One of the six sports contested at the very first Commonwealth Games back in 1930, Wrestling has been  a medal winning sport for Scotland throughout its history. In the first month of the new year, Wrestling will be in our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus spotlight, as we continue to feature each of the 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Look out for all things Wrestling on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this month as we delve into the archives for tales of past success and also look ahead to the rising stars of the sport in Scotland.

Wrestling at the Commonwealth Games

Wrestling was one of six sports included in the first Commonwealth Games in 1930 and has been on the sport programme at 18 of the 21 Games held to date despite remaining an optional sport. From just three nations competing in 1930, the sport has become a staple of the Games with 23 nations taking to the mat at Gold Coast 2018.

Freestyle Wrestling has been the only discipline contested at all Games, with the exception of Delhi 2010 which added a Greco-Roman event alongside Freestyle. Women’s events were first introduced in 2010 with Team Scotland selecting a full complement of seven female wrestlers.

Scotland has found success in the sport throughout its history winning 21 medals: 1 gold, 5 silver and 15 bronze.

Find out more about Wrestling in the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Wrestling page.

Scotland’s Commonwealth Games Medallists

With Scotland not among the three nations to contest the Wrestling medals in 1930, it was the following Games in 1934 that saw Scottish wrestlers make their debut in fine style. Edward Melrose won gold in the Bantamweight event and remains Scotland’s only Wrestling gold medallist to date. His team mates Archibald Dudgeon, Robert Harcus and Murdoch White all took bronze in what is still Scotland’s highest medal tally in the sport at a single Games.

Bronze for Thomas Ward was the sole medal at the next Games in Sydney where a very small team was sent to Australia and following no medals at either the 1950 or 1954 Games, silver for Alastair Duncan and George Farquhar at Cardiff 1958 marked the start of a winning streak for Scotland’s wrestlers. Beginning in 1958, Scotland won at least one medal at each of the next nine Games where the sport was included (no Wrestling competition was held in 1990 or 1998). The most successful Games during this time was a three medal tally at home at Edinburgh 1986 as Albert Patrick took silver and David Connelly and Graeme English bronze. Patrick’s silver secured his place as Scotland’s most decorated Commonwealth Games wrestler, adding to his previous silver at Edmonton 1978 and bronze at Brisbane 1982.

Graeme English added his second medal at Victoria 1994, with Calum McNeil also on the podium for Scotland, and these remained the final wrestling medals for Scotland for 20 years before Viorel Etko and Alex Gladkov delighted the home crowd at Glasgow 2014, breaking the drought with bronze medals in the Men’s 61kg and 65kg events respectively.

Team Scotland Wrestling Medallists

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, 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 which was held from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. Team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals and went on to record their highest overseas medal tally ever at Gold Coast 2018.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.

Team Scotland have been regular visitors to the medal podium in Cycling in recent years, winning medals at each of the last five Games. Since Sir Chris Hoy took Scotland’s first Cycling gold at the Manchester 2002 Games in the 1km Time Trial, Scottish cyclists have also stood on the top step of the podium at Melbourne 2006, Delhi 2010, Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018. As our Sport Focus on Cycling coming to an end, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport’s history at the Commonwealth Games:

1. Cycling has been included at all but the first Games. It made its debut in 1934 and has appeared at every Games since despite being an optional sport.

2. Scotland has won 28 Cycling medals at the Commonwealth Games; nine gold, ten silver and nine bronze, and were 3rd on the Cycling medal table at Gold Coast 2018, winning four gold, four silver and two bronze.

3. Scotland’s first cycling medal came at the Edinburgh 1970 Games when Brian Temple took silver in the 10 mile Scratch Race.

4. Neil Fachie is Scotland’s most decorated Commonwealth Games cyclist with four gold medals, taking the title from Tandem partner Craig MacLean who won three gold and one bronze. Fachie and MacLean sped to two gold medals in the Para-Sport B Tandem events at Glasgow 2014 and Neil successfully defended both tiltes with Matt Rotherham at Gold Coast 2018.

5. Para-Cycling events were included on the Commonwealth Games programme for the first time at Glasgow 2014 and Scotland won a medal in each of the four events on the programme.

6. Women’s Cycling events were first included at the Auckland 1990 Games, with the events contested a Sprint and Individual Pursuit on the track, plus a Road Race. Kate Cullen became Team Scotland’s first female cycling medallist at the Melbourne 2006 Games with bronze in the 25km Points Race.

