Marc Hope and Susan Jackson have been appointed to the Commonwealth Games Scotland Board of Directors following a members vote at the 2023 AGM on the evening of Tuesday 23rd May.
Marc is a sports sponsorship consultant whose successful partnerships have included Team GB, British Athletics, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, World Athletics and World Para Athletics Championships, and the FINA World Swimming Championships.
He currently advises Access Sport, who improve the lives of disadvantaged and disabled young people across the UK, as well as the International Island Games Association, the four home nations athletics associations and Glasgow 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships.
He is a non-executive Director on the Board of Scottish Squash, where he chairs the Finance, Commercial & HR Committee, and is a Board Director for the British Athletics Supporters Club Ltd.
Susan has served as Finance Director since her election to the Board at the 2015 AGM. She was previously the Athletes’ Representative from 2011 until 2015, following a successful sporting career that saw her represent Scotland in small bore rifle shooting at three Commonwealth Games, winning: bronze in 1998, silver in 2002 and gold in 2006.
Susan was part of the Achieve 2014 programme at the Delhi 2010 Games acting as an Athlete Mentor, allowing her to share her experiences with aspiring athletes and coaches. For the Glasgow 2014 Games she was instrumental in supporting the Organising Committee’s Athlete Representative Group. She also co-ordinated the Athletes’ First programme, with former athletes inspiring and offering support to Team Scotland members.
In her professional life, Susan is a Chartered Accountant with her family business. Previously she worked in the corporate finance team at Deloitte for 12 years before joining the Winning Scotland Foundation as a senior director.
We would like to extend our congratulations to Marc and Susan, and our thanks to the four other nominees who stood for election.
The meeting concluded with a presentation to outgoing Chair Paul Bush OBE, Vice-Chair Maureen Campbell OBE and Immediate Past Chair Michael Cavanagh OBE, all honoured with Life Membership in recognition of their outstanding contribution to CGS.
CGS would also like to thank David Bond who steps down from the Board after four years.
Commonwealth Games Scotland is delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Reid CBE as the organisation’s new Chair.
Reid will bring a wealth of relevant experience to the role, having served as Chief Financial Officer of the Glasgow 2014 Games and more recently as Chief Executive Officer of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. He has also worked in numerous non-sports positions, including roles with PwC, EY and Glasgow Housing Association.
He joins at an exciting juncture for the organisation, with the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in August and planning underway for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games as Team Scotland looks to build on a successful Birmingham 2022 performance from our athletes and sports.
The Scot has been appointed for a four-year term following an open recruitment process, and replaces outgoing Chair Paul Bush OBE, who completes an eight-year tenure at the Commonwealth Games Scotland AGM in late May.
Ian Reid CBE said: “I’m extremely proud to be appointed as the new Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland.
“The Commonwealth Games means a lot to me personally and professionally. Having worked on both the Glasgow 2014 and Birmingham 2022 Games, I have seen first-hand how a successful Team Scotland can galvanise and inspire a nation.
“To have the opportunity to chair an organisation responsible for putting a team from my home country into the largest multi-sport event we can compete in will be a genuine honour.
“With Trinbago 2023 less than 100 days away, and a new delivery model of Victoria 2026 to prepare for, there is a lot to look forward to and I can’t wait to get started.
“I look forward to meeting my fellow board members, CGS staff, member sports and other partners in the coming weeks and months as we build our plans together for the upcoming cycle.”
Outgoing Chair Paul Bush OBE said: “On behalf of Commonwealth Games Scotland I am delighted to welcome Ian to the role.
“His knowledge and experience of the Commonwealth Games and sport in Scotland will be of great benefit to the organisation as it moves towards the Victoria 2026 Games.
“I know from my own experience how rewarding the role can be and I am sure he will relish the opportunity to lead the team over the next four years alongside a very supportive board and our wider partners.”
As Commonwealth Day is celebrated around the world today, with the theme of ‘Year of Youth’, we focus on two Team Scotland athletes leading social change through the power of sport.
Four-time Commonwealth Games swimming medallist, Hannah Miley, and Team Scotland’s athlete of the Games with gold and silver on the track at Birmingham 2022, Eilish McColgan, have both been awarded a Game Changer Grant from the Commonwealth Sport Foundation to boost the impact of projects they have set up to benefit young people.
