Team Scotland’s boxers have an impressive Commonwealth Games record as the only sport where Scottish athletes have won at least one medal at every Games since they began in 1930. In celebration of this outstanding track record the sport leads the way in our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus, which will feature each of the 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Look out for all things Boxing 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 those who could be following in their footsteps at Birmingham 2022.

Boxing at the Commonwealth Games

One of the six sports included in the first Commonwealth Games in 1930, Boxing is a core sport and must be featured in every edition of the Games. Scottish boxers claimed a full set of medals at the 1930 Games in Hamilton, Canada with one gold, one silver and one bronze, with Jim Rolland taking the honour as Scotland’s first ever Commonwealth Games Boxing champion.

Scotland has continued to produce champions with 17 gold medallists to date, including household names such as Dick McTaggart, Alex Arthur and, most recently, Josh Taylor and Charlie Flynn.

Women’s Boxing was first included at the Glasgow 2014 Games, however Scotland did not field a competitor, meaning that Gold Coast 2018 saw Vicky Glover and Megan Gordon take to the ring as Team Scotland’s first female boxers.

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

Scotland’s Commonwealth Champions

Following Jim Rolland’s victory in 1930 the next Scottish Boxing gold did not come until the 1950 Games in Auckland, New Zealand. Scottish boxers more than made up for this gap however, wining two gold medals in each of the next four Games and keeping the Flyweight title in Scottish hands for a 12 year stretch.

Among those medallists was Dick McTaggart, reigning Olympic champion coming into the Cardiff 1958 Commonwealth Games and he lived up to his billing, taking Lightweight gold for Scotland. He went on to win a second Olympic medal with bronze in 1960 and a second Commonwealth Games medal with silver in 1962. He was the first British boxer ever to compete at three Olympic Games and remains Scotland’s only Olympic Boxing champion to date.

Tom Imrie struck Light Middleweight gold at Edinburgh 1970 but it was then a full 20 years before a Scottish boxer next stood atop the podium, as Charles Kane took the Light Welterweight title in Auckland. Since 1990 Team Scotland boxers have won gold at every Games with the exception of Manchester 2002 and Gold Coast 2018.

Team Scotland Boxing Gold Medallists

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

Youth Games Success

Boxing has been included at every Commonwealth Youth Games to date, with the exception of the first Games held in Edinburgh in 2000. Scotland has won at least one Boxing medal at each of the five Youth Games where the sport has been included, mirroring the success of Scottish boxers in senior Commonwealth Games competition.

Charlie Flynn and Josh Taylor both won medals at the Youth Games before going on to win gold for Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014, while in 2015 John Docherty and Sean Lazzerini became the first Scottish boxers ever to win Commonwealth Youth Games gold, with John going on to win bronze at Gold Coast 2018. Tyler Jolly added Team Scotland’s third Youth Games gold as he won the Light Welterweight title at Bahamas 2017 and, with women’s Boxing contested for the first time at those Games, Megan Gordon became the first female boxer to represent Scotland at a Youth Games and also our first female medallist with bronze in the Flyweight.

Click here for a full list of Team Scotland’s Youth Games Boxing 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.

As part of Team Scotland’s recently launched themed year ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’, the Team Scotland Scottish Sport Awards 2019 will celebrate some of the greatest moments in Scottish sporting history, while looking to those young athletes who will continue to put Scotland on the sporting map for years to come.

A huge celebration covering recent and past achievements across all 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at a Commonwealth Games, the Awards will recognise Team Scotland stars past, present and future in an evening of inspiration and entertainment.

This year the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards will help celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the Team Scotland Youth Trust and we are proud to be raising funds to support Scotland’s aspiring young athletes on their sporting journey.

CELEBRATING OUR PAST, BUILDING OUR FUTURE

The list of past Scottish Commonwealth Games champions reads like a ‘who’s who’ of Scotland’s sporting greats, including boxer Dick McTaggart, swimmer David Wilkie, sprinter Allan Wells, distance runner Liz McColgan, shooter Alister Allan and cyclist Chris Hoy.

At recent Games the baton has been taken up by stars like gymnast Dan Purvis, cyclists Katie Archibald and Neil Fachie, swimmer Duncan Scott and athlete Eilidh Doyle – all of whom have also won Olympic or Paralympic medals. Our success at the past two Commonwealth Youth Games also augers well for Scotland’s sporting future.