7. The only Cycling event to have been on the programme at every Commonwealth Games is the Men’s 1km Time Trial. The Men’s Road Race wasn’t held in 1934 but has been held at every Games since.

8. Mountain Bike events were first introduced to the programme at Manchester 2002 and have been included at every Games since, with the exception of Delhi 2010.

9. Australia has been the top nation in Cycling on 15 of the 20 occasions the sport has been included in the Commonwealth Games.

10. All three cycling disciplines; Track, Road and Mountain Bike are included on the Birmingham 2022 programme.

11. Track Cycling events at the Birmingham 2022 Games will be held at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London, venue for the London 2012 Olympic Games. It has capacity for 6,000 spectators.

12. The Birmingham 2022 Road Cycling events will take in a route through the West Midlands while Cannock Chase Mountain Bike Trails will be the venue for the Mountain Bike competition.

Cycling has been included in the Commonwealth Youth Games on three occasions, making its debut at Bendigo 2004 before being included at Isle of Man 2011 and Bahamas 2017. As part of our Sport Focus on Cycling we catch up with three former Commonwealth Youth Games cyclists on their experience competing for Team Scotland and what they are doing now…

Kevin Barclay – Bendigo 2004

At Bendigo 2004, the only Youth Games to date to feature Track, Road and Mountain Bike events, Scotland was represented by four athletes: Kevin Barclay, Shane Charlton, Stuart McManus and Catherine Niblock, with Scotland’s best result at these Games coming from Shane Charlton with 7th place in the 1km Time Trial. One of the youngest in the team at 16, Kevin Barclay took a top 10 finish in the Points race and 19^th in the Scratch 10km. He looks back on his Youth Games experience and how it has helped him as a rider and as a coach:

“It was very early in my cycling career that I was selected for the Youth Games, so this was my first time racing abroad and my first time representing Scotland. It was a steep learning curve with all the help and information I gained from the support staff, but it was a major achievement to me that I was selected and I was proud to be representing my country.

“Bendigo is hot in December! Going from training in 4-5 degrees in Scotland to 40 degrees in Australia was a challenge. The people in Bendigo itself were so interested in the racing and keen to watch every event they could and it really added to the atmosphere of the Youth Games and made the experience slightly surreal! The Velodrome itself was a D shape and not an oval like every other velodrome I had raced on previously. The racing was different to what I was used to at that time and I would have been one of the youngest riders in the cycling events. I remember the speed being relentless in each race.

“It was my first multi-sport competition and it was interesting to see how other sports approach things differently. I think this is something that has stayed with me, both as a rider and now as a coach, that sometimes finding new ways to improve in your discipline, you may need to look outside your own sport.

“I’m still cycling and competing, but my main focusing now is in the coaching side of the sport. It’s an area I’m really enjoying as I can pass on my experience to others and help them to improve. My riders also keep me on my toes!”

Grant Ferguson – Isle of Man 2011

Road Cycling was back on the programme for the Isle of Man 2011 Games and Scotland’s four cyclists (Jack Barrett, Grant Ferguson, Taylor Johnstone and Stuart McCluskey) performed well amid a host of World and European champions. Grant Ferguson in particular pushed the medal winners close coming 11th in the Time Trial, sixth in the Road Race and fifth in the Criterium. He went on the represent Team Scotland at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He says his Youth Games experience was great preparation for those multi-sport events:

“I was in the early stages of my career when I was selected for the Youth Games. I was in the junior category and still at school so it was a busy time with lots of different races on each weekend, but I remember being very excited to be selected to represent Scotland. It was my first multi-sport Games and I had always wanted to represent Scotland at a big competition so I couldn’t wait.

“I remember getting to meet a wide range of athletes and making friends from all the different sports. The competition was hard but it went well and we got to watch some of the other sports after the cycling events which was fun.

“I learnt about how to operate at a multi-sport competition which is a different environment and atmosphere to a cycling specific event. I think it prepared me very well for Glasgow, Rio and Gold Coast and it gave me the opportunity to learn and develop my career. I also got to meet all the Team Scotland staff during Isle of Man which was lovely and their help and knowledge during all my Games since has been perfect. It was nice to meet athletes in the Isle of Man that I got to meet again at future Games and see their careers progressing at the highest level.

