Team Scotland’s selections for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games raced past the 200 mark as a further 92 athletes across 10 sports were announced at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum today (14 February). The list of newly selected athletes includes Olympic and World medallists, defending Commonwealth Games champions and a host of athletes breaking through to make a Commonwealth Games debut.
Olympic champions Katie Archibald and Callum Skinner head a list of 16 Cycling selections, with fellow Olympian, Grant Ferguson, also named. Tandem pairing Aileen McGlynn and Louise Haston take to the boards once again, after double silver in Glasgow 2014 while Neil Fachie, double gold medallist four years ago, teams up with Matt Rotherham in the Men’s Tandem events, looking to defend both titles. There is also a raft of young talent on the track with Jack Carlin, Mark Stewart, Jonathan Wale and Neah Evans all medallists on the World Cup circuit in the past two years.
John Archibald, elder brother to Katie, also makes the team following a rapid rise on the track. Better known as a road cyclist, he made the switch in 2017 with the aim of making the Gold Coast Games, a decision that has been vindicated by top results. Most recently brother and sister won Points Race gold on the same weekend at the British Championships.
In Gymnastics, World and Olympic medallist Dan Purvis and reigning British Floor and Vault champion, Frank Baines are the returning members of the team which won a historic silver medal in the Team Event at Glasgow 2014. They are joined by three 19 year-old rising stars; 2017 Scottish All-Around champion Kelvin Cham, double British Championship medallist Hamish Carter and David Weir, who took seven medals at last year’s Scottish Championships including two gold.
After a fifth place in the Team Event in Glasgow, Cara Kennedy leads a women’s trio which includes Shannon Archer, who took four gold, including the All-Around title, at the 2017 Scottish Championships and Scottish Uneven Bars champion, Isabella Tolometti.
Dan Purvis said: “I was so proud and relieved to win the full set of medals in Glasgow, especially with it being a home Games. The biggest medal for me though was the team silver. I felt so proud standing on the podium with my team-mates having created history for Scottish Gymnastics. It’s something I’ll never forget.
“I’m so excited looking forward to the Gold Coast Games. It’s a huge opportunity to show my gymnastics to the world and as the senior team member this time, I hope I can help the others enjoy the occasion, do as well as possible, and hopefully come away with a medal or two between us.”
With Scotland recently drawn alongside top seeds India in the Badminton Team Event, eight players are selected, four of whom competed in Glasgow. Silver medallist on that occasion, Kirsty Gilmour goes in her third Commonwealth Games and will be in the medal hunt once again, with the Rio 2016 Olympics, two European Championships silver medals and a first Scottish Open title the highlights of her recent success.
Also making his third Games appearance is Kieran Merrilees in the Men’s Singles, while Men’s Doubles pairing Martin Campbell and Patrick MacHugh return from Glasgow 2014. Four exciting young talents will make their debut in Gold Coast, including European Junior Mixed Doubles silver medallists Eleanor O’Donnell and Alex Dunn, Adam Hall who has enjoyed a string of tournament wins in Men’s Doubles with Dunn and Julie MacPherson, who played both Women’s and Mixed Double at the 2017 World Championships.
Kirsty Gilmour said: “I’m ecstatic about competing in my third Commonwealth Games, and it will be a very different experience than my previous ones.
“In Delhi I was there to soak it all in and gain experience and then in Glasgow I was second seed and met that expectation with a silver medal. This time however, the competition for the three medals in ladies singles will be fought between maybe five or six of us, so really anything can happen. It’s going to be tougher not having the Scottish crowd right behind me like I had in Glasgow but I’m sure they’ll be with me in Gold Coast in spirit.
“We’re sending a relatively young team but one with a lot of potential. Everyone is coming off of some strong performances in tournaments and channeling all that energy towards the Games. It’s a really positive feeling, we just want to get started now!”
