Team Scotland qualifying standards for Gold Coast 2018 and Bahamas 2017 Youth Games could come under threat as almost 600 athletes flock to the Scottish Indoor Athletics Championships at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena on Saturday 28 January, the second event in the Team Scotland Series 2017.

With selection windows for both the Bahamas 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games open, the stage looks set for a day of top class action. Ten of Team Scotland’s record breaking Glasgow 2014 team appear on the start-lists, alongside three 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games medallists and a host of Scottish internationals, as both senior and under 17 athletes battle it out for the chance to be crowned Scottish champion.

The Team Scotland Series is a ground-breaking collaboration which brings together Scottish Championship events across 12 Commonwealth Games sports. Part of Team Scotland’s work to support member sports and champion the ongoing success of Scots on the national and international sporting stage, it aims to bring these domestic events to a wider audience, inspiring more Scots to excel.

Jon Doig OBE, Chief Executive at Commonwealth Games Scotland and Team Scotland Chef de Mission for Gold Coast 2018, said:

“The Team Scotland Series is an exciting collaboration between our member sports, aimed at raising the profile of these important Scottish Championships events and the part they play on the road to representing Team Scotland.

“This is the second event in the series and scottishathletics is building on Judo Scotland’s fantastic opening to this new initiative, with what is set to be a highly competitive event.  I look forward to seeing more future Team Scotland athletes in action at the Emirates Arena on Saturday, whether they are targeting a place at Bahamas 2017, Gold Coast 2018 or beyond.”

As athletes chase medals, titles and qualifying standards, scottishathletics President, Leslie Roy believes there is plenty to look forward to on Saturday:

“I think we are in for a fantastic day of athletics, with an opportunity for athletes to post a Commonwealth Games qualifying standard and indeed for our younger athletes a Commonwealth Youth Games qualifying standard,” said Leslie.

“Although 2017 is only a few weeks old, we have already experienced some top performances at the Emirates Arena with Laura Muir breaking the British 5000m record just after New Year and then the scottishathletics National Open producing a number of highlights and many PBs.”

Action starts at the Emirates Arena on Saturday 28 January from 10am with the last final taking place around 5.30pm. Tickets are available on the door, priced £5 for adults and free for Under 16s.

Commonwealth Games Scotland is saddened to learn of the passing of double Paralympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist John Robertson on 21 December 2016 at the age of 75.

Active in several sports, after a cycling accident at the age of 16 left him with spinal paralysis, John competed for Scotland at the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Perth, Australia in 1962, Kingston, Jamaica in 1966, Edinburgh in 1970 and Dunedin, New Zealand in 1974.

His two Paralympic Games appearances stand as testament to the remarkable longevity of John’s sporting career at the top level. Making his debut at Tokyo in 1964, his second Paralympic Games came an incredible 32 years later at Atlanta in 1996, where he finished 5^th in the lawn bowls Singles event. A bronze medal in Pairs followed at the 1998 IPC World Championships, but John’s finest hour came at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 where, in monsoon-like rain, he joined forces with Ivan Prior and David Heddle to win gold for Team Scotland in the Triples.

With a vision for inclusion ahead of his time, John was a pioneering voice in early efforts towards equality and access to sporting provision. John and his wife Val, a six-time Paralympic gold medallist, worked to develop a strong bowls community in and around Edinburgh and to widen access to participants with severe mobility challenges.

John will be remembered as an outstanding all-round sportsman who helped to lay the foundations for disability sport as we know it today.

Three Scots topped the podium in the senior events at the Scottish Open Judo Championships as the Team Scotland Series kicked off in style  in Edinburgh on Saturday 14 January.

With the opening event of the series attracting competitors from across the globe, the competition was fierce but rising star Scott Thomson overcame England’s Aaron Hales in the Men’s -60kg final to take gold, Michelle Boyle triumphed in the Women’s Over 78kg as she targets success on this year’s Senior European Circuit and Edinburgh’s Valentino Volante made it three Scottish wins with a successful switch down in weight category to -100kg.

Though not on the top step of the rostrum, there was a welcome return from a long term shoulder injury for Glasgow 2014 gold medallist Kimberley Renicks. She took silver in the Women’s -52kg event, losing out to 2015 winner Julia Scardone in the final.