“My proudest achievements in cycling are representing Scotland at three Commonwealth Games events and Team GB at the Rio Olympics. For the coming year my goals revolve around the World Cup Series and World Championships in Germany. I’d like to get back into the top 20 of Elite and hopefully go even better. The Birmingham 2022 Games will definitely also be in my plans, it’s a venue that we have competed on regularly over the past few years and it’s an exciting goal to have.”

Rhona Callander – Bahamas 2017

Team Scotland’s first Youth Games Cycling medals came at the most recent edition of the Games, Bahamas 2017, where Team Scotland was represented by Dylan Hughes, Stephen Dent and Rhona Callander. Dylan made history as Scotland’s first ever Youth Games Cycling medallist with silver in the Time Trial, swiftly followed by Rhona taking the sport’s first gold with victory in the Road Race on the final day of the Games. Rhona takes us on a short trip down memory lane to her historic win two years ago:

“When I was selected for the Commonwealth Youth Games I was on the GB Junior Team but I was so excited to be selected because I’d never raced for Scotland on an international stage before. It’s always such a privilege to wear the jersey. And of course I thought going to the Bahamas was pretty cool!

“Aside from the cycling some of my best memories are playing pool in the hotel with my teammates and other people from other nations and sports. And the yoga in the sea was something else as well! I had no idea I was Scotland’s first cycling gold medallist at the Commonwealth Youth Games at the time. It was an amazing feeling when I crossed the line though!

“I learnt so much from the trip. It was my first international multi-sport Games and it can be pretty easy to be swept away with all the hype going on. So when I was at the European Games this year I was able to focus on my performance.

“I was so happy to be selected for U23 Europeans and Senior European Games this year. In terms of race results I was most happy with my performance at Healthy Ageing Tour [an annual UCI stage race for women held in the Netherlands] this year.  I really didn’t expect to get into the first echelon every day because the wind was such a big factor. But everything seemed to go pretty well for me!” [Rhona finished the Tour in 2^nd place in the Youth Classification and 12^th in the General Classification]

As the end of 2019 approaches we look back at a packed year where Scottish athletes excelled across World Championships, World Cups, Grand Slams, European Championships and European Games. And what a year it was, here are just some of the highlights.

At home and abroad Scottish athletes did the nation proud, with many outstanding performances recognised at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards where rifle shooter Seonaid McIntosh scooped the top award as Scottish Sportsperson of the Year. Following her historic World Championship win at the end of 2018, Seoniad cemented her place at the top of the sport with World Cup silver in Munich, the first ever British medal in this event by a female athlete, silver again three months later in Rio de Janeiro in the 10m Air Rifle and gold in the 50m Rifle 3P, the first ever World Cup Gold in a rifle event for a British female athlete since the World Cup circuit came into being in 1985. A rise to World and European No. 1 and a World record capped a fantastic year.

Another popular winner was boxer Josh Taylor who claimed Sporting Moment of the Year for his first world title with a points victory against Ivan Baranchyk in the IBF Super-lightweight title bout in Glasgow, knocking down the previously unbeaten Belarusian twice in the sixth round. He went on to seal his place in Scottish boxing history as he beat Regis Prograis on points to become the unified IBF and WBA super-lightweight champion and win the World Super Series as he inflicted his American opponent’s first loss in 25 fights en route to the Muhammad Ali Trophy, while also claiming the WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine belts. In women’s boxing Hannah Rankin claimed the IBO World title while there was a first amateur major championship medal for a Scottish female boxer as Vicky Glover took European U22 bronze.

Scotland hosted a wealth of major sporting events including the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow where Laura Muir became the first athlete ever to successfully defend two titles as she stormed to a sensational ‘double double’ over 1500m and 3000m titles in her home city. There was silver too for Chris O’Hare over 3000m. Stirling hosted the World Wheelchair Curling Championships with Scotland taking a sensational silver medal, beating defending champions Norway in the semi-finals, while Gleneagles hosted a memorable win for Europe in the Solheim Cup captained by Scotland’s own Catriona Matthew. Adam Hall and Alex Dunn played their home advantage to become the first Scottish pair to win the Scottish Badminton Open Men’s Doubles title for 36 years and most recently Glasgow’s Tollcross played host to the European Short Course Swimming Championships where Duncan Scott and Scott McLay hit the podium.