Netball select an exciting squad of 12 players, with an even split of youth and experience. Six return from the Glasgow 2014 team, including Claire Brownie who will captain the team in Gold Coast, vice-captain Lynsey Gallagher and stalwart Hayley Mulheron, who has over 100 caps for the National side. Of the six athletes making their Games debut, three are age 20 or younger; Bethany Sutherland who captained the 2017 World Youth Cup team to eighth place, Beth Goodwin, named Player of the Tournament on her senior debut at 2017 Netball Europe and Niamh McCall, the first player born in the 2000s to receive a senior cap.
Team captain Claire Brownie said: “I am honoured and very excited to be selected for the Commonwealth Games. It is an amazing experience to be part of Team Scotland, I absolutely loved it in 2014 and cannot wait to join up with the wider Team Scotland family, get out to the Gold Coast and put all of our hard work into practice. We have an amazing squad full of youth and experience, we are delighted with our new Team Scotland playing kit which nods to both our Scottish Thistles presence mixed in with the Team Scotland design, and we are really excited for the opportunity to represent our country in front of the world.”
Team Scotland will take to the field in both the Men’s and Women’s Hockey competitions at Gold Coast 2018, with both sides a mix of returning players and debutants. Scotland’s men took an outstanding victory in the 2017 EuroHockey Challenge II and go into Gold Coast 2018 set on bettering their eighth place finish of four years ago. There is 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.
After qualification for the World League semi-finals in 2017 and a successful recent test series against Wales, the women’s side will be looking to build on sixth place at Glasgow 2014. Twelve players make their Games debut while five return from the Glasgow 2014 side, along with defender Kareena Cuthbert whose last Games appearance was Delhi 2010.
Scottish Hockey CEO David Sweetman said, “We’re incredibly proud to announce such exciting hockey squads for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, and I’d like to offer my congratulations to all the athletes selected. This announcement is a great testament to all the hard work and dedication shown by each athlete in the squads.
“Our players and staff are fantastic ambassadors for hockey. We look forward to cheering them on as they compete in Australia and we wish the whole of Team Scotland the very best of luck for April’s Games.”
Diver Grace Reid is selected for her third Commonwealth Games at the age of just 21. The youngest athlete on Team Scotland in 2010, Grace stepped up at Glasgow 2014 to finish fifth in the 1m Springboard and since then she has made her Olympic debut, taken World silver and European gold in Mixed Synchro and become the first Scot since 1954 to take an individual medal at the European Championships. James Heatly, who recorded two top ten finishes in Glasgow, has also been a recent visitor to the European Championships podium, taking bronze in the Men’s 3m Synchro in 2017.
They are joined by 19 year-old Gemma MacArthur and 16 year-old Lucas Thomson who have already found success in the 2018 Games Diving venue, teaming up to win Mixed Synchro gold at the Gold Coast Grand Prix in November. Thomson was also a 2018 British Championship gold medallist alongside Heatly in the Men’s 3m Sychro event. The Swimming squad has also been boosted by the addition of Rio 2016 Olympian Camilla Hattersley and 2016 European University Games gold medallist Abbie Houston.
A four-strong Wrestling team sees Glasgow 2014 medallists Alex Gladkov and Viorel Etko return to Team Scotland, where they are joined by Commonwealth Championships bronze medallist, Ross Connelly, and British Open champion, Joe Hendry. Gladkov and Etko’s bronze medals in Glasgow were Scotland’s first in the sport for 20 years and the team will be looking for more medal success in Gold Coast.
High jumper Nikki Manson joins the Athletics line-up and has been in sparking form in 2018. She leapt to a personal best of 1.87m in the Czech Republic in January and followed up with a Scottish National and Native indoor record of 1.90m at last weekend’s Scottish Universities Championships. Pistol shooter Jessica Liddon has also earned a place at Gold Coast 2018 after two top 10 placings at the 2017 Commonwealth Championships.
Today’s announcement bring the number of athletes selected for Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to 207. Further selections, including the Rugby 7s squad, will be announced in March.