The Team Scotland Series offers the chance to see future Team Scotland athletes in action and, with the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in Bahamas just six months away, some of Scotland’s brightest young stars were testing their form in the junior categories. Top performance from those targeting a Youth Games place came from Imogen Walls of the Sportif club with bronze in the -48kg event. She and others in the running for a place on Team Scotland now face a series of domestic and international qualifying tournaments before final selections are made in May.

Next in the Team Scotland Series is the Scottish Athletics Indoor Championships and, with selection windows for both Bahamas 2017 and Gold Coast 2018 open and athletes battling it out for the chance to call themselves Scottish champion, all eyes will be on Glasgow’s Emirates Arena on 28 January.

Photo credit: Yvonne Campbell

As a huge year for Scotland’s athletes begins, Team Scotland is excited to announce a ground-breaking collaboration across Scottish sport, with the launch of the new Team Scotland Series.

Developed as part of Team Scotland’s work to support member sports and champion the ongoing success of Scots on the national and international sporting stage, inspiring more Scots to excel, the Team Scotland Series brings together 17 Scottish Championship events across 12 Commonwealth Games sports over the next year. All the action kicks off this weekend with the Scottish Open Judo Championships in Edinburgh.

Across all sports, the Scottish National Championships play a key part in most athletes’ sporting journeys, acting as a launch pad towards representing Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. The 2017 Series will see Scottish champions crowned throughout the year, from judo and athletics in January through to the Scottish Short Course Swimming Championships in December. Many of the Series events also mark qualifying opportunities for Scotland’s athletes on route to Gold Coast 2018 and Bahamas 2017.

The launch of the Team Scotland Series also sees the extension of the Team Scotland ethos for each Games, with all sports coming together as one team, uniting in shared aims. Now these sports will work together throughout the year, helping to promote each other’s events on the Team Scotland Series programme. This collaboration aims to raise the profile and media coverage of all events and, with backing from BBC Scotland to cover the Series and live stream a selection of the events, fans will have a front row seat to witness athletes on the journey from promising talent to Team Scotland star.

Paul Bush OBE, Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “The Team Scotland Series is a really exciting initiative which will see us working in partnership with sports governing bodies to highlight and promote the key competitions that are the bedrock of Scottish sport, as well as serving as important selection events for the Commonwealth Games and Youth Games.

“Almost every athlete who competes for Team Scotland at the next Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and onwards to 2022 and beyond, will have competed in their sport’s Scottish Championships on their path to international success, so when we are watching these events we are watching Team Scotland’s future stars in action.

“I am particularly delighted that BBC Scotland has recognised the important role that the Team Scotland Series will play in showcasing the best of Scottish sport and the build-up to Gold Coast 2018 and I would like to thank them for their support.”

This project builds on the existing close working relationship between athletics, swimming and cycling and Mark Munro, Chief Executive at scottishathletics, is excited to widen collaboration across Scottish sport with both the Indoor and Outdoor National Athletics Championships included in the 2017 Series: “We’re pleased for athletics to be involved in the Team Scotland Series, linking the National Championships across a number of sports. Any opportunity to raise the media profile of Commonwealth Games sports in this country can only be a positive.

“If you look at Scotland track and field teams down the years then you will find those athletes have always come through the Scottish Seniors at some stage in their careers.

“Whether it is the Senior Indoor Champs at this time of year or the Senior and Para Champs outdoors in August, we believe these championships should be a major goal for athletes and coaches in Scotland. They should be looking to ‘Perform When It Counts’ and give their season’s best performance, or even personal best performance, on that platform.

“We are supportive of any approach which seeks to raise the profile of National Championships across the spectrum of Scottish sport and look forward to watching the Team Scotland Series unfold across the year.”

Excited that judo will get the 2017 series underway this weekend, Glasgow 2014 gold medallist Euan Burton said: “The Scottish Open has always played a part in the development of Scottish judo athletes. All our medallists from Team Scotland in Glasgow 2014 had utilised the event at some stage along their performance pathway.