Further afield Duncan Scott had already claimed two World Championships medals – an individual bronze and a stunning Medley Relay leg to anchor Great Britain to gold, recording the second fastest freestyle split in history to come from over a second behind. Callum Hawkins put in an inspirational performance to take 4^th place in the Marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Doha while Laura Muir was stunned to finish 5^th in 3.55.76 in one of the fastest women’s 1500m races in history. At the World Para-Athletics Championships in Dubai Maria Lyle struck a sensational double gold in the sprints while Kayleigh Haggo and Gavin Drysdale both broke World Records and made history as the first ever IPC world champions in Race Running. Jo Butterfield took silver in the F51 Club and there was bronze for Sammi Kinghorn in the T53 100m.

Sally Conway celebrated her first World Judo Championship medal with bronze in Tokyo back in August to complete her collection of major championship medals, having already made Olympic, European and Commonwealth podiums. Neil Fachie with pilot Matt Rotherham successfully defended their World Championship title in the Tandem B Sprint, despite a spectacular crash at almost 75kmph on the final bend, also taking silver in the Kilo. Toni Shaw made a spectacular World Para-Swimming Championships debut as she won six medals: 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze while fellow Scots Stephen Clegg (silver), Scott Quin (silver) and Louis Lawlor (bronze) also reaching the podium. There was Mixed Synchro World Cup gold for Grace Reid and a British Record in 3m Springboard, Amy Connell took European Karate bronze, Stephen McGuire took World Boccia Open gold and bronze in Hong Kong and there was European Championships silver for Robyn Love with the GB Wheelchair Basketball team.

Jacob Adkin won European Mountain Running Championships gold, David McNamee won World Ironman Championships bronze, Stewart Anderson and Julie Forrest won World Indoor Bowls Championships Singles titles and there was women’s silver and men’s bronze at the European Curling Championships. Beth Potter took European Triathlon gold, it was Badminton Singles silver for Kirsty Gilmour at the European Games and there was a historic day for Scottish Squash as the men claimed European Team bronze while the women finished 4^th, their first semi-final for 14 years. Katie Archibald took World Championships silver in the Team Pursuit and won three medals at the European Championships including gold in the Team Pursuit alongside fellow Scot Neah Evans.

The Scotland Women’s National Team created history as they competed at their first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup, defying the odds to qualify. Shelley Kerr’s side inspired a new generation of players as they travelled out to France backed by a large travelling support, with a television audience of 6.1 million watching their opening match against England indicative of the level of support back home. Alex Marshall and Paul Foster won their fourth Men’s Pairs gold together in dramatic fashion at the 2019 World Indoor Championships, adding silver in the Pairs and gold in the Fours with Derek Oliver and Ronnie Duncan at the Atlantic Rim Championships as Scotland won medals in seven of the eight disciplines. And of course there was a glorious return to the tennis court for Andy Murray, winning the Queen’s Club Men’s Doubles with Feliciano Lopez and beat Stan Wawrinka in the European Open final for his first Singles title in two years following hip surgery.

A stellar year for Scottish sport and the future looks bright with top results at the junior level including Team Scotland Awards Young Athlete of the Year winner Charlie Aldridge, crowned the 2019 World Junior Champion in Cross-Country Mountain Bike, the first gold medal and rainbow jersey ever to be won by a British male in the cross-country discipline. Katie Shanahan returned from the European Youth Olympic Festival in Baku as the most decorated British athlete across all sports with three individual gold, setting new championships records in all three events, and three silver medals in relay events. There was also World Junior Championships bronze for Archie Goodburn in 50 Breaststroke, World Junior Shooting Championships bronze in the Skeet for David McNeil and two silver medals at the World Junior Para-Athletics Championships for Abbie McNally to name but a few.

Thoughts now turn to the new decade with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games on the horizon. Scottish athletes are working hard to ensure that they are not only selected, but ready to compete with distinction for Team GB. With Scottish athletes set to be in action across a huge range of other World, European and international events, there is a wealth of sport to look forward to over the coming year. We wish all athletes, coaches, officials and supporters a very happy festive season and a successful 2020.

Scottish performance directors of 15 sports on the Birmingham 2022 programme joined Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) staff and representatives of the sportscotland Institute of Sport on a visit to the host city to experience venues first-hand and engage in collaborative discussion with the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee.