SELECTED ATHLETES
ATHLETICS (1)
Name Hometown / Lives
Nikki Manson Glasgow / Glasgow
BADMINTON (8)
Name Hometown / Lives
Martin Campbell Edinburgh / Glasgow
Alexander Dunn Motherwell / Motherwell
Adam Hall Mauchline / Paisley
Patrick MacHugh Kinross / Glasgow
Kieran Merrilees Glasgow / Glasgow
Kirsty Gilmour Bothwell / Glasgow
Julie MacPherson Edinburgh / Edinburgh
Eleanor O’Donnell Beith / Beith
CYCLING (16)
Name Hometown / Lives
John Archibald Glasgow / Milngavie
Jack Carlin Paisley / Manchester
Neil Fachie Aberdeen / Aberdeen
Andy Fenn Birmingham / Maidstone
Grant Ferguson Peebles / Manchester
Kyle Gordon Alness / Ardross
Matt Rotherham Bolton / Bolton
Callum Skinner Edinburgh / Manchester
Mark Stewart Dundee / Manchester
Jonathan Wale Edinburgh / Amersham
Katie Archibald Glasgow / Wilmslow, Cheshire
Neah Evans Cuminestown, Aberdeenshire
Louise Haston South Queensferry / Edinburgh
Aileen McGlynn Glasgow / Manchester
Eileen Roe High Valleyfield, Fife / Dunfermline
Isla Short Peebles / Peebles
DIVING (4)
Name Hometown / Lives
James Heatly Edinburgh / Edinburgh
Lucas Thomson Balerno / Balerno
Gemma McArthur Fleet, Hampshire / Fleet, Hampshire
Grace Reid Edinburgh / Edinburgh
GYMNASTICS (8)
Name Hometown / Lives
Frank Baines Liverpool / Liverpool
Hamish Carter West Bridgford / Birmingham
Kelvin Cham Paisley / Paisley
Daniel Purvis Southport / Southport
David Weir Dreghorn, North Ayrshire / Dreghorn, North Ayrshire
Shannon Archer Uphall / Uphall
Cara Kennedy Paisley / Paisley
Isabella Tolometti Alford, Aberdeenshire / Alford / Aberdeenshire
MEN’S HOCKEY (18)
Name Hometown / Lives
Tommy Alexander Virginia Water / Virginia Water
Russell Anderson Chester / Derby
Kenneth Bain Paisley / Amsterdam
Michael Bremner Kilbarchan / Glasgow
Gavin Byers Dundee / Dundee
Callum Duke Glasgow / Glasgow
David Forrester Glasgow / Glasgow
Alan Forsyth Paisley / London
David Forsyth Paisley / Amsterdam
Cameron Fraser Edinburgh / Edinburgh
Chris Grassick Balerno, Midlothian / Surbiton, Surrey
Rob Harwood Milngavie / Glasgow
William Marshall Paisley / Leatherhead, Surrey
Gordon McIntyre Greenock / London
Lee Morton Glasgow / Paisley
Nicholas Parkes Glasgow / London
Duncan Riddell Edinburgh / Readling
Jamie Wong Aberdeen / Aberdeen
WOMEN’S HOCKEY (18)
Name Hometown / Lives
Amy Brodie Edinburgh / Edinburgh
Camilla Brown Edinburgh / Glasgow
Nicki Cochrane Dunblane / Dunblane
Robyn Collins Fenwick / Surbiton & Loughborough
Rebecca Condie Birmingham / Birmingham
Amy Costello Edinburgh / Edinburgh
Kareena Cuthbert Greenock / Glasgow
Mairi Drummond Edinburgh / London
Amy Gibson Dumbarton / Cardross
Alison Howie Glasgow / Glasgow
Sarah Jamieson Edinburgh / Edinburgh
Lucy Lanigan Glasgow / Edinburgh
Nikki Lloyd Beckenham / Surrey
Sarah Robertson Selkirk / Selkirk
Katie Robertson Freuchie, Fife / Freuchie, Fife
Nicola Skrastin Helensburgh / Helensburgh
Rebecca Ward Dundee / Glasgow
Charlotte Watson Dundee / Dundee
NETBALL (12)
Name Hometown / Lives
Claire Brownie Aberdeen / Airdrie
Fiona Fowler Mooroopna, Australia
Lynsey Gallagher East Kilbride / East Kilbride
Ella Gibbons Worcester / Renfrew
Bethan Goodwin Glasgow / Cambuslang
Niamh McCall Strathaven / Strathaven
Nicola McCleery East Kilbride / East Kilbride
Hayley Mulheron Glasgow / Glasgow & Biggera Waters, Australia
Samantha Murphy East Kilbride / East Kilbride
Emily Nicholl Biggar / Rutherglen
Jo Pettitt West Linton / Rutherglen
Bethany Sutherland Golspie / Hertfordshire
SHOOTING (1)
Name Hometown / Lives
Jessica Liddon Lockerbie
SWIMMING (2)
Name Hometown / Lives
Camilla Hattersley Perth / Glasgow
Abbie Houston Dumfries / Sheffield
WRESTLING (4)
Name Hometown / Lives
Viorel Etko Aberdeen / Old Meldrum