Gold medallist in the 400m IM at both Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014, Hannah Miley is using her experiences in sport to better inform young people about menstrual health through her project Typically 28.
It’s all about breaking down barriers and opening up conversations to properly discuss female health and menstruation and how female athletes can better support themselves in sport and life out with sport. She aims to make education more accessible and interesting and hopes the project will also inform coaches, helping to retain more female athletes in sport.
With Games Changer Grant support covering some of the programme costs, workshops can be delivered to a wider audience and one future aim is to train other athletes deliver the workshops, allowing them to share their own personal story. Not only expanding the project to reach more young people, this will offer a fantastic opportunity for athletes nearing retirement to work with different sports, build their skill set and boost their confidence when looking at life after competitive sport.
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Having achieved one of the most memorable performances of the Birmingham 2022 Games with her gold in the 10,000m, Eilish McColgan has also been awarded Game Changers Grant support to help expand her Giving Back to Track initiative, which is breaking down barriers to involvement in grassroots athletics and supporting female athletes in reaching their goals.
Through the Giving Back to Track initiative, Eilish is currently supporting a small group of female athletes age 16-22 through a scholarship programme, supporting a further six athletes with a travel and training grant and supporting two female coaches achieve qualifications through her Inspire Female Coaching Grant.
She is also making a difference in grassroots athletics in her hometown of Dundee. A free after school club has been up and running across two schools in since October, with the project also providing bursaries at her own athletics club Dundee Hawkhill Harriers to cover track and club fees.
Not only is the project removing barriers to kids starting athletics, two young athletes from Dundee Hawkhill Harriers are gaining valuable experience in athletics coaching, being supported in running the club. The Game Changer Grant will allow the project to expand to further clubs in Dundee, and longer term to cities across Scotland.
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Launched in July 2020, Game Changers is a grant initiative funded by the Commonwealth Sport Foundation. Using the power of sport and the shared values of the Commonwealth, Game Changers seeks to help establish the Commonwealth Movement as progressive leaders in social change to unleash our human potential and transform lives.
Micky Yule has announced his retirement from Para-powerlifting.
The 44-year-old led Team Scotland as Flagbearer at the Birmingham 2022 Opening Ceremony alongside Kirsty Gilmour, before going on to win a bronze medal.
Micky attended his third Commonwealth Games at Birmingham 2022, having become the first Scottish athlete to compete in Para-Sport Powerlifting at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, where he finished 4th. He returned for Gold Coast 2018, just missing out on a medal again, coming 4th for his second consecutive Games.
Having finishing sixth on his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016, he put in a fabulous performance to win bronze at Tokyo 2020 with a lift of 182kg. His other achievements include gold at both the Invictus Games and 2015 European Championships.
A member of the British Army, Micky was injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) whilst serving in Afghanistan in 2010, an injury that required more than 40 operations and left him a double amputee. Having competed in Power-lifting competitions for the Army since 2007, he took a year to recover before getting back into the gym in 2011 and competing for Great Britain in Para-Sport Powerlifting competitions.
Everyone at Team Scotland wishes Micky a happy retirement!
“The whole clan” were cheering on the sidelines as Beth Potter won Team Scotland’s first medal of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
A time of 56:46 gave Potter the bronze medal in the Triathlon Women’s Individual Sprint Distance event at Sutton Park, with Bermuda’s Flora Duffy winning gold and Georgia Taylor-Brown of England in silver.
And Potter had plenty of support to celebrate the moment with.
“I’ve got a lot of family and friends here, even mum’s dog!
“My coaches – my run coach, my overall coach, Alistair Brownlee who has been helping with my biking. My parents, sister, cousins – just the whole clan!
“I saw my Dad when I was running down – he’s got this Scotland football shirt that says ‘Go Beth’ across the front that he’s had since 2014, so he had that on.
“And I saw my aunt on the course but haven’t seen anyone else yet, so I’ll have to wait to catch up with all of them.”
The 30-year-old made history four years ago by becoming the first Team Scotland athlete to compete in multiple sporting disciplines at the same Games, running the 10,000 metres in athletes after competing in triathlon.
This time she has marked her name in the record books for getting on the podium and taking home Scotland’s first medal in Birmingham.
Team Scotland are delighted to welcome Fiona Burnet and Jamie Farndale as our first Sustainability Captains.