The group heard updates from B2022 Heads of Division responsible for areas including sport, venues, and the Athlete Village and were invited to feed back before heading off on a tour of sporting venues and the Village site. All were impressed by the investment being made into new and existing facilities and the information gathered will inform Team Scotland’s general and sport specific preparations in the lead up to the Games. Potential sites for a Scotland House, a regular feature of the Team Scotland Games support programme, were also investigated with support from CGS Board members.

The group also took the opportunity to visit potential training venues in the area to assess their suitability for assisting athlete preparation immediately before the Games. Discussion sessions were also held to look at the support services required by the sports as well as wider Team Scotland activities which take place around the Games.

“The welcome we received in Birmingham was absolutely fantastic,” said CGS Games Team Operations Manager, Elinor Middlemiss. “The work to upgrade sporting facilities for the Games and build the Athletes’ Village is now underway and the opportunity to hear updates and share information with the organising committee was very useful for everyone.

“The Team Scotland group were fantastic to work with. Having so many of the performance directors there gave valuable input as we start to shape our planning and we thank the sports’ governing bodies and sportscotland for their commitment to ensuring Team Scotland head into Birmingham 2022 with the best preparation possible.”

Chief Executive at CGS, Jon Doig said “For each Games we have raised the bar in terms of our preparations and have got the results with a record medal tally in Glasgow and best overseas Games in Gold Coast. The fact that Birmingham is so close to home gives real opportunities in assisting the Team’s preparation as well as engaging with what we expect will be a large group of travelling supporters. Working closely with the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee and other partners in the city is a critical part of our planning as we enter 2020.”

Birmingham will host the 22nd Commonwealth Games from 27 July to 7 August 2022, the third time England has staged the Games after London 1934 and Manchester 2002.

A gold medal-winning sport for Team Scotland at each of the last five Games, Cycling is next up in our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus, which features all 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Look out for everything Cycling related on our website and social media channels in the coming weeks as we follow Scotland’s cyclists from their first appearance in 1934 to their best Games ever at Gold Coast 2018.

Cycling at the Commonwealth Games

Cycling is an optional sport on the Commonwealth Games programme and was first introduced into the sports programme in 1934. It has featured in every Commonwealth Games since, making many people think it is a core sport. It can include any or all of the three disciplines: Track, Road and Mountain Bike.

Only two events were on the programme for cycling’s first Games appearance in 1934: the Men’s 1km Time Trial and Men’s 10 Mile Scratch Race. A Men’s Road Race was added four years later and remained the only road event until the introduction of the Men’s Team Time Trial in 1982. The first three women’s events were introduced in 1990: Individual Pursuit, Match Sprint and Road Race. Mountain Bike events for both men and women were first raced in 2002 and have been included at each Games since with the exception of Delhi 2010. Para-Sport Track Cycling made its Games debut at Glasgow 2014 with four medal events and all four events featured again at Gold Coast 2018.

Team Scotland cyclists have won 28 Commonwealth Games medals: 9 gold, 9 silver and 10 bronze, with Brian Temple the first medal winner for Scotland with Scratch Race silver in 1970. Edward Alexander won bronze in the Match Sprint at Edinburgh 1986 for Scotland’s second cycling medal and the last until Chris Hoy, Craig MacLean, Ross Edgar & Marco Librizzi doubled the tally to four with gold and bronze between them at Manchester 2002. Scottish cyclists have gone on to win medals at every Games since with Gold Coast 2018 the most successful to date with four gold, four silver and two bronze.

Find out more about Cycling in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Cycling page.

Scotland’s Commonwealth Champions

While Brian Temple won Scotland’s first cycling medal in 1970, it would be another three decades before a Scottish cyclist would stand on the top step of the podium. Manchester 2002 saw Chris Hoy deliver Scotland’s first Cycling gold medal in the history of the Commonwealth Games, beating reigning Olympic Champion Jason Queally to the 1km Time Trial title. Hoy also took bronze in the Team Sprint alongside Craig MacLean, Ross Edgar and Marco Librizzi. Melbourne 2006 saw Hoy come up short in the defence of his 1km title, having to settle for bronze, but there were better fortunes in the Team Sprint where he teamed up with Craig MacLean and Ross Edgar. Up against ‘the auld enemy’ in the final, the Scots pulled off the ride of the year to edge into gold medal position and post the second fastest time ever by a British team.  For Ross Edgar, these Games exceeded all expectations, returning home with a full set of medals.