Alex Gladkov Glasgow / Glasgow
Joe Hendry Edinburgh / Edinburgh
Ross Connolly Cumbernauld / Cumbernauld
Scotland have been confirmed in both Men’s and Women’s Hockey events at Gold Coast 2018 and will be looking to make their mark Down Under. As part of our Sport Focus series, here are 12 things you might not know about Hockey at the Commonwealth Games:
- 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.
- Each team will send a squad of 18 players to Gold Coast 2018, with 11 players on the pitch at any one time.
- Hockey competition will run for the duration of the Games from 5-14 April and take place at the Gold Coast Hockey Centre which has undergone a $16.5million upgrade for the Games, completed in June 2017.
- Both Scotland’s men and women will play the host nation, and defending champions, Australia in the group stages.
- Scotland’s men are drawn in Pool A against Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada while the women are drawn in Pool B against Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ghana.
- Both Scotland men’s and women’s team will play on the opening day of the Games – men v South Africa and women v New Zealand.
- Twenty four umpires from a range of nations have been appointed by the International Hockey Federation to preside over the tournament. These include two from Scotland: Sarah Wilson (women’s event) and David Sweetman (men’s event).
- Australia have dominated the sport at the Commonwealth Games with their men winning every gold medal to date and their women winning on all but one occasion, when they took bronze at Manchester 2002.
- 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.
- 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.
Three of Team Scotland’s track and field cohort for the Commonwealth Games have been forced to withdraw from Gold Coast 2018.
Injury and fitness problems have unfortunately ruled out Andy Butchart, Jax Thoirs and Emma Nuttall.
Endurance runner Butchart, pole vaulter Thoirs and high jumper Nuttall have reluctantly conceded defeat in their efforts to be with Team Scotland in Australia over the past few days and their withdrawals can now be confirmed.
Any Team Scotland additions or replacements for Gold Coast 2018 will be announced in due course.
Thoirs had opened the Indoor Season with a good clearance before a blood clot issue affected his health and he is now to have surgery on a rib which will ensure he would not be ready for Gold Coast.
Butchart raced over 3000m at the Millrose Games in New York on February 3 but during that race he suffered a fractured navicular bone in his right foot and an MRI scan in Boston revealed the extent of the problem.
Nuttall was nursing a knee injury early in the New Year but further diagnosis confirmed tendinopathy in her left knee and training and competition had to be put on hold until early in the summer season – with the Gold Coast 2018 in early April just too soon for Emma.
Butchart posted a message on Instagram: “With 500m to go during my 3000m race at the Millrose Games last weekend I felt a sharp pain in my right foot.
“I knew what it was straight away and after an MRI in Boston it was confirmed – fractured navicular in the right foot.
“I am heartbroken to miss Gold Coast 2018! It definitely sucks and I won’t be racing for a while… but I’m going to come back faster, fitter and stronger than ever!
“Good luck to all with Team Scotland in Australia.”
Jon Doig OBE, Team Scotland Chef de Mission commented: “Sincere commiserations to Andy, Jax and Emma. I know just how much they were all looking forward to representing Team Scotland at Gold Coast 2018 and to succumb to injury at this late stage is a huge blow.
