Trinidad and Tobago will welcome the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games after they were selected as the host nation of the multi-sport event by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) today.

Trinidad and Tobago were bidding against Gibraltar for the right to stage the competition and both Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) were praised as excellent bidders by the CGF Evaluation Commission following visits in January and February this year. Trinidad and Tobago’s success builds on the back of the Bahamas hosting a successful Games in 2017 and continues the CGF’s commitment to small states and island states.

CGF President Dame Louise Martin DBE said: “We are delighted to award Trinidad and Tobago the opportunity to host the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games.

“We had a very strong bid process and the Board felt at this point in time, the Caribbean offers a fantastic platform for the Commonwealth Sports Movement to build upon. We look forward to working closely with Trinidad and Tobago in the lead up to the Games in what we are confident will be a fantastic event for the aspiring young athletes of the Commonwealth.

“Finally, the Board would like to thank Gibraltar once again for submitting their bid to host the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games. We will now work with the Gibraltar CGA to identify opportunities to host future Commonwealth events.”

The seventh edition of the competition, which began in Scotland in 2000, will take place from 1-7 August 2021. The Youth Games are 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.

Athletics and Swimming must be included at each Youth Games with the host nation choosing a number of other sports to complete the programme. Once the sports programme is confirmed Team Scotland will work closely with the relevant governing bodies as preparations build towards the Games.

Trinidad and Tobago joined the Commonwealth in 1962. It is the most southerly of the West Indian island states and is situated 11.2kms off the Venezuelan coast. It consists of two islands, Trinidad and Tobago. Having made their debut in the 1934 Games, Trinidad and Tobago have attended every Games since, apart from the 1950 and 1986 editions.

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.

Boasting Team Scotland’s most decorated male and female athletes in Commonwealth Games history in Alister Allan and Jen McIntosh, Shooting has been one of our most successful sports since its introduction to the Games in 1966.

Look out for everything Shooting related on our website and social media channels in the coming weeks as the sport steps into our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus spotlight. We’ll be following Scotland’s current stars and delving into the archives for tales of Games past as we continue our Sport Focus series, which features all 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Shooting at the Commonwealth Games

Shooting is an optional sport in the Commonwealth Games programme but, with the exception of Edinburgh in 1970, it has been included in every Games since its introduction at Kingston 1996. Scotland’s first medals in the sport came at Chirstchurch 1974 when Colin McEachran took Fullbore silver and Alister Allan took bronze in the 50m Rifle prone.

With 51 medals: 13 gold, 16 silver and 22 bronze, Shooting is Scotland’s fourth most successful sport at the Commonwealth Games behind Aquatics, Athletics and Boxing, all of which have been included at every Games since 1930. Scotland sit sixth on the all-time Shooting medal table, just a single medal behind New Zealand in 5th, having won medals at every Games since Christchurch 1974.

Alister Allan is not only Shooting’s most successful athlete, but also the most decorated Scottish athlete in Games history across all sports. His 10-medal tally of three gold, three silver and four bronze over five Games puts him ahead of swimmer Duncan Scott on seven medals and bowler Alex Marshall and sprinter Allan Wells, both on six.

Shirley McIntosh and Patricia Littelchild became Scotland’s first female medallists in the sport in 1994. Until this point all Shooting events had been open to both men and women but were segregated by gender for the first time at the Victoria 1994 Games. Shirley won gold and Patricia bronze in the Women’s 50m Prone event before joining forces to win silver in the Pairs. Shirley would go on the become Scotland’s most decorated female athlete at the Games, adding a further two bronze medals to her tally at Kuala Lumpur 1998. She held this title until it was surpassed by her daughter Jen in 2014, Jen’s two medals at those Games bringing her tally to two gold, one silver and two bronze. Younger sister Seonaid carried on the family tradition at Gold Coast 2018 with two bronze medals and has since gone on to become World Champion, a first ever gold for a British women.

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

Scotland’s Commonwealth Champions

After 50m Rifle Prone bronze at the 1974 Christchurch Games, Alister Allan made it gold in the same event four years later to become Scotland’s first Commonwealth Games champion in Shooting. He went on to add two gold at the 1982 Brisbane Games, this time in the individual 3 Position event and the Air Rifle Pairs alongside William McNeil. With Arthur Clarke’s win in the Fullbore bringing the gold tally to three, Brisbane remained Scotland’s most successful Games for Shooting until Delhi 2010.