Delhi 2010 saw David Millar take Scotland’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal on the road with victory in the 40km Time Trial, also taking bronze in the Road Race. Neil Fachie, piloted by Craig MacLean, was a double gold medallist at Glasgow 2014, roared on by the home crowd to win both Para-Sport Men’s B Tandem Sprint and 1km Time Trial. He repeated the feat at Gold Coast 2018 to bring his gold medal tally to four and become Team Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games cyclist of all time. Individual Pursuit gold for Katie Archibald, on the same night as her brother John won silver, and a sensational finish from Mark Stewart to take a memorable victory in the Points Race made Gold Coast cycling’s most successful Games to date.

Team Scotland Cycling Gold Medallists

Click here for a full list of Team Scotland’s Cycling medallists

Youth Games Success

Cycling has been included in the Commonwealth Youth Games on three occasions, making its debut at Bendigo 2004 with Scotland represented by four athletes. The Bendigo programme featured Track, Road and Mountain Bike events with Scotland’s best result at these Games coming from Shane Charlton with 7th place in the 1km Time Trial.

Road Cycling was back on the programme for the Isle of Man 2011 Games and Scotland’s four athletes performed well amid a host of World and European champions. Grant Ferguson in particular pushed the medal winners close coming 11th in the Time Trial, sixth in the Road Race and fifth in the Criterium. He went on the represent Team Scotland at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Team Scotland’s first Youth Games Cycling medals came at the most recent edition of the Games, Bahamas 2017. Dylan Hughes made history as Scotland’s first ever Youth Games Cycling medallist with silver in the Time Trial, swiftly followed by Rhona Callander taking the sport’s first gold with victory in the Road Race on the final day of the Games.

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, 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 which was held from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. Team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals and went on to record their highest overseas medal tally ever at Gold Coast 2018.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.

Consistently in the medals in recent years, Team Scotland has a proud history in Badminton at the Commonwealth Games. To round off our Sport Focus, here are 12 things you might not know about Badminton:

1. Badminton is a core sport at the Commonwealth Games and must be included every time the Games are held.

2. Badminton is the second most popular participation sport in the world after football.

3. The sport made its Commonwealth Games debut at Kingston in 1966.

4. Scotland have won ten Commonwealth Games medals in Badminton – one gold, two silver and seven bronze.

5. Scotland have won medals in Badminton at five out of the last six Games, the exception being Delhi 2010. Elinor Middlemiss & Sandra Watt took Women’s Doubles bronze in 1998, there was a Mixed Team bronze in 2002, Susan Hughes reached the Women’s Singles podium with bronze in 2006 and there was double success at Glasgow 2014 as Robert Blair & Imogen Bankier took Mixed Doubles bronze and Kirsty Gilmour took Women’s Singles silver before going on to take bronze at Gold Coast 2018.

6. Scotland’s only gold in Badminton to date came at the 1986 Games in Edinburgh where Billy Gilliland and Dan Travers won the Men’s Doubles.

7. England and Malaysia’s domination of the Team Event at the Commonwealth Games was ended by India at Gold Coast 2018. The two nations had won all 10 events previously held between them, but in 2018 India beat Malaysia 3-1 in the final to win gold.

8. A shuttlecock is make from cork, leather and 16 goose feathers. The best shuttlecocks are made with feathers from the left wing!

9. Badminton is the fastest racket sport with the shuttlecock reaching speeds of over 200mph.

10. Badminton was originally known as “Battledore & Shuttlecock”

11. The name Badminton comes from the place of the birth of the British game – at the country estate of the Duke of Beaufort in Gloucestershire in 1873.

12. On 24 November 2019 Alex Dunn and Adam Hall became the first Scottish pair to win the Men’s Doubles title at the Scottish Open for 36 years. Billy Gilliland and Dan Travers, the last Scots to hold the trophy aloft back in 1983, went on to become Scotland’s only Commonwealth Games Badminton gold medallists to date.

Adam Hall and Alex Dunn made history as they became the first Scots to win the Scottish Open Men’s Doubles for 36 years on a thrilling final day at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.

Billy Gilliland and Dan Travers, the last Scots to hold the trophy aloft back in 1983, would go on to become Scotland’s only Commonwealth Games Badminton gold medallists to date as they emulated their victory three years later at Games of Edinburgh 1986.

Hall and Dunn were roared on by a raucous home crowd, easing past Danish pair Jeppe Bay and Mikkel Mikkelsen 21-10 21-17 to cap off a memorable week on home soil.