“We wish them all a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing them back in action later in the season.
“Despite their own personal disappointment I am sure they will be cheering on their team mates when the Games get underway in just over 50 days-time.”
Scotland’s badminton players face a tough test at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games as today’s draw for the Mixed Team event saw them pitted against the World’s top nation, India, in the group stages.
Australian Commonwealth Games Badminton medallists Rhonda Cator and Michaela Smith were on hand at The Star Gold Coast as the 16 competing nations were drawn into four groups and the schedule for the group playoff stage of the GC2018 Badminton team event was confirmed.
Nations were seeded based on their world rankings and the official draw was completed according to Badminton World Federation (BWF) rules.
Stage one of the draw saw India as the top nation in world rankings allocated the top spot in Group A and Malaysia, as the number two seed and going for a fourth consecutive gold medal in this event, allocated top spot in Group D. In stage two, third seeds England drew the top spot in Group C and fourth seeds Singapore drew Group B.
From there, nations were drawn randomly based on their world rankings with Scotland drawn in Group A with India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Over the first two days of the Games, 5-6 April, teams will play each nation in their group in a round-robin format, with the top two nations from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals – where the knockout phase begins.
The draw for the knockout stage of the competition, which runs from 7-9 April, will be determined immediately after the last match of the group playoff stage.
Reacting to the draw, Badminton Team Manager, Christine Black, said: “I think the players will be quite happy with that group. All four nations will be strong but we’ve just got to focus on ourselves and make sure we finish in the top two to get through to the quarter-finals. We have a young team who will be quite capable of that and if we could beat India that would be a fantastic result.”
Group Playoff Stage:
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| India | Singapore | England | Malaysia |
| Scotland | Mauritius | Australia | Canada |
| Pakistan | Zambia | South Africa | Seychelles |
| Sri Lanka | Jamaica | Uganda | Ghana |
The Badminton competition will take place from 5-15 April at the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre, the venue which hosted the 2017 Sudirman Cup. The Mixed Team competition will be the first event on the programme and is followed by the Singles and Doubles events.
The Badminton players who will represent Team Scotland at Gold Coast 2018 will be announced later this month.
After fantastic results for Scotland at both World League and European Championships in 2017, Hockey player Gavin Byers will be hoping to make his Commonwealth Games debut for Team Scotland at Gold Coast 2018. With the team set to be announced shortly, we caught up with Gavin for a look back at a successful summer and a look ahead to the prospect of playing hosts Australia on their home soil:
The Scottish Men’s team were on form in 2017, what were your personal highlights?
2017 was a fantastic year for the men’s team – possibly the most successful we’ve ever had. Finishing 3rd at World League 2, three places above our ranking was a brilliant start to the year and really set the tone for the coming months. We progressed on to World League 3 where we finished 10th, but considering we were up against some of the best teams in the world we really gave a great account of ourselves and showed the rest of the world what we were all about and that we could compete and challenge at that high level.
This set us up perfectly for the European Championships in Glasgow. Five wins from five resulted in a gold medal and promotion to the Elite division in 2019. That was definitely the highlight of 2017, celebrating with the boys after a tough week with a gold medal around our necks!
Another highlight would have to be the efforts of our friends, families and fans that helped raise nearly £20,000 through Crowdfunding which enabled us to prepare and perform throughout the year. All this would not have been possible without the generosity of all those who donated. It was truly heart-warming to see the Hockey community come together and help us in our quest for a gold medal.
How has the team’s performance been so far in 2018 ?
We did get off to a flyer at the Indoor Euros in Cyprus, but ultimately we didn’t hit our objective which was to finish in the top two in order to gain promotion to the higher division next time round.
Leading the team as captain was a great honour and I am very proud of all the players who put in tremendous effort throughout the tournament. We returned with a feeling of great disappointment, but also determination to pick ourselves up and keep going.
Team Scotland have never won a Commonwealth Games medal in a team sport, how would you rate the team’s chances at Gold Coast 2018?