There was no Shooting gold for Scotland at the home Games of Edinburgh 1986, but Ian Marsden and James Dunlop were on top of the Skeet Pairs podium four years later in Auckland. Shirley McIntosh’s 50m Rifle Prone win at Victoria 1994 was a first in the women’s events and was followed by two Games without a Scottish Shooting gold before Sheena Sharp struck gold twice at Melbourne 2006, in the individual 50m Rifle Prone and with Susan Jackson in the Prone Pairs.

Delhi 2010 stands out as Shooting’s best Games performance with four gold, three silver and two bronze medals as Scotland swept the board in the 50m Rifle Prone events. Jonathan Hammond, Neil Stirton, Jen McIntosh and Kay Copland won an incredible four gold medals in the Men’s and Women’s Pairs and Individual competitions, also adding a silver and two bronze between them in the 3 Position events. Silver medals for Angus McLeod and Ian Shaw in Fullbore pairs and for Shona Marshall in the Women’s Trap completed a fantastic Games. No gold once again for the Scots at a home Games as Glasgow 2014 saw a tally of two silver and two bronze, but Flower of Scotland rang out once again at Gold Coast 2018 as David McMath took Double Trap gold in a new Games record.

Team Scotland Shooting Gold Medallists

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

Youth Games Success

At the Commonwealth Youth Games, just as in the main Games, Shooting is an optional sport. It has been included at one Youth Games to date, Pune 2008, where Scottish shooters shone, winning one gold, one silver and two bronze.

Two of Scotland’s most successful future Commonwealth Games competitors hit the podium on their Team Scotland debut with Kay Copland winning gold in the 50m Rifle Prone and Jen McIntosh winning silver in the 50m Rifle 3 Position event. There were also bronze medals for Rory McAlpine in the Men’s 50m Rifle Prone and for Ben Wilson in the Clay Target Skeet.

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 Scotland’s women looking for promotion as they host EuroHockey II Championship in Glasgow this summer and our men set for the top flight of European competition for the first time in 12 years, it’s an exciting time for players and spectators alike. To round off our Sport Focus, up your trivia game with these 12 things you might not know about Hockey at the Commonwealth Games and beyond:

1. Historical records show that a crude form of Hockey was played in Egypt 4,000 years ago and various museum sources suggest that a form of the game was played by the Romans, Greeks and Aztecs. The modern game developed in the mid-18^th century and the first Hockey Association was created in the UK in 1876.

2. Hockey is one of a number of core sports at the Commonwealth Games, making its debut in 1998. Scotland sent a women’s team who missed out on a place in the medal matches only on goal difference. Scotland’s men made their debut at Melbourne 2006, finishing 7th. The best Scottish result in Hockey to date was 5th for the women’s team at Melbourne 2006. The men’s side scored their best result to date at Gold Coast 2018, finishing 6^th.

3. Australia has dominated the sport at the Commonwealth Games with their men winning every gold medal to date and their women winning four gold, one silver and one bronze. Only six nations have ever won a Commonwealth Games hockey medal: Australia, India, England and New Zealand who have won medals in both men’s and women’s events plus Malaysia and Pakistan in the men’s event only.

4. Scotland Men’s Hockey team are the only Scotland team ever to win a Summer Olympic Medal. They won a Bronze Medal in London in 1908, beating Germany 4-0 in their first match.

5. A total of 23 Scots have won Olympic Medals for Hockey, more than any other sport.

6. After its introduction in 1908, Hockey was next included at the 1920 Olympic Games. It was also on the programme for 1928 and has been included ever since. Women’s Hockey made its Olympic debut at Moscow 1980.

7. Played in more than 100 countries, Hockey is one of the most popular sports in the world. Participation numbers show that Hockey is played by as many girls and women as by boys and men.

8. Hockey is proud of being an inclusive, family sport with brothers David and Alan Forsyth playing at the Gold Coast coached by their dad Derek ( Lynne, their mum is also a former internationalist). Brother and sister Willie Marshall and Kareena Cuthbert (Marshall) were on their respective teams for the Gold Coast.

9. Before the invention of specific hockey balls, Hockey was played with cricket balls. It was often the job of the youngest player to paint the ball white before the start of the game.