“In all sports, that goal of competing in the Commonwealth Games is a progressive journey, which includes the key milestone of a Scottish Championships. The Team Scotland Series is a great way to highlight the importance of these events. I’m really proud that Judo is the sport to kick it all off on Saturday.”

The 2017 Team Scotland Series includes the following events:

14 January – Scottish Open Judo Championships

28 January – Scottish Indoor Athletics Championships

3-5 March – Scottish Squash Senior Nationals

4 March – Scottish Table Tennis Championships

4 March – Scottish Artistic Gymnastics Championships

1 April – Boxing Scotland Elite Championship Finals

29 April – Hockey Scottish Cup

3 June – Scottish Netball Finals

30 June – Scottish Open Swimming Championships

15/16 July – Scottish 50m Shooting Championships

24-29 July – Scottish National Bowls Championships

20 August – Scottish Road Cycling Championships

26 August – Scottish Beach Volleyball Championships

26 August – Scottish Athletics Championships

September – Scottish National Bowls Championships

TBC – Scottish National Track Cycling Championships

9 December – Scottish Short Course Swimming Championships

Incredibly it is now only 15 months to go until the next Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Gold Coast, Australia from 4-15 April 2018.

Team Scotland’s plans for participation in the Games are well underway and in October last year, team management undertook a successful planning visit to meet with the organising committee and also firmed up plans for the Team Scotland pre-Games Team Camp, which will be held two hours north on the Sunshine Coast.

Furthermore, the Team Scotland selection window opened on 1 January 2017, so this year’s performances will play a key part in the selection process for all 18 sports on the programme and by this time next year team announcements for the Games will be well underway.

Commonwealth Games Scotland is pleased to announce that the media accreditation process for ‘bona fide’ media organisations and individuals is also now starting and on the back of our outstanding performance at Glasgow 2014 we are encouraging media to plan ahead and prepare to support Team Scotland on the Gold Coast.

Interested journalists and photographers, who have not yet received an email with details of the media accreditation process, should email Katriona Bush, Commonwealth Games Scotland Head of Media & Communications before 11 January 2017 kbush.@bshsport.demon.co.uk

Information will also be provided about registration for the, Gold Coast 2018 World Press Briefing which will be held from 5 – 7 April 2017 on the Gold Coast, Australia.

The World Press Briefing will provide media organisations with an operational update on planning to assist in arrangements for Games coverage. The programme features presentations by key GC2018 Functional Areas and escorted tours of competition and non-competition venues.

Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) is excited to announce that Canterbury of New Zealand, the performance sportswear brand, has been selected as the official Team Scotland kit supplier.

Known for quality and innovation, Canterbury will supply Team Scotland’s kit at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in partnership with Scottish company PSL Team Sports, the leading distributer of ‘CCC’ made to order products in the UK.

Team kit plays a key role in uniting athletes in a multi-sport team and Canterbury has been commissioned to produce a range of high quality performance kit and spo
rts team wear, which will be worn by athletes, coaches and support staff. A unique new range will be developed for Team Scotland, which will incorporate design elements and colours from the recently launched new brand. Central to the range will be the team tracksuit, which will be proudly worn on the podium for medal ceremonies.

Announcing the agreement, Commonwealth Games Scotland Chief Executive, Jon Doig OBE, said: “Team kit is such an important aspect in creating the best possible Games experience for our athletes and staff to enable them to perform to their best. The look and feel of the design is a visual representation of all 18 sports uniting as one Team Scotland and I have no doubt that our athletes will be proud to wear this kit for one of the biggest competitions of their careers.

“Delivering the requirements for a team covering different sizes from gymnasts through to rugby players, on time, is a complex process covering over 10,000 separate items of Team leisurewear. We are delighted to be working again with PSL as Team Leisurewear supplier, providing such a strong international brand as Canterbury for Team Scotland to wear.

“Following our successful partnership with PSL to provide Canterbury kit for our Youth Games athletes in 2015, we are confident that this partnership will meet all our technical and operational requirements, as well as designing a distinctive look for the team that will make everyone proud to wear it.”

The agreement follows extensive consultation with athlete representatives, in line with Team Scotland’s athlete centred approach. Canterbury was selected on its reputation for delivering top of the range performance products and its expertise in delivering high performance wear to top sporting teams such as the British and Irish Lions.