For Hall, who lost in the final here three years ago alongside former partner Peter Mills, the victory was particularly special and put the memories of missing out in that incredibly close 2016 final behind him.

“Part of me was really worried that the 2016 final was going to be my one chance to win here, so the fact I’ve come back and finally won it has really put that to bed,” the 23-year-old said. I feel like I can maybe, finally watch that 2016 final back now knowing that I’ve got the win! I don’t think you can really put into words how it feels – it’s absolutely unbelievable.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I first started coming here, and to actually finally do it gave me goosebumps out there. The crowd was amazing – they really do give us a real lift, especially when the points are getting a bit tight, so when we win one we get a really big boost when they’re screaming and shouting. They really make a difference, and when it got tight in that second set we knew they were behind us.”

Dunn, 21, added: “I guess being the first Scots to win here for 36 years does make it more special. We’ve been capable of winning this for a long time and to actually do it is really, really good. I think focus and being clinical have been important for us – it’s not been an easy road and the final was probably one of our best performances.

“I loved the atmosphere and it gave me goosebumps – my girlfriend was here again today, and that makes it even more special having friends and family here watching when we get the victory. We need to continue this forward in our next tournaments and then we can do really well.”

Hall and Dunn’s heroics were complemented by a strong Scottish showing across the doubles events. Hall himself also reached the semi-finals of the Mixed Doubles with Jullie MacPherson, the pair losing out on a final place to eventual winners Christiansen and Boje from Denmark. Christopher and Matthew Grimley were semi-finalists in the Men’s Doubles, while in the Women’s Doubles Julie MacPherson and Ciara Torrence missed out on a semi-final sport by the smallest of margins in an incredibly tight game with Swedish second seeds Karlsson and Magnusson.

It was a Scottish Open to remember for the home crowd and one that Adam Hall and Alex Dunn certainly won’t forget!

Featuring at every Commonwealth Games since it was first included in 1966, Badminton is next up in our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus, which features all 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

With the Scottish Open underway in Glasgow, where Gold Coast 2018 Mixed Doubles pairing Adam Hall and Julie MacPherson are off to a winning start and into round two, as are up-and-coming pair Alex Dunn and Ciara Torrence who toppled the fifth seeded New Zealanders to the delight of the home crowd. Men’s Doubles pair Alastair Campbell and Callum Smith were also winners on the opening day as they took an incredibly close match against  over Wales’ Tsung Fong Mo and Victor Pang. With the quialifying match finishing 22-20, 19-21, 21-17 in the Scots’ favour, Campbell and Smith will take their place in the first round today.

Look out for everything Badminton related on our website and social media channels in the coming weeks as we follow all the action from the Scottish Open as well as looking back at Commonwealth Games success for Scotland’s players from Mixed Doubles bronze at those first Games to Kirsty Gilmour winning her second Singles medal at Gold Coast 2018. We also look ahead to the rising stars targeting Birmingham 2022.

Badminton at the Commonwealth Games

Badminton was first included at the Commonwealth Games of 1966 in Kingston, Jamaica where Scotland were straight off the mark with Mixed Doubles bronze for Muriel Ferguson and Robert McCoig. McCoig also made it to the Singles semi-finals, losing out to eventual gold medallist Tan Aik Huang of Malaysia and just missing out on a medal as Dinesh Khanna of India proved too strong in the bronze play-off. Malaysia and England dominated in 1966, winning all five gold medals on offer between them, as well as four of the five silver medals. Both nations have remained forces to be reckoned with and top the all-time medal table in the sport.

The home Games of 1970 and the following Games of 1974 saw no medal success for Scotland, the best result a Men’s Doubles 4th place for Fraser Gow and Robert McCoig in 1974, going one game up in the bronze medal match but unable to hold on. At Edmonton 1978 however, Scotland were back on the rostrum courtesy of Mixed Doubles pair Joanna Flockhart and Billy Gilliland who took silver, beaten only by World Championship medallists Mike Tredgett and Nora Parry in the final.

While the home Games of 1970 had yielded no medals, it was a different story as the Games returned to Edinburgh in 1986. Billy Gilliland followed his silver from 1978 with gold in the Men’s Doubles alongside Dan Travers (still Scotland’s only Badminton gold to date) and bronze in the Mixed Doubles with Christine Heatly.