Whenever we go into a tournament, we are always full of optimism and of course we want to win – but, in reality, this will be one of the most challenging tournaments we have ever faced. We are ranked 9th out of 10 and face Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada who are all ranked much higher than us in the World Rankings.
To make the semi-finals would be an outstanding achievement. Every game will be extremely tough, but after 2017 the team are on a high and we must take advantage of this feeling and approach every game with no fear. 2017 has taught us that we can compete with any team and win crucial games. If we can carry that into 2018, who knows what we can achieve.
What about the prospect of playing the host nation in the group stages at Gold Coast 2018?
Every game will be tough, but Australia are the world number one so this will undoubtedly be the toughest game. Playing them in front of their home crowd will be a memorable moment but one that the team relishes. The team knows just how much a home crowd can help during a game (as we found out in Glasgow 2014 and last year at the Europeans) so the Australians will be looking to put on a show. We’ll be ready for that challenge and will look to silence the home support this time round…
The Gold Coast 2018 Hockey competition runs from 5-14 April, with Scotland set to name both men’s and women’s teams later this month.
Weightlifting has been a regular contributor to the Team Scotland medal tally since the sport made its Commonwealth Games debut nearly 70 years ago. As our Sport Focus comes to a close, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport and its history at the Games:
- Weightlifting was first included at the 1950 Auckland Games and has been included ever since. It is one of a number of core sports which must be included at each Commonwealth Games.
- Para-Sport Powerlifting made its Commonwealth Games debut in 2002, also the year that Weightlifting events for women were first included.
- Scotland has won a total of 16 medals in Weightlifting across all Games; two gold, five silver and nine bronze.
- Philip Caira is Scotland’s most successful weightlifter with two gold medals, won in 1958 and 1962. He remains Scotland’s only gold medallist in Weightlifting to date.
- Peter Kirkbride won gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2004 and went on to win silver as a senior at Delhi 2010, missing out on gold by a single kilogram.
- At the Kuala Lumpur 1998 Games, twin brothers Stuart and Tommy Yule found themselves on opposing teams due to a quirk of residency rules. Stuart competed for Scotland while Tommy competed for England. They were finally reunited in wearing Scotland colours at Manchester 2002, with Tommy winning bronze in the Snatch. Tommy went on to also win bronze in 2006.
- Weightlifting competition consists of two different lifts executed in a standard order: first the Snatch and then the Clean and Jerk. Athletes within each weight category have three attempts for each movement and they are required to complete valid lifts in both in order to post a score.
- Between 1990 and 2002 separate medals were awarded for the Snatch, the Clean and Jerk and for combined total. Since 2006 medals have only been awarded for combined total.
- In Weightlifting, an ascending bar system is used with lifts occurring in order of weight attempted, from lowest to highest, throughout the competition. This may mean that an individual lifter makes several attempts in succession. Lifters are allowed several changes to the weight they have declared.
- At Glasgow 2014, Micky Yule became the first Scottish athlete to compete in Para-Sport Powerlifting, finishing 4th. He returns for Gold Coast 2018 in the hunt for a podium place.
- Micky will be joined in Gold Coast by four weightlifters, all making their Commonwealth Games debut. Meet all five athletes in their Athlete Profiles.
- Weightlifting at the Gold Coast 2018 Games will take place in the newly constructed Carrara Sports & Leisure Centre, also the venue for Badminton and Wrestling.
In the Sport Focus spotlight this week is Hockey, with Scotland set to send both women’s and men’s teams to Gold Coast 2018. All the action from the pool stages will be on show at the Gold Coast Hockey Centre from 5-11 April 2018, with semi-finals and medal matches from 12-14 April.
Our Sport Focus Series features each of the 18 sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme through athlete interviews, facts & figures, competition news and more.
Hockey at the Commonwealth Games
Hockey made its Commonwealth Games debut at Kuala Lumpur 1998 where Scotland fielded a women’s team, just missing out on a semi-final place to India on goal difference. The women’s side have taken the field at every Games since, with their best result a 5th place at Melbourne 2006. Scotland’s men made their debut at Melbourne 2006 and have contested every Games since, 7th place their best finish to date.