The duo are already active ambassadors of climate action, and will assist Commonwealth Games Scotland with our Sustainability Action Plan.
Fiona, 26, is part of our Hockey team for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. She is a Climate Champion with Eco Athletes, a team of athletes and academics, climate scientists and ecopreneurs, devoted to identifying and equipping athletes to lead climate action.
Jamie, 28, leads our Rugby 7s side, and is already a Sustainability Ambassador for Scottish Rugby. He supported World Rugby with their Environment Sustainability Plan, and will begin a Masters course on sustainability at Cambridge University in September.
They have already been involved in Birmingham 2022’s work towards creating a carbon neutral legacy, including recently taking part in a pilot activity with athletes to measure their carbon footprint and find ways to reduce it.
As Sustainability Captains they will play a lead role in supporting Team Scotland’s sustainability efforts, providing an athlete input into our strategy and adopting a leadership role in sharing information and advice with fellow Team Scotland athletes.
Fiona said: “I am honoured to be a Sustainability Captain for Team Scotland.
“I grew up on the west coast of the country so always loved nature, but my interest and passion for sustainability and the environment have really developed over the past few years.
“I was involved with COP26 in Glasgow last year, and it was a real eye opener for me. We need to do more, and athletes and sport can play their part.
“Birmingham is a really positive example where they are trying to have a carbon-neutral legacy. They are taking steps which are really positive and hopefully other major sports will look at the Games, a multi-sport event with 72 countries, and think ‘if they can do it then why can’t we?”.
“If we want to enjoy these huge events in the future then changes need to be made, and that starts with ourselves and our sports.”
Jamie said: “Sport has the power to unite and inspire through the millions of fans that are involved and the emotional connection that teams have – we can help to create the behavioural changes required to achieve climate targets.
“If sports people and organisations speak about important issues and do the right things like highlighting the need for sustainability then they can help make the difference.
“There are lots of good things going on at Birmingham in the sustainability space, and hopefully we can use the learnings and momentum from here to inspire change among athletes, sports and supporters alike.”
Fiona and Jamie were presented with specially commissioned Scotland armbands, embroidered by Edinburgh-based textile artist Lucy Freeman.
Commonwealth Games Scotland are at the early stages of our sustainability journey, having committed to our vision and action plan in 2021. Our aims are:
- to become one of the most sustainable sporting organisations in Scotland, and;
- to use our extensive range of relationships with other organisations to initiate sustainability conversations within the wider sporting community.
Our actions in the build-up to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games include:
- planting a tree for every athlete to mark their achievement in selection for Birmingham 2022, through Scottish charity Trees for Life
- working with Eco Athletes to create an FAQ for athletes looking to learn more about living a more sustainable life as an athlete and using their platforms for social good
- becoming a signatory of the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework
- having our parade outfits made in Scotland, with all materials sourced locally and offcuts repurposed to make outfit accessories
- using local, sustainable products where possible, including wooden pin badges made in the UK, refillable water bottles, cork pens and notebooks.
To learn more about Team Scotland’s Sustainability Vision and Action Plan please click HERE.
Commonwealth Games Scotland note the sad passing of our former Chair, Colin McEachran MBE QC. Colin won a silver medal for Scotland in Fullbore Shooting in Christchurch, NZ, in 1974. He was a long standing CGS Board member and Hon Legal Advisor and was CGS Chair between 1995 and 1999. Colin also led Team Scotland as Chef de Mission in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur and was named a Life Member at completion of his term in office as Chair.
CGS Chair Paul Bush OBE reflected the feelings of the whole Scottish Commonwealth Games community saying “Colin had a huge legacy making a huge contribution over 50 years to the Games movement, in Scotland and beyond. First as a very successful athlete, then as a long standing administrator and Advisor. I will sorely miss his counsel and passion for Scotland and the Games. The thoughts of us all are with Charlotte and Colin’s family and friends at this time”.
Both recently selected for Team Scotland for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, swimmers Duncan Scott and Kathleen Dawson are celebrating bringing in the New Year with the news that they are among those recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours for 2022.
Both are awarded an MBE, having struck gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer.
Duncan’s gold and three silver medals in Tokyo was a record for a British athlete at a single Olympics, building on a similar feat which saw him win a record six medals for Team Scotland at Gold Coast 2018.
Fellow University of Stirling swimmer Kathleen also took the top step of the podium in Tokyo, swimming the opening Backstroke leg for the world record breaking Team GB quartet in the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay.