10. The First Women’s World Cup was held in Edinburgh in 1975. The World Cup Trophy has a thistle design to commemorate its Scottish roots.

11. Scotland have played international matches at Hampden, Murrayfield, Celtic Park and Wembley, with one game at Wembley attracting over 60,000 spectators.

12. Scotland Men first defeated England in 1912. The England Captain was so upset that he threw his stick into the fire at the team hotel!

Find out more about the sport in the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Hockey page and look out for our next sport focus as we profile each of the 25 sports to have featured since the Games began in 1930.

Scotland’s most-capped hockey player Rhona Toft (nee Simpson) has represented her country over 280 times and is now sharing her vast experience with others, both as a PE teacher and as Chair of the Commonwealth Games Federation Athletes’ Advisory Commission.

From first trying the sport at school as a 12 year old, through three Commonwealth Games, two Olympic Games and two World Cups, she looks back at the highlights of over 20 years at international level, particularly Kuala Lumpur 1998 – a first Commonwealth Games for both herself and for Hockey.

Now synonymous with Hockey as one of the best players Scotland has ever produced, it could all have been very different if she had chosen to pursue her other sporting passion – Show Jumping. Incredibly, it wasn’t until after she had competed at her first Olympic Games, Atlanta 1996, that she made the final decision – that it was Hockey she would focus all her energy on.

“For a long time, up until I was 21, I combined the two sports and both at international level,” she says. “It was a tough juggling act at times to keep both going, but where there’s a will there’s a way. I didn’t ride for a year before Atlanta, in case I got injured, but up until that point It was just a matter of trying to juggle both, which was pretty full on. Between 18 and 21 I was still competing in Show Jumping, but not as frequently, and then when I became more involved with the GB hockey squad I had to give it up then.”

By the time Hockey made its Commonwealth Games debut at Kuala Lumpur 1998, as team sports were included for the first time, her decision was made. With it came the first opportunity to represent Scotland at a multi-sport event and bringing team sports into the Games was a move Rhona believes made a huge impact, not just on Hockey and the other team sports, but on the dynamics of the Games themselves.

“Kuala Lumpur fell in between my two Olympics – Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000 – so it was a pretty hectic time. It was massive to be involved in the Games and with the other sports which, up to that point, we hadn’t been. I was still probably one of the youngest in the Scotland squad, even though I’d been to Atlanta. It was good to be able to bring that multi-Games experience but it was quite different because it was the first Commonwealths to include team sports. Within Scotland, and within your own team it’s a phenomenal feeling when you hear the national anthem, as it is when you’re playing for Great Britain, but it’s a different feeling. Playing for Scotland with your team mates that you played with week in and week out at club level was always special.

“I think bringing the team sports into Team Scotland for the first time also changed the dynamic of the overall team, when it had always been just individual sports and we were this big massive squad, I think it was quite different for Team Scotland. It was great fun to mix with all your fellow Scots and be part of that bigger team as well.

“It was just the sheer scale of it at that time. I remember we were in one of the wee cafes and Jonah Lomu was there. At that point he was a massive rugby star and you’re in the same place and talking to these people, when normally you’d just see them on the telly.  Also experiencing a different country and culture, I hadn’t been to Malaysia until that point so it was quite different.

“The competition itself was really tight. We had a penalty against India and they saved the penalty, otherwise we would have gone through into the bronze medal play offs. So overall it was a little bit disappointing, but it wasn’t too bad for our first major Games experience, which was so different from a normal hockey tournament. Kuala Lumpur has great memories and it was great fun.”

Two further Commonwealth Games, Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006, followed and Rhona has no doubt about the importance of the Games for the sport in Scotland.

“It’s a massive thing for the sport to be part of the Commonwealth Games because it gives people an opportunity, for a lot of Scotland players the only opportunity they get to experience a multi-sport event. Very few have gone on to experience the Olympics so, in terms of Scottish athletes, it is the pinnacle of most of their playing careers. If Hockey hadn’t been included, the game would never have developed the way it has. The inspiration of playing in a Commonwealth Games has attracted more people to the sport and the funding from sportscotland that comes from playing on that higher level has really moved the game forward.”

After retiring from the international game, she is now focused on the next generation of athletes, as Director of Sport at The Glasgow Academy and in helping direct the future of the Commonwealth Games as Chair of the CGF Athletes’ Advisory Commission.