Australia have been dominant with their men’s team winning gold at every Games to date and their women’s team taking the title on all but one occasion.
Find out more about Hockey in the Commonwealth Games, including the competition format, rules and equipment on our dedicated Hockey page.
Team Scotland 2018
Team Scotland will take to the field in both the Men’s and Women’s competition at Gold Coast 2018, having been confirmed among the 10 teams awarded a place in each event. Both sides will be in action on the first day of competition (5 April) and after a successful recent test series against Wales, the women’s side will be looking to build on 6th place at Glasgow 2014. Scotland’s men took an outstanding victory in the 2017 EuroHockey Challenge II and go into Gold Coast 2018 set on bettering their 8th place finish of four years ago.
A total of 118 athletes have been named to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date, with athletes announced in Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Lawn Bowls, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Triathlon and Weightlifting.
Further selections, including the final selection of Hockey players, will take place in February 2018.
Show Your Support!
You can show your support by uploading photos and messages on our supporters page and give Team Scotland’s athletes a boost as they prepare to do the country proud on one of sport’s biggest stages!
Look out for other ways to get behind the team in the countdown to Gold Coast on Team Scotland’s social media channels.
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.
Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.
Scotland Men’s Rugby 7s are set to face reigning champions South Africa in the pool stage of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, following the official draw made yesterday.
The draw was made at the Robina Stadium, the 27,500 capacity venue that will host the three days of high octane sevens from 13-15 April.
In the men’s event, the 16 competing nations were split into four pools, with Scotland drawn in Pool A alongside Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and South Africa, who beat New Zealand 17-12 in the final in Glasgow four years ago.
With a strong 2016/17 World Series season behind them, including a spectacular win at the season finale in London, Scotland will be looking to improve on their 7th place finish from Glasgow 2014 and push for what would be Team Scotland’s first ever medal in a team sport.
Hosts Australia are drawn in Pool B, while four-time winners New Zealand head up Pool C and Fiji, the Olympic champions, Pool D.
Teams within a pool will play each other in a round-robin format with the just the top team in each pool progressing through to the medal competition.
Reacting to the draw, Scotland 7s Head Coach, John Dalziel, said: “The Commonwealth Games is such a unique competition with some familiar faces and some unknown quantities.
“It’s a special tournament to be part of and we will be looking to keep building towards it.
“With only the group winner going through it is key we are accurate in all three games and hit the ground running in game one.
“We will be doing all we can from now until then to prepare and build accordingly.”
A women’s competition will be held for the first time in 2018, featuring eight teams, although Team Scotland will not be represented.
Men’s pools
A – South Africa, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia
B – England, Australia, Samoa, Jamaica
C – New Zealand, Canada, Kenya, Zambia
D – Fiji, Wales, Uganda, Sri Lanka
Women’s pools
A – New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Kenya
B – Australia, Fiji, England, Wales
Team Scotland’s fourth most successful sport of all time in terms of number of medals won, Shooting also boasts Scotland’s most decorated male and female athlete of any sport at the Games. As part of our Sport Focus in the countdown to Gold Coast 2018, here are 12 facts you might not know about Shooting at the Commonwealth Games:
- An optional sport on the programme, Shooting made its Commonwealth Games debut at Kingston 1966. The sport was not included at the next Games in Edinburgh in 1970 but has been included at every Games since.
- The four disciplines on the Commonwealth Games programme are: Clay Target; Pistol; Smallbore and Air Rifle; and Fullbore Rifle.
- Only two Shooting events have been contested at every Commonwealth Games since 1966; 50m Pistol and Fullbore Queen’s Prize Pairs. Of the other events, the 50m Rifle Prone has been included at all but the Auckland 1990 Games, while the Skeet was not included in 1966 but has been on the programme ever since.