MAKE IT A DATE

Thursday 3rd October – make it a date in your diary and play your part in shaping our nation’s sporting future by joining us for the 2019 Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards.

• The impressive world-class facilities at EICC will host this special evening of sporting celebrations, drinks reception, three course dinner with wine and entertainment
• Mingle with some of the biggest names in Scottish sport and business
• Support Scotland’s stars of the future as we raise funds for the Team Scotland Youth Trust which is celebrating 30 years of assisting young athletes on their sporting journey
• Late bar for those who want to network and continue the celebrations a little longer.

THE AWARDS

Join us as award categories across performance and community sport are decided, amidst a memorable night of inspiration and entertainment, building to a crescendo with the presentation of the Emirates Lonsdale Trophy, awarded to the best of the best – the 2019 Scottish Sportsperson of the Year. Look out for nominations opening in May.

With athletes, officials, clubs and schools across the country preparing to make an impact over the coming year, we are certain there will be lots to celebrate as we recognise those that give stand out performances across the breadth of Scottish sport, reflecting the Team Scotland values of Proud, United, Ambitious, Inclusive and Inspirational.

BOOK EARLY

With last year’s event a 600 sell-out, don’t miss out! Book now to take advantage of our early bird discounts for those booking by the end of June 2019.

Performances by Team Scotland athletes at the Commonwealth Games have contributed to some of the greatest moments in Scottish sporting history. From our participation and medal success at the first Games in 1930, through to a record-breaking medal haul at Glasgow 2014 and best ever overseas medal tally at Gold Coast 2018, the Team continues to go from strength to strength in so many ways.

As we lead up to the 90^th anniversary of the Commonwealth Games in 2020, the next two years will see Team Scotland celebrate its rich sporting heritage, taking a look back at some of those truly memorable and ground-breaking moments. We will also have a monthly ‘Sport Focus’ exploring the 25 different sports which have competed in the 21 editions of the Games.

Competing for Team Scotland is a special and unique multi-sport experience, playing an important and highly valued part in most Scottish athletes’ sporting journeys, so Commonwealth Games Scotland is keen to help our past athletes and staff stay in touch with each other through the Thistle Club.

This is a special group of all those who have shared the unique experience of representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. Look out for news of how we aim to reconnect many of our past team members through a number of Thistle Club social events this year.

However we won’t just be reflecting on the past and we certainly don’t take ongoing success for granted.

2019 will see our partner charity, the Team Scotland Youth Trust, celebrate 30 years, working to raise funds to connect to local communities through sport and support young athletes on their journey to Commonwealth Games success. We will be launching a number of exciting new initiatives with the Team Scotland Youth Trust and we hope you will support our fundraising efforts, including joining us for a great night of celebrations at the 2019 Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards in Edinburgh on Thursday 3^rd October.

With a Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in 2021 and the next Commonwealth Games near to home in Birmingham in 2022, we will also be working closely with all our member sports and key partners including sportscotland, to build on recent great Games results and deliver a successful Team Scotland for years to come.

As a committed champions of Scottish sport, we will continue to highlight and celebrate the very best of performances, including those that best reflect the Team Scotland values of Proud, United, Ambitious, Inspirational and Inclusive. From Linlithgow to Lerwick and Stonehaven to Stranrear, Team Scotland encompasses sporting heroes from every local community and we are committed to showing the import role they play as role models, helping to inspire future generations.

We will showcase the new faces that are emerging, as Scottish athletes prepare for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 and onwards to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – the only major multi-sport event where athletes get to compete and fly the flag for Scotland.

The start of a new year has many people setting new goals and challenges, but for gymnast Hamish Carter, 2019 will see a bigger change than most. After marking his Commonwealth Games debut back in April with a bronze medal, he is taking a massive leap across the pond to begin a scholarship at the University of Illinois to help him reach his Olympic dream.

While Hamish had always planned to pursue his sporting career abroad at some point in the future, things moved much faster than even he expected.

“I went on a bit of a fact-finding mission as I thought at some point in my career I would like to go to America,” he said. “My old coach, Nick Blanton, was on the American National team when he was a gymnast and he got in contact with a few universities, one of which was Illinois. The Head Coach there, Justin Spring, who was an Olympic medallist at Beijing 2008, came back to me almost immediately and offered a full scholarship.

