold Coast in 2018.

In the 70 years since Weightlifting was first added to the Commonwealth Games programme, Scottish athletes have been regular visitors to the podium. As our Sport Focus comes to a close, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport and its history at the Games:

1. Weightlifting was first introduced to the Commonwealth Games at the Auckland 1950 Games and has featured ever since. In 2006, Weightlifting became a core sport, meaning it is one of a number of sports that must be included at each Games.

2. Para-Sport Powerlifting made its Commonwealth Games debut at the 2002 Games in Manchester. This was also the year that Weightlifting events for women were first included.

3. Early Olympic competition had ‘one handed’ and ‘two handed’ lift categories. The one handed events were dropped in 1928.

4. Scotland has won a total of 16 medals to date in Weightlifting across all Commonwealth Games; two gold, five silver and nine bronze.

5. Scotland’s most successful weightlifter is Philip Caira, who won gold at both the Cardiff 1958 Games, and Perth 1962 Games. He became the first weightlifter from any nation to successfully defend a Commonwealth Games title and remains Scotland’s only gold medallist in the sport.

6. The number of lifts was originally three (the Press, the Snatch, and the Clean and Jerk), before being reduced to two (the Snatch, and the Clean and Jerk) in 1974. Each competitor is allowed a maximum of three attempts at each of the different lifts; if they fail to register a valid lift in one of the categories, they are eliminated. In Para-Powerlifting, only one lift, the Bench Press, is contested and each athlete has three attempts to life the largest weight possible.

7. The gold medal is awarded to the athlete who lifts the heaviest weight. However, if two athletes lift the same weight successfully, then the winner will be the athlete with the lighter body weight.

8. At the Kuala Lumpur 1998 Games, twin brothers Stuart and Tommy Yule found themselves on opposing teams due to a quirk of residency rules. Stuart competed for Scotland while Tommy competed for England. They were finally reunited in wearing Scotland colours at Manchester 2002, with Tommy winning bronze in the Snatch. Tommy went on to also win bronze in 2006. Their father represented Scotland in Weightlifting at the 1974 Games and their mother in the Shot Putt at Edinburgh 1970. Stuart is now Head Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Scotland National Rugby Team while Tommy is Director of Performance Support at British Athletics.

9. Micky Yule became the first Scottish athlete to compete in Para-Sport Powerlifting at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, where he finished 4^th. He returned for Gold Coast 2018, just missing out on a medal again, coming 4^th for his second consecutive Games.

10. Between 1990 and 2002, separate medals were awarded for the Snatch, the Clean and Jerk, and for the combined total. However this was stopped in 2006, and since then, medals have only been awarded for combined total.

11. Peter Kirkbride has won medals in weightlifting at both the Commonwealth Youth Games and the Commonwealth Games. He won gold at the 2004 Youth Games in Bendigo, before just missing out on gold by a single kilogram at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

12. Until the 1966 Games in Kingston, Jamaica the weights lifted were measured in pounds rather than kilos.

Weightlifting has a proud history at the Commonwealth Games, on the programme since 1950 it was made a core sport in 2006, meaning that it must now be included at every Games. From its first inclusion when Scotland sent just one weightlifter to Auckland 1950, the first gold medal eight years later and Scotland’s most recent medallist Peter Kirkbride at Delhi 2010 here are just some of the Scottish highlights in 70 years of Commonwealth Games Weightlifting.

Perth 1962 – Golden Double for Caira

Scotland sent only two weightlifter to the Perth 1962 Commonwealth Games but both returned with a medal. Phil Caira had won Scotland’s first Weightlifting medal and first gold at Cardiff 1958 and had subsequently retired due to a knee injury. Four years later he was back out of retirement to defend his title and he did so in style, winning by 4.5kg and becoming the first weightlifter ever to defend a Commonwealth Games title. Following his double triumph, he was Team Scotland’s flag bearer at the 1966 Games in Kingston, Jamaica. He won Scottish and British senior titles while still a pupil at Kirkcaldy High School, earning him the nickname ‘Scotland’s Wonder Boy’. His 5th place at the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games remains the best ever weightlifting result by a Scottish athlete to date.

There was also Lightweight bronze for Jimmy Moir who lifted the same weight as silver medallist Alan Oshyer of Australia with the Australian awarded silver due to his lighter body weight. Moir finished 7th at both Cardiff 1958 and Kingston 1966. He emigrated from Scotland to Canada and competed for the Canadian National team, winning silver at the World Powerlifting Championships in 1977.

Edmonton 1978 – Revolta Leads Best Result for 16 Years

Edmonton 1978 saw Charles Revolta win Flyweight silver at his third Commonwealth Games. Revolta’s impressive career saw him finish in the top six at each of his five Commonwealth Games, including a second silver in 1986. He also won 15 Scottish and eight British titles. His 1978 triumph was a third successive medal for Scotland at this weight category following bronze for John McNiven in both 1970 and 1974. Unfortunately McNiven himself couldn’t add to his medal tally, finishing with no total. In the Super Heavyweight category there was bronze for John Hynd who had finished fifth at Heavyweight at Edinburgh 1970. With one silver and one bronze this was Scotland’s best medal performance since 1962.