- Scotland sit sixth on the all-time Commonwealth Games Shooting medal table with 45 medals; 12 gold, 15 silver and 18 bronze. Australia and England top the table – Australia in terms of gold medals won with 67, and England in terms of overall number of medals with 168, just five ahead of Australia.
- Scotland’s shooters had their most successful Commonwealth Games at Delhi 2010, winning nine medals; four gold, three silver and two bronze. Jennifer McIntosh and Jonathan Hammond each won gold in the Individual 50m Rifle Prone before teaming up with Kay Copeland and Neil Stirton respectively to win gold in both Men’s and Women’s Pairs events.
- Scotland’s most successful shooter is Alister Allan. His total of 10 medals over five Games appearances also makes him Scotland’s most decorated Commonwealth Games athlete of all time. Jonathan Hammond is Scotland’s most successful athlete at a single Games with two gold, a silver and a bronze at Delhi 2010.
- With two gold, one silver and two bronze medals, Jennifer McIntosh holds the accolade of Scotland’s top female shooter and Scotland’s most decorated female athlete in Games history – titles previously held by her mother Shirley.
- Scotland won its first Shooting medals at the Christchurch Games in 1974 where Colin McEachran won silver in the Fullbore Rifle and Alister Allan won bronze in the 50m Rifle Prone.
- Scotland’s first gold medal came four years later at Edmonton 1978 also courtesy of Alister Allan, who took victory in the 50m Rifle Prone ahead of Bill Watkins of Wales and Isle of Man’s Stewart Watterson.
- All Commonwealth Games Shooting events were open, until they were segregated by gender in 1994 for pistol and most rifle events, and in 2002 for trap and skeet events; whilst the full bore rifle competition remains an open event.
- Shooting events at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held at the Belmont Shooting Centre in Brisbane, which also hosted the 1982 Games competition.
- The 2017 Commonwealth Shooting Federation Championships were the test event for the Gold Coast 2018 Games and Scottish shooters took four medals; Jennifer McIntosh and Seoniad McIntosh took gold and silver respectively in the 50m Rifle Prone, with Seonaid also taking gold in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions. Ian Shaw and Sandy Walker were bronze medallists in the Fullbore Pairs.
Meet the athletes who will represent Team Scotland in Shooting at Gold Coast 2018 in their Athlete Profiles.
Team Scotland will have a second female boxer at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games following the selection of Elgin teenager Megan Gordon.
18-year-old Megan became the first female boxer in history to represent Team Scotland at any Commonwealth Games event, as she took bronze at the Bahamas 2017 Youth Games in July. She now steps up to the senior ranks and joins Glasgow’s Vicky Glover as one of Scotland’s first female boxers at the main Games.
Scottish Youth Champion for 2017, Megan narrowly missed out on adding the British Youth title, having to settle for silver on a split decision in the final. Building on her Youth Games success Megan was back in international action in September, winning silver at the Silesian Tournament in Poland.
Eager to make her senior Games debut, competing in the 45-48kg category in Gold Coast, she said: “When I got the phone call I was so excited. Going to the Youth Games was such an experience and really made me want to progress onto the senior Games, it’s such a big opportunity and something I’ve always wanted.
“I made so many friends from other sports in the Bahamas, but it will be nice to have another girl to experience the boxing side of things with this time around. Vicky and I have been at several events and training camps together and it would be great if we could both come back from the Gold Coast with a medal.”
Fraser Walker, Chief Executive at Boxing Scotland added: “Huge congratulations to Megan on her selection. It is a historic moment to be sending Scotland’s first female boxers to a Commonwealth Games and to now have a second woman on the team is fantastic news for the sport. We now have eleven boxers heading to Gold Coast and we are confident they will continue boxing’s past success and return with a number of medals.”
Chef de Mission Jon Doig OBE, said: “We are delighted to confirm Megan’s selection to Team Scotland. She was one of the stars of the Youth Games and we are sure she will step up again and make a big impact in the Gold Coast.”
Megan’s selection brings the total number of athletes named to Team Scotland to 118.
Further selections across a range of sports are under consideration, with the full team due to be confirmed in March.