“My job teaching is great because you’re still involved, helping kids, and you hope you inspire some of them to do their best. Staying involved with the Commonwealth Games, chairing the Athletes’ Advisory Commission for the Commonwealth Games Federation  is also important to me. Having chaired the Athletes’ Advisory Committee for Glasgow 2014, it’s great to still be involved but on a completely different level and see how things are done behind the scenes. It’s nice still to have a connection at that level and I think the Commonwealth Games always has a special place when you’ve been involved with it for so long.”

With medals and titles on the World and European stage, May was a stand-out month for Scottish athletes across a huge range of sports. Here are just some of the highlights:

Athletics: Laura Muir opened her outdoor track season with a convincing win at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting on 30 May. Having had to settle for bronze on the road at the Westminster Mile four days previously, she was back to winning ways over 1500m in Swedish capital, taking victory in 4.05.37. Her young training partner Jemma Reekie made a strong bid for second in the race, eventually finishing fourth after strong finishes from multiple African Championships medallist Malika Akkaoui and Sweden’s Yolanda Ngarambe.

There was also a strong performance from Eilish McColgan in the 5000m as she took 7th ahead of Great Britain team mate Melissa Courtney in a close race.  The race was won in a world leading time of 14.50.82 by Kenya’s Agnes Jebet Tirop, World Championship bronze medallist over 10,000m two years ago. Finishing less than two seconds back, McColgan took some major scalps including that of reigning World Champion and Olympic silver medallist Helen Obiri. Glasgow 2014 silver medallist Lynsey Sharp was also in action in Stockholm, taking 7th place in the 800m.

Boxing: Scotland has a new World Champion as Josh Taylor lifted the IBF Super Lightweight title with a stunning unanimous win over Ivan Baranchyk in Glasgow. The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist knocked down the previously undefeated Belarusian twice in the sixth round and controlled the rest of the contest for a well deserved win. The bout also doubled as the World Boxing Super Series semi-final and Josh will face American Regis Prograis in the final later this year.

At the European Junior Championships in Galatai, Romania, there was a brilliant bronze medal performance from 15 year old Isa Akram, coached at Glasgow’s Rob Roy Boxing Club. He beat Denmark’s reigning European Junior bronze medallist Elias Idrissi and top Romanian junior Marco Antonio Manea on route to the Light Bantamweight semi-finals where he lost out in a close split decision to Bulgaria’s Krasimir Dzhurov.

Scotland also had a highly successful GB Three Nations Championships at both senior and youth levels. At senior level Vicky Glover scored a fantastic victory in the Women’s Featherweight division, beating England’s Raven Chapman by split decision in the final. There were silver medals too for Gold Coast 2018 representatives Robbie McKechnie and Stephen Newns, as well as for 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games competitor John Casey. Our young boxers put on a brilliant display at the Youth and Junior event with 25 medals including five gold courtesy of Euan Caldwell, Destany Robertson, Ged McTaggart, Shazman Parnez and Amit Kaur.

Diving: Grace Reid partnered Tom Daley to a stunning Diving World Series gold in the 3m Mixed Synchro in London, the pair clinching the title a sensational final dive. Their front three-and-a-half somersault pike earned them 77.19 points which was enough to hold off Australian duo Domonic Bedggood and Maddison Keeney who finished just 0.75 points behind. Victory came on the back of silver at the previous meeting in Montreal and three further bronze medals in the 2019 series. In the individual 3m Springboard Grace set a new British record of 344.25 to finish 4th.

Grace was also in action at he British Diving Championships in Edinburgh, taking 3m Springboard and Women’s 3m Synchro silver, but it was Edinburgh’s James Heatly who stole the show, taking double gold with wins in both Men’s 1m and 3m Springboard events. Reid and Heatly’s Gold Coast 2018 team mates Lucas Thomson and Gemma McArthur both performed well with Thomson taking silver in the Men’s 10m Synchro and 5th in the individual event while McArthur was 4th in the Women’s 10m Platform.

Lawn Bowls: Scotland returned an incredible seven medals from eight disciplines at the Atlantic Rim Championships in …, while also securing qualification in all disciplines for the upcoming World Championships. The Men’s Team also won the overall Atlantic Championships Points Trophy whilst the Woman’s Squad finished in a very strong 3rd position in the overall standings.