An integral part of the athlete consultation process in his role on the CGS Board, former Team Scotland rugby 7s captain, Colin Gregor, welcomed the partnership. “It has been really exciting being involved in finding a high calibre kit supplier for Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018,” he said.

“I have been really impressed with the quality, look and feel of the Canterbury offering and their relationship with many top level sporting teams shows it performs well too. Canterbury is a brand that expects success and will fit perfectly with the aspirations of Team Scotland.”

This new agreement will also include supplying the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games.

Rennie Keith, Sales Director at PSL Team Sports said: “Both Canterbury and PSL are extremely proud to be providing the technical performance and leisure kit to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018. We look forward to strengthening our existing partnership from previous events and to delivering stand out products and service to all the athletes and officials.

“The partnership of Canterbury and PSL here in Scotland mirrors both the ambition and values of Team Scotland and we will deliver our passion and pride through the clothing that the athletes who wear it will carry into the competition.”

With the selection period for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games set to open on 1 January, preparations for Team Scotland’s swimmers and divers have received a boost with Aquatics the first of the 18 sports on the programme to appoint their sport team manager.

Commonwealth Games Scotland and Scottish Swimming are pleased to announce that Lindsay Lewis will lead the sport at the Gold Coast Games, bringing a wealth of experience from her work as team manager for both Scottish and British Swimming.

Lindsay was team manager for both the 2015 and 2016 Scottish Swimming training camps in Australia, with the 2016 camp forming a key part of Scottish swimmers’ preparation for the Rio Olympics. The British Swimming team manager at multiple European Junior Championships and with valuable multi-sport experience as team manager for Team GB at the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015, Lindsay will start work with the aquatics squad in March 2017.

Lindsay already has experience of a Commonwealth Games as a Clydesider, working at the swimming competition at Glasgow 2014 and is looking forward to being part of Team Scotland at the 2018 Games.

“I loved volunteering in Glasgow,” she said. “I could see everything that was happening with the team but was watching what was going on from the outside. There was a great buzz around the place and I felt very proud, not just when the athletes won medals, but watching them work together and support each other.

“I can’t wait to get started and support the team. I’m very honoured to have been given this opportunity and will work hard to ensure that the only focus that the coaches and swimmers have is that of performance.”

Welcoming Lindsay to Team Scotland, Jon Doig OBE, Team Scotland Chefde Mission for Gold Coast 2018 said: “The sport team managers for each sport on the Games programme play a vital role, working closely with Commonwealth Games Scotland professional staff to create the best possible environment for athletes and staff from each sport to excel at the Games, as well as bringing them all together as one Team Scotland.

“I’m delighted to have a team manager of Lindsay’s calibre on board so early and look forward to working with her as Team Scotland aims to have its best ever overseas Games in Gold Coast.”

Delighted with the appointment and looking ahead to a busy build-up before the Games open in Gold Coast on 4 April 2018, Alan Lynn, National Coach at Scottish Swimming said: “I’ve worked with Lindsay on several national team meets and camps and she is a great addition to the aquatics team heading to the Gold Coast. She is calm, extremely well organised and has a great ‘can-do’ approach to everything. I’m delighted that she is on board so early in the process ahead of what will be a busy 16 months.”

Sports team managers for the remaining 17 sports on the Gold Coast programme will be appointed in early 2017.

Former Scotland rugby 7s star, Colin Gregor, has been appointed as General Team Manager for Team Scotland at the Bahamas 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland 7s’ highest capped player and third highest points scorer of all-time, Colin representedTeam Scotland in Rugby 7s at two Commonwealth Games, including as captain at Glasgow 2014. Now a Director on the Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) Board,Colin is also a member of the International Rugby Players’ Association (IRPA) ‘Player Advisory Board’ and was the sole representative for rugby at the International Olympic Committee Athlete Forum.

He has also undertaken extensive mentoring work with young people, including as partof Winning Scotland’s Champions in Scotland programme.

Colin will be responsible for the overall leadership, motivation and unity of the team at Bahamas 2017 and is keen to share his extensive sporting experience with the next generation of Team Scotland athletes.

“I am delighted to be appointed to such an important position,” he said.