“I was drawn to Illinois as a few British gymnasts have been there before and I already know one of the boys on the team, Clay Stephens from the Australian National Team, who was at the World Championships last year. I had kept coming across the University of Illinois in my fact-finding, so when it popped up again I decided to go for it and take the scholarship. It all happened really quickly. That was back in November, so for about 7 weeks I was planning and filling out forms to be ready to go out early in the New Year.”

This move comes on the back of a hugely successful 2018. As a gold medallist at the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival and silver medallist at the 2013 World School Games, Hamish was no stranger to success as a junior gymnast but it was last year that saw him take to the global stage at a senior level. Winning team bronze alongside Daniel Purvis, Frank Baines, Kelvin Cham and David Weir was a huge achievement for the 20 year old, however it wasn’t his only Games highlight:

“The Commonwealth Games was my first major competition, my first experience of the senior gymnastics world and I exceeded my own expectations. I was so happy to do my best gymnastics and by doing that I helped the team win bronze in what was a really tough fight.

“Gold Coast has given me the confidence to push on to the next level, particularly as I missed out on the Europeans in 2016 through injury, so to finally have that experience has given me a massive amount of confidence for the future. I was nervous going in that I was going to waste it or just not do as well as I knew I could, but it was the best month of my life.

“Winning a medal was definitely a highlight, but my best moment of the whole Games was the final night at Scotland House. The celebration of everyone together and all the medals we won as Team Scotland, that is a night I will never forget.”

His plans for the next few years show an ambition to use that experience to progress, along with an eagerness to embrace the opportunities that his American adventure will provide.

“My goals for the next few years are the Olympics in Tokyo 2020, to be part of senior teams and to be considered as one of the top gymnasts in the country. Beyond that, I aim to qualify for as many of the major championships as I can and to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, especially because I have trained there for the last seven years.

“Leaving my current teammates behind will be sad, however all the boys are supportive and keep telling me how proud they are of me. We will definitely keep in touch. The way I see it is that I am just training in a different gym, it just happens to be at the other side of the world. I have been out to Illinois for a taster session and I know I am going to fit in well to the gym out there and I can see what a great opportunity it is for me.”

“Living on the other side of the world, away from my Mum and Dad and having to cope with things on my own will give me great experience and put me in a position to be independent. That should serve me well in the years to come and in the world of work. I am looking to find my way, to take a lot of life experience away from this. For me this is not just a commitment to sport or to university, I can see I will benefit from it way more than just getting a degree or furthering my gymnastics, it’s about everything that comes with it.“

Hamish set off for Illinois last Saturday and has promised to catch up with us again in the summer – keep up to date with his journey on Instagram @hamishcarter1 or Twitter @hamishcarter1

After a phenomenal 2018 which saw Team Scotland have its most successful overseas Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in terms of the number of medals won, a recent independent research report has re-confirmed the Team’s place in the hearts and minds of the nation, being valued as one of the nation’s favourite sporting teams.

The YouGov Sport survey looked at the perception of Team Scotland amongst the Scottish general population and the findings continue to demonstrate the high impact of the team on the public and the Team’s value in inspiring others, including future generations of successful Scottish athletes.

Particularly pleasing was that 64% of respondents hold a positive perception of Team Scotland, the same level as Scottish Rugby (64%). Over half of respondents rated Team Scotland success as being personally important to them, maintaining the high levels of support generated at the hugely successful ‘home’ 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Ongoing public financial support of the team was also seen to be important, with 35% believing that the team merits greater support, which would help maintain its success and impact.

When describing Team Scotland, the most common words used included hard working (48%), good role models (43%), a source of pride (42%), inspiring (36%), professional (34%), united (29%) and successful (28%), which strongly reflect the Team’s values of Proud, United, Ambitious, Inspirational and Inclusive.

Reflecting on the report, Chief Executive of Commonwealth Games Scotland, Jon Doig OBE said: “2018 was another hugely successful year for Team Scotland and it is extremely pleasing to see that the Team is held in such great affection by people across the country and that they value the work we are doing. This ongoing support, and that of our funding partners in the Scottish Government and sportscotland, is critical in ensuring we can continue to be successful and use the inspirational qualities of the Team to change lives through sport in communities across Scotland.

From the turn of the New Year, our focus now moves on to the next Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England in 2022, where we aim to raise the bar once again. The early stages of our planning are already underway and we hope that the groundswell of support we have enjoyed over the last four Games cycles will continue, with the opportunity for many of our fans to travel only a short distance to support the team, as once again they fly the flag for Scotland with pride.”