Alex Marshall was in brilliant form throughout the Championships and in particular during the Men’s Fours Final against Jersey when, 13-7 down in the penultimate end, he moved the jack for a six with his final bowl to level scores going into a final end. The unchanged line-up from the gold medal winning team at Gold Coast 2018, Ronnie Duncan, Derek Oliver, Paul Foster and Marshall went on to take the final end and with it the gold medal.

There were silver medals for Darren Burnett in the Men’s Singles, Foster and Marshall in the Men’s Pairs, as well as both Men’s and Women’s Triples teams. Caroline Brown in the Women’s Singles and the Women’s Fours team of Hannah Smith, Stacey McDougall, Megan Gratham and Claire Johnston completed the medal tally with bronze medals.

Shooting: Seonaid McIntosh was in fine form at the ISSF World Cup in Munich, winning silver in the Women’s 50m 3 Positions competition, the first British medal in this event since 1989. After a new British and Scottish record of 1177 in the Elimination round, a steady 1176 in Qualification saw her safely through to the final.

Sharp shooting in the Kneeling and Prone stages, saw Seonaid take a slender one point advantage over Russia’s Yulia Zykova into the final Standing section.  Seonaid started strong and clung to her lead – going into the last shot with a 0.9 gap to Zykova in second.  But a fantastic final shot from the Russian saw Seonaid knocked off the top spot and having to settle for silver, only 0.2 behind.

Fellow Gold Coast 2018 competitors Aedan Evans and Jess Liddon were also in action representing Great Britain in Munich, with Aedan making his senior World Cup debut in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol. Jess put in a strong performance in the Precision discipline of the Women’s 25m Pistol, before following up with a score of 574 in the Rapid Fire event the next day, just two points off her own Scottish record set in February.

Squash: The European Team Championships were a happy hunting ground for Scotland’s squash players as the men’s team beat top seeds and defending champions France to claim a podium place and the women scored a huge upset to finish 4^th, their best placing since 2005. Scotland excelled, over four intense days of action at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham, with several notable wins over higher ranked opposition.

Greg Lobban’s superb five game win over world number 16 Gregoire Marche and Alan Clyne’s devastatingly clinical dispatch of Lucas Serme (WR41) in three, paved the way to victory over France in the bronze medal match.

22 year old Rory Stewart, ranked 153 in the world, was instrumental in the team’s success, pulling off sensational victories over two French players ranked inside the world top 100. He took a five game thriller against Baptiste Masotti (WR61) in the group stages and followed up with a win over Victor Crouin (WR73) in the bronze medal match. Scotland debutant Angus Gillams gave the men’s squad added depth and pulled off an important five game win over Germany’s Yannik Omlor in the opening group match to set the team up for a shot at the medals.

While the men replicated their medal success of 2016, it was the women who sprung the biggest surprise on their opposition. Promoted into the top division just last year and bottom ranked of the eight teams, they played superbly to qualify out of their group and make the semi-finals for the first time in 14 years.

The team were led by Scottish No. 1 Lisa Aitken, who played great squash against opposition ranked inside the top 10 in the world and scored a significant victory over world number 32 Milou van der Heijden in Scotland’s vital group-stage win over the Netherlands.

The rest of the young squad stepped up to the plate with teenager Georgia Adderley stunning world number 46 Melissa Alves in the semi-finals and also scoring a win over Holland’s Tessa ter Sluis (WR75) in the group stages, while Alison Thomson’s victory over Welsh player Elin Harlow proved significant in the push for the semi-finals.

Triathlon: There was a phenomenal performance from Beth Potter at the ETU European Triathlon Championships as she took gold in the Elite Women’s race, almost a full minute clear of Sandra Dodet of France and Claire Michel of Belgium. Beth was sitting in 9th after the swim and picked up a couple of places to move into 7th coming off the bike. Part of a leading group of 18 that created a substantial gap over the chasing pack, the race was going to be won on the run and Beth gradually moved into the lead and away from second place. She recorded the fastest run of the day to take European gold and her first senior international Triathlon title.  Erin Wallace was also in good form in the elite junior race, finishing 14 seconds away from a podium place in 5th.