“The Youth Games are a fantastic opportunity for exciting young athletes to experience a multi-sport event and it’s so important that they have a positive first experience of competing for Team Scotland. I look forward to working with the wider team to provide an incredible experience for the athletes participating.”

Welcoming Colin to the position, Jon Doig OBE, CGS Chief Executive said: “We are delighted to appoint someone of Colin’s standing to lead Team Scotland at next year’s Commonwealth Youth Games. He has been a great asset to Commonwealth Games Scotland since joining the Board last year and his first hand sporting experience at the highest level and mentoring work stand him in great stead to deliver a positive Games experience for our young athletes.”

The sixth Commonwealth Youth Games will be held in Nassau, Bahamas from 18-23 July 2017, the first time a Commonwealth Games event will have been held in the Caribbean for over 50 years. Team Scotland anticipates sending a team of at least 39 athletes in six sports (athletics, swimming, boxing, cycling, judo, tennis) with potential additional representation in beach volleyball and rugby 7s still to be confirmed.

With 500 days until the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games open, it has been announced that Queen’s Baton will embark on the longest and most accessible relay in Commonwealth Games history, arriving in Scotland in August 2017.

Leaving London on Commonwealth Day, 13 March 2017, the Baton will cover 230,000km over 388 days, as it makes its way through the six Commonwealth regions of Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania. For the first time, the Baton will be present at the Commonwealth Youth Games, which take place in Nassau, Bahamas from 19-23 July 2017.

One of the most iconic symbols of the Commonwealth Games, the distinctive loop design revealed by Gold Coast 2018 organisers today, will be the centerpiece of the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR), a Games tradition that celebrates the Commonwealth’s diversity, inspires community pride and excites people about the world-class festival of sport and culture to come.

Designed for each Games by the host nation, the Queen’s Baton bears a personal message to the athletes of the Commonwealth from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which is carried by thousands of batonbearers on a journey from Buckingham Palace to the Opening Ceremony of the Games.

The 2018 Queen’s Baton, made using macadamia wood and reclaimed plastic sourced from Gold Coast waterways, and inspired by the region’s vibrant spirit and indigenous heritage, will finally land on Australian soil in December 2017. The Baton will then spend 100 days travelling through Australia, finishing its journey at the Opening Ceremony on 4 April 2018, where the message will be removed from the Baton and read aloud by Her Majesty or a representative.

Commonwealth Games Federation President, Louise Martin CBE said: “The Queen’s Baton Relay is a much-loved Games tradition – an epic journey that unites the cultures and communities of our diverse and dynamic Commonwealth. One single Baton passes between thousands of young people and communities across many terrains and time zones – carrying and protecting Her Majesty’s message to the athletes and citizens of the Commonwealth.

“We hope as many people as possible get to hold or celebrate the baton as we bring a piece of the Games to every participating nation and territory in the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.”

The Baton will travel through Scotland from 22-28 August 2017, with Commonwealth Games Scotland responsible for selecting the inspiring individuals who will act as batonbearers. Plans are already underway for an exciting programme of events and a chance for supporters to getbehind Team Scotland in the lead up to the Games. More details will be announced in due course.

In 2014, athlete Eilidh Doyle had the honour of bringing the Queen’s Baton into Scotland after a handover with twice Olympic and three time Commonwealth decathlon champion Daley Thompson on Coldstream Bridge.

“It was an honour to be a baton bearer, but to be the first in Scotland and to actually bring the baton over the border was something really special’” she said.

“It was also incredible to have the baton handed over by Daley Thompson who is such an athletics legend. It definitely felt like the Games had begun at that moment and it just made me so excited about what was to come. The Queen’s Baton Relay definitely signals the start of the Games.”

Paul Bush OBE, Chair, Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “The Queen’s Baton Relay is an important part of the journey for each Commonwealth Games and provided so many memories in the lead up to Glasgow 2014. The Baton arriving in Scotland in August 2017 marks a fantastic opportunity for our local communities, schools and athletes to engage with the Games which will take place on the other side of the world.

“The support Team Scotland had for Glasgow 2014 was phenomenal and I look forward to seeing that passion again as the Queen’s Baton travels through Scotland next year.”