With three gold, one silver and one bronze, Scott McLay was the star of Bahamas 2017, ending the Games as Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Youth Games athlete in history, following an incredible few days in the pool. Just nine months later he was back on Team Scotland, this time as a senior at Gold Coast 2018, and once again returned with silverware, taking bronze as part of the 4x100m Freestyle Relay squad.

In November he was back racing alongside Gold Coast teammates Duncan Scott and Craig Benson, as part of the Stirling University contingent at the British Universities and Colleges Championships in Sheffield, where he came away with two gold and two silver medals across a successful weekend.  He followed up at last weekend’s Scottish National Short Course Championships in Edinburgh as he broke Todd Cooper’s long standing National 50m Butterfly record set back in 2003. His Team Scotland experiences, he says, have given him a huge boost as he looks to a big 2019 where he is targeting a place at the World Championships in South Korea:

“My first experience with Team Scotland at Bahamas 2017 is something I’ll never forget as it was such a good atmosphere to be part of, which played a key part in my success. Everyone came together in every sport to support one another and it was like being part of a family – something I also found at Gold Coast 2018. The experience of swimming with a crowd of over 10,000 looking at you and the fact I was part of a medal winning relay was just beyond what I expected at my first senior Games. When we swam the relay we all felt as one with the same goal, to get a medal, but my favourite part of the Games was the whole atmosphere -getting to know people from all over the world and getting to know what they do. I was just taking it all in.

“There is nothing better than seeing your hard work in training show through, and that is exactly what the Commonwealth Games was, years of hard work and dedication paying off and it was more than worth it. My goal for the next year is to try and get into the Great Britain team for the World Championships, which is something I have dreamed about since starting swimming. Then my ultimate goal is to go the Olympics and to win an Olympic medal.”

Big ambitions, meaning more years of hard work and dedication ahead. He’ll be supported on the next part of his journey by a PHM Athlete Award, one of 18 young athletes across the Commonwealth Games sports to receive one for the coming year.

“Any sport is expensive to stay in and that’s why the Award will be a huge help,” he said. “I’ll use the money towards equipment, race entries and travel to competitions, which will take the financial pressure off me and allow me to concentrate fully on just the swimming. The fact that I’m getting a PHM Award is just amazing as it shows that my hard work is noticed and that, with this support, I’ll continue to do the sport I love to achieve my dreams.”

By the time of the next Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in three and a half years’ time, Scott will be 23 years old and could be a key player in Team Scotland’s swimming team as he reaches his peak. He’s certainly proved he can perform on the big stage and is definitely one to look out for on future major championship podiums.

The first woman ever to take to the boxing ring at a Commonwealth Games for Team Scotland as she made her debut at Gold Coast 2018, Vicky Glover has already become something of a trailblazer in Scottish women’s boxing at the age of just 19. In another ‘first’, she is one of three women selected as part of Scotland’s first ever female contingent at the World Elite Championships, which begin this week in Delhi, India.

With preliminary bouts getting underway on Thursday 15 November, she joins Stephanie Kernachan and Megan Reid in making Scottish Boxing history as she goes for glory in the 57kg category. Fully aware of the significance of the occasion she is ready for the challenge and determined to set the bar high for those that follow in her footsteps.

“It’s a privilege to be one of Scotland’s first women to compete at the World Championships,” she said. “This is a big step for female boxing in Scotland and shows great progress within the sport. I would love to perform to my best and win a medal.”

Her track record shows she is capable of fulfilling that ambition, with 5^th place at the 2017 World Youth Championships and an agonisingly close split decision in Gold Coast denying her from adding the historic achievement of becoming Scotland’s first ever female boxing medallist at the Commonwealth Games.

A win in the quarter-finals would have guaranteed her bronze and yet another place in history. Matched up against the experienced Canadian Sabrina Aubin-Boucher, Vicky put in a phenomenal performance with two of the five judges scoring her the winner. Unfortunately the other three gave it to the Canadian, but despite the disappointment of being so close yet so far from a medal ‘Down Under’ she has shown true strength of character and quietly refocused on the next goal.

“My experience in the Gold Coast was one of a lifetime,” she said. “Apart from competing, what I enjoyed most was getting to know all the other athletes from different sports and countries and how we all came together. Next up is the World Championships where I would love to medal and apart from that my main aim for the next year is to get on the GB boxing team and to win another Scottish and British title. I ultimately hope to be selected for Birmingham 2022 and aim for a gold medal.”