The Annual General Meeting of Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) saw four positions on the Board up for election by CGS member sports, with Paul Bush OBE and Maureen Campbell OBE re-elected as Chair and Vice Chair for their second four year term. Susan Jackson was also returned as a Director and will be joined by David Bond, who will take his first four year term on the Board.

Since taking on the role in 2015, Paul, a former Team Scotland Chef de Mission, who is Director of Events with VisitScotland and EventScotland, has guided CGS through a highly successful cycle covering two Commonwealth Youth Games and Team Scotland’s highest ever medal tally at an overseas Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast 2018.

Delighted to have been reappointed, Paul Bush said:

“I’m grateful for the support of my colleagues and am excited to lead the new Board of Commonwealth Games Scotland into the next cycle where I’m sure Team Scotland will again deliver at what will be another great Games in Birmingham in 2022.

“I look forward to ensuring that we maximise the opportunities for our athletes and sports and maintain the position of Team Scotland and the Commonwealth Games as being central to inspiring future generations of Scots, not only to be successful but to be physically active.”

Vice Chair Maureen Campbell, a former swimmer who represented Scotland at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, is Chief Executive of Falkirk Community Trust and was Chair of Scottish Swimming and Board Director at British Swimming from 2006 to 2018.

Susan Jackson, a 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist in shooting and former CGS Board Athletes’ Representative, also served as Finance Director in the last cycle. A Chartered Accountant at Campion Homes, she previously worked in the corporate finance team at Deloittes for 12 years before joining the Winning Scotland Foundation as a senior director.

David Bond, brings experience as Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling and is a Winning Students Advisory Board member, Scottish Hockey Management Group member and a member of the Triathlon Scotland Performance Management Group.

First introduced to the Commonwealth Games in 1998, Hockey has quickly cemented its place and is now a core sport that must be included in each Games. While Team Scotland is yet to win a medal in any team sport, our Hockey players have impressed right from the women’s 5th place on their debut in 1998 to the men’s best ever result last year in Gold Coast. Here are the top three performances from Scottish teams as we look back on 20 years of Commonwealth Games Hockey:

Melbourne 2006 – Best Women’s Result and Men’s Debut

Scotland’s women secured their best ever finish of 5th place at Melbourne 2006. While they had also finished 5th on their debut eight years previously, there had been no classification matches at those Games, meaning they were awarded 5th equal rather than 5th place outright. In Melbourne Vikki Bunce was one of the top scorers of the tournament, scoring five times to equal the tally of New Zealand’s Krystal Forgesson and Nicole Hudson, Olympic gold medallist with Australia. Scotland finished 3rd in Pool B behind New Zealand and England and a 3-0 win over Malaysia in the classification matches gave them 5th place, with Rhona Simpson, Linda Clement and Emma Rochlin the scorers.

Scotland men made their Games debut in Melbourne, qualifying for the first time. They were drawn in a tough Pool A with New Zealand, England, Australia and Canada. A 2-0 win over Canada, followed by a 2-1 victory over South Africa in the classification matches gave them 7th place, to finish two places above their ranking going into the tournament. Two players, Niall Stott and captain Mike Leonard, celebrated their 100th caps on the opening match of the Games.

Gold Coast 2018 – Best Ever Men’s Finish

Scotland’s men took an outstanding victory in the 2017 EuroHockey Challenge II and went into the Games set on bettering their eighth place finish from Glasgow 2014. There was a wealth of experience in the squad with Kenny Bain, Alan Forsyth,William Marshall and Gordon McIntyre all selected for their third Games and a further four players returning from Glasgow 2014. The men got their Commonwealth Games off to a flying start with a 4-2 victory over South Africa in Pool A, before also facing Canada, New Zealand and Australia.Despite best efforts, they too succumbed to some top class opposition, but as a result of a better goal difference they finished third in their Pool and faced Malaysia in a play-off for fifth / sixth. Alan Forsyth took the lead for Team Scotland when he scored on 10 minutes;but Malaysia, ranked 11 places above them in the world rankings, didn’t take long to equalise and then went ahead in the second half. 2-1 to Malaysia was the final score, however sixth place represents Scotland’s best ever finish in Men’s Hockey.