Also awarded an MBE is Paralympic Games gold medallist Owen Miller, winner of the T20 1500m on his Games debut with a stunning sprint finish.
Commonwealth Games Scotland send their congratulations to all Scots recognised for their contribution to sport in the 2022 New Year Honours List.
The Commonwealth Sport Pride Network has today been launched to positively champion and enable LGBTQ+ inclusion at the Commonwealth Games and across the Commonwealth Sport Movement.
Team Scotland is proud to support the Commonwealth Sport Pride Network, a voluntary network and coordination group, that looks to bring together athletes, coaches, Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs), Games organisers, stakeholders, partners and allies. It is open to all.
Team Scotland has been actively involved in an international working group of athletes, CGAs and stakeholders which has set out four key areas of focus – community, education, visibility and influence – enabling the network to:
- Create a safe space for LGBTQ+ people and allies to meet, support and coordinate activities as a community
- Increase visibility and awareness of LGBTQ+ inclusion and participation in Commonwealth sport and positively promote equality, role models, best practice and support Pride House at the Games
- Support allies, CGAs, Games organisers and other stakeholders through information-sharing, training and education
- Provide a collective platform to influence and drive positive change for LGBTQ+ acceptance and equality across Commonwealth Sport and the wider Commonwealth.
Athletes, coaches, stakeholders and team members can sign up at www.thecgf.com/pride to become part of the network and get involved supporting activities at Birmingham 2022 and across the Movement.
The launch of the network coincides with Rainbow Laces Day 2021, which celebrates the impact that sport has on LGBTQ+ people and the impact that LGBTQ+ people have on sport.
Commonwealth Games Federation President Dame Louise Martin DBE said: “We are launching today the Commonwealth Sport Pride Network to champion and enable LGBTQ+ inclusion at the Games and across our Movement.
We hope the network will be a safe space to connect, support, learn, understand and celebrate. This is not a political movement, but an opportunity to champion inclusion and tell stories in a positive way.
In launching this voluntary network, we are mindful of Commonwealth-wide realities. Our cultural and religious diversity defines our family, and it is important for the CGF to continue to lead by example, embracing our shared passion for sport and living our values of Humanity, Equality and Destiny.
As “The Games for Everyone” we all hope Birmingham 2022 will provide an inspiring and important opportunity to engage, champion and benefit many diverse communities, and I am proud that this will now include support and initiatives for the LGBTQ+ sporting community.”
To visit the Commonwealth Sport Pride Network website and sign up to be part of it, click here
Commonwealth Games Scotland are pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer Barsby and Nigel Holl as Board Directors of the CGS Board, following a member vote at Thursday’s Annual General Meeting.
Jennifer starts a second term in position having completed an initial four-year stint. She has also served on the board of the Team Scotland Youth Trust, and as Equality lead on the CGS Board.
Working for Scottish Disability Sport as Opportunities and Equalities Manager since July 2013, Jennifer has also been responsible for the Village Operations for Team Scotland as part of the General Team Management at the 2018 Gold Coast and will perform this role at the forthcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Jennifer said: “I am delighted to have been elected to serve for a second term on the CGS Board. I have a huge passion for sport and the Commonwealth Games movement and look forward to contributing to the success of Team Scotland ahead of Birmingham 2022 and beyond.”
Nigel is the Executive Performance Director for British Curling, and also serves on the Scottish Cycling Board of Directors. He has a wealth of experience across at executive leadership, board governance and performance director level in Scottish and UK sport.
Nigel said: “It is a great honour to be elected to the Board of Commonwealth Games Scotland.
“I know my career experiences and background across several sports can be of benefit to Team Scotland, and am excited about working with my fellow board members and wider colleagues to build a strong and successful team for Birmingham 2022 and future Games.”
Paul Bush, Chair of CGS, said: “Congratulations to both Jennifer and Nigel – both bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Board of Directors.
“I and the rest of the Board look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.
“We would like to pass our thanks to Sue Beatt and Richard Tawse, who also stood for election. It is reassuring to see the strength of interest and quality of individuals volunteering for these positions, and we are sure they will continue to support the efforts of Team Scotland in the build-up to Birmingham 2022.”
CGS would also like to thank Margaret Ann Fleming, who steps down from the board after eight years.