That steely determination caught the eye of the Scottish Commonwealth Games Youth Trust when it came to choosing a select bunch of young athletes to receive PHM Athlete Awards for the coming year.

“I am very grateful to receive a PHM Athlete Award,” said Vicky. “It will help me in so many ways to achieve my goal, for example helping with training costs, travel expenses and training kit. This takes the stress away from me, meaning I can focus fully on my goal of winning a medal at the World Championships.”

The Women’s World Boxing Championships take place in Delhi, India from 15-24 November 2018. Follow Vicky and her team mates’ progress on Boxing Scotland’s Facebook page.

With the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships having just come to a close in Doha, one Scottish gymnast watching avidly will have been City of Glasgow’s Kelvin Cham, perhaps with aspirations of one day taking to that World stage himself. Bronze medallist in the Team Event at Gold Coast 2018 in his first major championships, it’s been a quick rise to the elite level for the 20 year old, who claimed the Scottish All-Around title in his first year as a senior gymnast in 2017 on route to the Games.

“My experience in Gold Coast was amazing,” said Kelvin. “It was my first major competition and it gave me an insight of what it is like to compete and train at the top level. I loved preparing for the competition with the team and being in the village with other elite athletes. I learnt a lot from the Games and also from my older team mates, who have been many other big competitions.”

He was certainly in exalted company in Gold Coast as Olympic and World medallist Daniel Purvis and former European Junior All-Around champion Frank Baines returned to Team Scotland after securing a historic first team medal for Scotland at Glasgow 2014.

In a true team effort Kelvin, Daniel and Frank, along with David Weir and Hamish Carter, secured a second successive Team Event medal in Gold Coast, but it was far from plain sailing. Injured at the British Championships just weeks before the start of the Games, it was touch and go whether Kelvin would even be able to compete. He put in a strong performance until an awkward landing on his Rings routine aggravated his injury and ended his competition, earning high praise from Purvis in post event media interviews for his contribution to the team.

“My injury was three weeks before the competition, so it restricted which apparatus I could compete on during the Games,” said Kelvin. “It meant a lot to me to win a medal with the team because we worked so hard to get there and do our best. It was my first Games and I was nervous about how I would perform with my injury. I had lots on my mind but everyone around me was always helping.”

Taking time to fully rehab his injury after Gold Coast, Kelvin has not yet competed since the Games but is hungry to get back in the competition arena and has received a boost with the news that he has been awarded a PHM Athlete Award via the Scottish Commonwealth Games Youth Trust.

“My next competition is Scottish championships at the start of next year and I am looking forward to compete at the start of 2019 fully fit,” he said. “The PHM Athlete Award means a lot because I’m not funded currently and have to coach to make money.  I’m proud to have been selected for this Award and I am very grateful that I am being supported in my journey.  In the next year I would love to be competing fully fit against the top gymnasts in Great Britain and Birmingham 2022 is 100% my next big aim.”

Team Scotland’s golden girl of the athletics track at the Bahamas 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games with victory in the 1500m, just nine months later Erin Wallace was back on a Commonwealth Games start line, having made the immediate step up to the senior team for Gold Coast 2018. Going from junior to senior ranks is a big ask for any young athlete, but even more remarkably she did it in a different sport, competing in the Triathlon Mixed Relay event ‘Down Under’.

“Gold Coast was a surreal experience and one that I will never forget,” said Erin. “I didn’t expect to compete in my first Commonwealth Games so soon after the Commonwealth Youth Games. It was very special, as I watched a lot of the previous Commonwealth Games in Glasgow because it was my hometown. I never would have guessed four years down the line that I would be competing myself.”

And she didn’t stop at there. A jam-packed summer saw her finish 7^th over 1500m at the World Junior Athletics Championships in Finland and just a week later finish 5^th  at the European Junior Triathlon Championships in Estonia. Fast forward a couple of months and she was back in Gold Coast for the World Junior Triathlon Championships, where she put in an incredible performance to take the silver medal.

“It has been a bit hectic at times, but I’m grateful that I was given equal opportunities to compete in both sports,” she says. “It’s tough to pick a highlight, but making it to the final of the World Junior 1500m and the silver medal I won in Gold Coast later on in the year were special for similar reasons.  In both I felt that I was able to execute my best race on the day for what I was capable of and all the work I had put in was shown.”