It was not just the medallists that impressed in Edmonton however. There were fourth place finishes for both John Craig at Featherweight and Robert Kennedy at Lightweight while John Rush was sixth in the Middleweight event.

Delhi 2010 – Kirkbride Comes Good on Youthful Promise

Scotland’s most recent weightlifting medal came as Peter Kirkbride took silver at Delhi 2010. He had shown his talent from a young age, winning gold for Team Scotland at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo, Australia and now stepped up to senior level in style. Fourteen men contested the 94kg category and Kilmarnock’s Kirkbride who jumped for joy when he was awarded the silver medal, breaking two records on the way.

Lying second going into the Clean & Jerk discipline, he went for 189kg in his final attempt and made it look easy as he took the lead. But when gold looked all but his, Faavae Faauliuli of Samoa, in the last lift of the competition, successfully lifted 192kg to grab the gold by a single kilogram. Elsewhere there was a sixth place for 2002 and 2006 bronze medallist Tommy Yule in the 105kg event, finishing 5kg out of the medals, while Graeme Kane was 9th in the 77kg category. Kirkbride went on to finish 9th at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Click to see Team Scotland’s full Weightlifting medal record at the Commonwealth Games.

The Team Scotland Youth Trust (TSYT), a proud partner of Team Scotland for 30 years, is seeking two enthusiastic, dedicated and independent people to join their Board as non-executive Directors.

The successful applicants will help the Team Scotland Youth Trust, a registered Scottish charity, to continue to support the next generation of young talented Scottish athletes, coaches and team managers. Support from TSYT helps them to achieve their sporting goals at a National or International level, as well as develop as individuals, through a range of educational programmes, awards and scholarships.

Over its 30 year history TSYT has supported many potential Team Scotland athletes, helping them to improve their performances, optimise their sporting abilities and strive for selection and medal success.

Past beneficiaries of Team Scotland Youth Trust support have gone on to compete with distinction for Team Scotland at Commonwealth Games and for Team GB at Olympic Games, including Kirsty Gilmour (Badminton), Jennifer McIntosh (Shooting), Robbie Renwick (Swimming) and Eilidh Doyle (Athletics).

These two voluntary posts will be for a four year period, April 2020- March 2024 with applications closing at noon on Friday 13 March 2020.

Please download the role description here and contact: TSYouthTrust@TeamScotland.scot or call 01786 466480 for more information.

Despite being on the Commonwealth Games programme only twice to date, Basketball has come closest of any team sport to winning a medal for Team Scotland with 4th place at Gold Coast 2018. As our Sport Focus comes to a close, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport and its history at the Games:

1. Basketball is one of several optional sports at the Commonwealth Games. This means the host country can choose to add it to the programme if they wish.

2. Gold Coast 2018 is only the second time that basketball has featured at the Commonwealth Games. At these games, Gareth Murray became the first athlete to represent Team Scotland in basketball at two Commonwealth Games.

3. Wheelchair basketball was first played in the USA when basketball players injured during World War II adapted the game in order to continue their enjoyment and be able to participate in a team sport.

4. At Gold Coast 2018, Callan Low became the youngest basketball player ever to take to the court for Team Scotland at a Commonwealth Games at the age of 17.

5. Basketball was not originally played using the basketball we know today. The game used a football until 1929.

6. Former Scotland captain and Team GB Olympian, Kieron Achara, has a passion for playing Lawn Bowls and, had his dream of becoming a basketball player failed, he would have pursued bowls further.

7. Basketball has Scottish roots! In 1891, Dr James Naismith created the sport. Naismith was the son of Scottish parents and first created the game in Springfield, Massachusetts.

8. The 24 second shot clock was created by Danny Biasone in 1954. It was created as a way to stop the winning team from holding the ball for minutes at a time, aiming to stop the other team scoring so that they could keep their lead , resulting in fans getting bored of the slow paced game. Both Leo Ferris and Biasone experimented with a 24-second shot clock during a scrimmage one day to try and tackle the issue, and to speed up the game – it worked!

9. Team Scotland finished 6^th in Men’s Basketball at Melbourne 2006, and narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Games where they finished 4^th. This was the best Scottish result for any team sport at the Commonwealth Games.

10. Robert Archibald was Scotland’s first and only player so far to ever play for the NBA. He started out at local club Dunfermline Reign, before becoming the third pick in the second round 2002 NBA Draft. He went on to play a total of 44 games over two years with the Memphis Grizzles, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors. He also represented Great Britain 46 times, including at the 2012 Olympics in London.

11. At Melbourne 2006, the medal winning nations were identical in both the men’s and women’s competition – with hosts Australia taking gold, New Zealand silver and England with bronze.

12. Basketball will feature a new format at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, with 3v3 and Wheelchair 3v3 making its Commonwealth Games debut.