After qualification for the World League semi-finals in 2017 and a successful test series against Wales, the women’s side were looking to build on their sixth place in Glasgow. 12 players made their Games debut, while five returned from the Glasgow 2014 side, along with defender Kareena Cuthbert, whose last Games appearance was Delhi 2010.The women had a difficult start to their campaign, with a heavy defeat against New Zealand, and then a draw against Canada. Things picked up with a 5-0 win over Ghana, before losing their final match in Pool B to Australia to finish fourth in their Pool. They fought hard in their classification match against Malaysia to win the game 4-2 and finish the competition in seventh place.

Kuala Lumpur 1998 – Scotland Women 5th on Debut

Hockey made its Commonwealth Games debut in 1998 as team sports were introduced to the Games for the first time. Scotland’s sole team – the women’s side – were drawn in Pool A alongside India, Australia, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica. After a heavy loss to eventual gold medal winners Australia in the opening match, Scotland rallied well with a 5-1 win over Jamaica and 2-1 wins over both Malaysia and Trinidad & Tobago. Their final group game, against India, ended in a 2-2 draw, meaning both sides ended the group stages on 10 points but India advanced to the medal matches on goal difference.

Inspiration was in the air on Glasgow’s south side as Team Scotland athletes joined over 900 school children for the inaugural Darnley CommonHealth Games on Tuesday 21 May.

Basketball star Kieron Achara and two-time Commonwealth Games squash player Kevin Moran joined other elite athletes, including members of Scotland’s World Championship winning Tug-of-War team, as youngsters from five local primary schools came together to try a wide range of sporting activities, storytelling and put their CPR skills to the test with Save a Life Scotland.

Kieron Achara, Team Scotland Gold Coast 2018 Basketball captain said:

“This is what I love to do. At London 2012 the aim was to ‘inspire a generation’ and I’ve never forgotten that, it’s something I’m passionate about. Just seeing the kids’ faces and the opportunities for them try a whole range of different sports is great to see. My message isn’t about Basketball per se or about being a professional athlete, it’s about just getting out there and you can achieve certain things and I think sport’s a great tool for that.

“Sport is my life, my education was through sport, I got a scholarship to go to America to get my degree, I’ve played professional Basketball and earned a living through sport. But that aside, sport has been a huge factor in me just feeling good, it’s helped me live a healthier lifestyle. My communication skills, my confidence, everything has been enhanced through sport.

“I think coming to an event like this shows how simple it can be to get involved in sport. When I first started playing Basketball I used to shoot into a bin in a local park. It doesn’t have to be the best facilities, the best this, the best that, it’s all about just giving it a try. Nobody wants to be told what to do, telling an 11 year old they should be active, they should do this or that won’t work as well as just getting out there, being active with them, showing that you can have fun playing sport. The big message from today is: here’s an opportunity to play sport, go out and enjoy it. The parents will probably me more thankful for the health benefits but the message to the kids is to just get out there and play.”

Winners of Community Hub, Club or School of the Year at last year’s Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards, SAPC Community Sports Hub was created five years ago to provide free sport, help embrace diversity and improve the lives of young people and their families in and around Darnley, Greater Pollok and the surrounding areas of Glasgow South. SAPC’s work in the community, including international partnerships to provide Traditional Sports and Volunteering in Sport events, plus Pro Community Festivals for Cycling, Football and Netball, impressed the Awards judges and have helped to create stronger links with local schools, increased recruitment of volunteers and participants and have brought a good feeling to an area that has limited sporting facilities.

Building on the work done by SAPC and expanding the partnership established during the Awards process, the Darnley CommonHealth Games concept was developed by SAPC and Team Scotland to promote healthy lifestyles and to inspire and enable young people to take up and progress in a variety of sporting activities in their local area. The sheer joy and infectious enthusiasm on show, from children and over 70 community volunteers alike, was proof that the CommonHealth Games were a huge success. Team Scotland’s mascot Clyde was also on hand to lend his support and proved a big hit.

Tom Buik, Founder of SAPC Community Sports Hub said:

“It’s been excellent day with a lot of sport and activities, inspirational stories and we even got the weather. These kids are going to take a lot away from today and go home and talk about it and hopefully they’re inspired to take up sport and stay in sport.

“There wasn’t a club like us before and I think that’s a significant thing for this area. We’re providing free sporting activities in the local community, which makes a big impact, but we also have a lot of young volunteers and they’re learning life skills, getting qualifications through their volunteering and that inspires other young people to be involved. We’re taking young people to Croatia, Italy, Romania and Sweden for Erasmus programmes and we have events like this, so they feel that they’re part of something and know they’re going to be supported by the adult volunteers in the Hub.