Scotland were back on the badminton podium at Kuala Lumpur 1998 as Elinor Middlemiss and Sandra Watt took Women’s Doubles bronze. Both were also part of the bronze medal winning Mixed Team four years later at Manchester 2002. Another member of that team, Susan Hughes, went on to win Scotland’s first Commonwealth Games Singles medal at Melbourne 2006 with bronze.

Back on home soil at Glasgow 2014, Badminton added to Team Scotland’s record medal tally through Mixed Doubles bronze for Imogen Bankier and Robert Blair as well as Women’s Singles silver for Kirsty Gilmour. Gilmour was back on the podium at Gold Coast 2018, this time winning bronze by defeating Canadian Michelle Li who had beaten her to gold in Glasgow.

Find out more about Badminton in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Badminton page.

Team Scotland Badminton Medallists

Click here for full details of Team Scotland’s Badminton medallists

Youth Games Success

Badminton has made three Commonwealth Youth Games appearances, the first at Bendigo 2004 followed by Pune 2008 and Isle of Man 2011 and has one of the best records of any sport in athletes progressing onto senior Commonwealth Games. Of the 14 players selected for Team Scotland at a Youth Games, seven have gone on to senior Commonwealth Games, with two athletes – Imogen Bankier and Kirsty Gilmour – winning medals.

Team Scotland have won two Youth Games Badminton medals to date, Martin Campbell Scotland’s first Youth Games Badminton medallist with bronze in the Men’s Singles at Pune 2008 before going on to represent Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018. Kirsty Gilmour followed suit in 2011, winning Women’s Singles bronze and remains the only Scottish badminton player to date to win medals at both Youth Games and Commonwealth Games.

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, 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 which was held from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. Team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals and went on to record their highest overseas medal tally ever at Gold Coast 2018.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.

With Judo set to return to the Commonwealth Games stage at Birmingham 2022 for the first time since the record-breaking success of Glasgow 2014, Scotland’s rising stars of the sport are hard at work in hope of emulating their home Games heroes.

One athlete with Birmingham firmly in his sights is 24 year old Aiden Moffat, making his mark in 2019 with gold at the Commonwealth Judo Championships in Walsall, just eight miles from the home of the 2022 Games. He took victory in the 73kg event, defeating India’s Nilesh Balhara, the 2018 gold medallist at 66kg, in the final.

“Fighting at an event like the Commonwealth Judo Championships was the highlight of my year,” said Aiden. “I love to represent Scotland and to go to a competition of that standard, with opposition of that level and come away with a gold standard performance, it makes all the training five days a week worthwhile.

“To stand on the top of the podium with our flag raised, singing our national anthem was just a surreal moment! I felt a real sense of pride and achievement. Also receiving the exposure and experience at that level will hopefully gear me up in the right direction towards Birmingham 2022.”

Since October last year, Aiden has been one of 18 rising stars across 11 different sports receiving the Team Scotland Youth Trust’s PHM Athlete Award, which supports athletes under the age of 26 in reaching their sporting ambitions. With a long commute each day to attend training sessions at Judo Scotland’s National Training Centre in Edinburgh, he says the support he has received has made a big difference.

“I have been using the funding I’ve received to pay for my commute to training from Perth to Edinburgh five days a week and to help with competitions and camps abroad which enable me to get the best level of training and exposure to elite level competition.

“Financially it has taken a huge amount of stress and worry off my day to day life. I don’t have to worry about having enough money to be able to afford my commute, meaning that I don’t miss any valuable training sessions. It’s allowing me to get better and keep improving, and it feels like someone is helping me along my journey to take another step up the ladder towards success.”

As the miles of round trips build up, his dedication is paying off. A competitor for Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2011 and European Cup medallist at Cadet and Junior level, Aiden is now building on that early promise in the senior ranks. He recorded his best performance as a senior with 9th place at the European Cup in Malaga last month, as well as that gold medal win at the Commonwealth Championships. With Birmingham 2022 on the horizon and Scottish judokas’ past successes to inspire him, he’s determined to push on to the next level.

“Over the next year my goal is to maintain my position as number one in Scotland in my weight category and try to take the number one ranking position for Great Britain. I’d also like to put in some successful performances internationally.

“Birmingham 2022 is a huge opportunity for us to maintain our legacy and record as a stronghold for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and to inspire our high performing judo athletes to continue medalling for Scotland. My dream would be to attend the Olympic Games and to have finished my career with a Commonwealth Games title to my name.”