On the back of her outstanding track record, Erin was recently named as one of 18 young Scottish athletes receiving a PHM Scholarship Award through the Scottish Commonwealth Games Youth Trust, following in the footsteps of current stars such as Charlie Flynn, Kirsty Gilmour and Zoey Clark.

“Reading the article that listed the previous recipients of the award, seeing the names there brings it home what a privilege it is to receive this support. I’m looking to compete in a few races abroad to gain some more experience before the summer season kicks off, so the money will really help me with that and hopefully give me racing experience to help me perform at my best in the championships.

“The recognition has also helped me look at my long term goals in these two sports more realistically. So far there has been a fair amount of overlap in training, with my triathlon training providing a pretty good aerobic base for my athletics, so I have not found balancing too difficult. It’s hard to fit all the training I want to do into the week, whilst still having enough recovery time, and I forget sometimes that I can’t train as a full time runner and triathlete simultaneously!”

Finalist in the Young Athlete of the Year category at September’s Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards, Erin is also shortlisted as a finalist for U20 Athlete of the Year at this weekend’s scottishathletics Annual Awards. Not one to rest on her laurels, she is full of ambition for 2019 and beyond, including already looking ahead to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“Next year my main aims are the European Junior Championships in both Athletics and Triathlon during the summer and luckily next year they are nicely spread apart which will let me focus on both of them individually. There is also the World Junior Triathlon Championships which is closer to home this time, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“I would like to compete at Birmingham 2022 because a Games so close to home would be amazing to compete in and I would love to experience an atmosphere similar to Glasgow 2014. I suppose long term my goals are similar to most athletes – to compete or medal at the Olympics and World Championships – and hopefully with the support I have this will be possible. Although there are other stepping stones along the way to top success, I’m excited to see what the future brings.”

Fresh from the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, where she helped showcase her sport on the world stage as a squash ambassador, Georgia Adderley is looking to the future, which she hopes will include Commonwealth Games glory and, perhaps, another chance to participate at Olympic level.

“Buenos Aires was an incredible experience,” she says. “This has been huge for the sport, to have the chance to prove why it should be in the Olympics and the way it has changed and developed over the past few years to help it become a better spectator sport. I was asked to go and I didn’t think twice about it. The glass court had an interactive front wall and was very vibrant and I played lots of different people in a non-competitive environment. I really enjoyed being able to watch some of the sports taking part in the Olympics and to see lots of other athletes perform. I also saw some of the city and experienced the culture of South America, which was a fantastic new experience.”

With Squash included in Buenos Aires as a demonstration event, she hopes it will help pave the way to inclusion in future Games.

“I really hope Squash will be in the next Olympics as it is an incredibly unique sport like no other. It has everything and is exciting to watch and play and can be played at any age or stage. It has every right to be there and I hope 2024 will be the year!”

As well as her Youth Olympics experience, winning European Junior Championships bronze, Scottish Senior and British Junior Championships gold and British Junior Open bronze are just some of the highlights that Georgia has crammed into the last 12 months. On the back of her impressive string of results and passion for developing her sport, she was recently named as one of 18 young Scottish athletes awarded a PHM Scholarship Award by the Scottish Commonwealth Games Youth Trust for 2019, as she prepares to make the transition from junior to senior ranks.

“This support means so much to me,” she says. “I will be using the money towards my travel and accommodation at the events I plan on playing to help improve me as a squash player and develop as an elite athlete.

“To be among some great athletes who have had it, both in the past and currently, means so much to me. To know that other people are behind me and to have this support is really encouraging to me. This is going to help me to be the best athlete I can be, both on court and off court, and ensure I am prepared for every match I play.”

While in receipt of support like this herself, Georgia is already paying it forward through her involvement in Scottish Women in Sport’s ‘Girls Do Squash’ campaign, which aims to encourage girls and women into sport.

“This is something I am really passionate about and want to see grow and develop,” says Georgia. “I think sport is so important and keeps you healthy in so many different ways – it helps you to meet new people, stay mentally healthy and keep fit to mention just a few. Not enough people play, especially girls, and I really am excited to see this change, however long that takes! Sport has played such a huge role in my life and I love sharing that. It’s something I want to continue to work at and help grow this part of our sport culture.”

Next up is another busy year for the 17 year old, with the British Junior Championships later this month, both individual and team European U19 Championships in April and World Junior Championships in July high on the agenda. The ultimate goal is to become the best in the world and to win Commonwealth Games gold. With her drive and determination, she’s on the right track.