“Partnerships are so important, you can’t pull something like this off on your own and having Team Scotland’s support for this event has made it possible for us to really elevate what we’ve done before. Having the elite athletes along has been fantastic for the kids, being able to relate to them and hear their stories, and you can see the interest level and excitement is so much more.

“I think today’s event will boost participation in all of our clubs and inspire more adults to get involved, now that they’re aware there’s a club right on their doorstep that they can volunteer with.”

Hockey are hitting the ground running for Team Scotland Sport Focus as they start their time in the spotlight today with the first of five women’s test matches against Canada. This test series at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre from 15-21 May kicks off a huge summer for Scotland’s women as they prepare for the Hockey Series Finals in Dublin followed by the EuroHockey Championship II back on home soil in August where they will be looking for promotion back to the top flight.

Scotland’s men also have a busy summer ahead having won four of their five qualifying matches to take their place at June’s Hockey Series finals in France. 2018 also saw the men’s side take an outstanding win at EuroHockey Championship II and they will take their place among the top eight European nations in Belgium from 16-25 August.

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

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

Hockey at the Commonwealth Games

Hockey made its Commonwealth Games debut at Kuala Lumpur 1998 and, as a core sport, has appeared at each Games since. Australia have dominated the sport, winning every men’s gold medal to date and four out of six possible women’s titles.

At the sport’s first Games in 1998 Scotland sent a women’s team, who played brilliantly, winning three of their five group games. A 2-2 draw with India in their final group game saw them just miss out on a semi-final place on goal difference. While classification games were not played in 1998, this remains one of the women’s side’s best ever finishes, along with 5th place at Melbourne 2006 where they beat Malaysia 3-0 in the fifth/sixth place play-off.

Scotland’s men made their Games debut at Melbourne 2006, where they finished 7th after a win over South Africa in the classification play-offs. A great performance at Gold Coast 2018 saw them better that result, taking 6th place for their best finish in Commonwealth Games history.

Hockey was also included at the first Commonwealth Youth Games in Edinburgh, the sport’s only appearance at the Youth Games to date. That Youth Games team included Vikki Bunce who went on to win 206 caps for Scotland and play at three Commonwealth Games: 2006, 2010 and 2014.

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

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.

From double medal success on the sport’s Commonwealth Games debut to World Doubles and European Team medals in recent years, Scottish Squash remains a key player in he international game. To round off our Sport Focus, here are 12 things you might not know about Squash at the Commonwealth Games and beyond:

1. Squash is played by more than 25 million people on nearly 50,000 courts in 185 countries around the world.

2. Squash is a core sport that must be included at every Commonwealth Games and made its Commonwealth Games debut in 1998 where Scotland won one gold and one bronze medal.

3. Squash has also made two Commonwealth Youth Games appearances – at the inaugural Games in 2000 in Edinburgh and at Samoa 2015.

4. Squash was first played at Harrow School in the mid 1800s and developed from the game of Rackets, popular at the time.

5. As the sport grew, the spread to a global audience was personified by Hashim Khan. Born in a small village in Pakistan he went from unofficial ball boy at the local British Officer’s Club to local squash pro to winning the 1951 British Open, the most prestigious competition in the world at that time.

6. Eye protection is mandatory for all players in Squash doubles matches and players on each team must wear matching outfits.

7. The name Squash comes from the ‘squashing’ of the rubber ball against the wall – softer than the hard ball used in its sister game Rackets.

8. Squash balls are unique in that they need to be ‘warmed up’ by hitting for a few minutes before play begins.

9. The Titanic had a squash court and the professional, Fred Wright, went down with the ship.

10. Prince Philip played Squash while Queen Elizabeth II was in labour with Prince Charles.

11. Squash was voted the World’s healthiest sport to play by Forbes magazine based on endurance, strength, flexibility, calories burned and risk of injury.

12. Scotland’s Alan Clyne and Greg Lobban won World Doubles gold in 2016 and followed up with silver in 2017.

Find out more about the sport in the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Squash page and look out for our next sport focus as we profile each of the 25 sports to have featured since the Games began in 1930.