It was another night to remember for Team Scotland in the velodrome as Jack Carlin won Keirin silver and Neah Evans Individual Pursuit bronze.
Carlin came into the event as one of the favourites, but such is Keirin racing, thing can change in the blink of an eye. The opening round it was plain sailing, but there was a big crash in his semi-final taking Glatzer of Australia and England’s Truman to the ground, the latter unconscious for some time before thankfully getting to his feet – we wish him well.
Come the final Carlin was drawn in position one right behind the derny. As the motorbike pulled off and the race wound up he held his line, but couldn’t stop Trinidad’s Nicholas Paul stealing a march and he would go on to take gold. Carlin tracked him all the way though to hold off the rest and secure another superb silver, after the same colour in Men’s Sprint four years ago.
Having produced the best result in Scottish history in this event at Commonwealth level, Carlin still wanted more, as he said:
“I’m disappointed, as I came here to win, but Keirin’s a tough one. It’s a podium again, which I’m obviously pleased with, but it’s not what you want.
“He got the jump on me, that was for sure! I felt confident going in, I probably made a gear choice error out there, I geared up thinking there’s no chance I’m going to pull position one again as I had it all day and that didn’t help when he jumped.
“Tomorrow’s a new day; I feel good, my legs are good. I think there was tactical errors and I know now who’s going well, so it’s all to play for tomorrow.”
For Evans, the Women’s 3000m Individual Pursuit is a new event, but she acquitted herself with flying colours.
Having broken the Games record this morning, before being surpassed by two of her rivals, Evans went into the bronze medal ride as favourite – her 3.23 clocking this morning also a British record. Known as a fast starter, it was perhaps a surprise that she didn’t move ahead of her Australian opposition until the 1000m mark, but there was never any panic, as once she did, she only went further and further clear. In the end it was a supremely classy ride, that she could be very proud of.
With that bronze medal around her neck, the Aberdonian said:
“The crowd was unreal! We actually came with tactics that are shouted and I’m like “I’m not gonna be able to hear you”, you’ll have to walk the line – that shows you how loud it all is!
“And I’ll be honest, after halfway it was just a case of get your head down and keep going – pretty simple tactics! I got the new British record this morning – I didn’t quite back it up but it’s such a nice feeling – I’m delighted.
“I haven’t been training for this, it’s been a secondary focus, so to come away with a medal off basically the last few months of training, I’m delighted”
Both Evans and Carlin will be hunting for further medals tomorrow, as will Neil Fachie and Lewis Stewart in the Men’s Tandem B Sprint.
Sean Frame claimed an emotional silver medal in the Men’s T53/54 Marathon, digging deep in the final stages to hold off a late surge by England’s Simon Lawson.
Competing at his first Commonwealth Games, Frame was delighted to take the silver behind Johnboy Smith of England.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “It just shows you that all those nights, all those years of training has paid off.”
“I still can’t wrap my head around it, but just shows all that torture has paid off. You don’t realise how physically demanding it is. We are using our arms and physically they are not made for this. We had to condition our bodies to do this and it is all physically demanding.
“My family are all excited. I could hear my mum shouting at me out of the whole crowd and my dad at the finish line, he trains me, so he is super proud of me. It’s a happy family. “
Six time Paralympic champion David Weir looked to be clear for gold before a puncture ruled him out of contention, leaving the way clear for Smith, Frame and Lawson to claim the podium places.
Team Scotland picked up a stunning six medals on the first day of competition in Birmingham, with the day very much belonging to para-cyclist Neil Fachie, who won Scotland’s first gold medal of the Games.
Fachie, 38, and his sighted pilot Lewis Stewart, set a new Commonwealth Games record of 59.938 seconds in the men’s tandem 1,000m time trial, becoming the joint most decorated Team Scotland athlete alongside bowler Alex Marshall, with five gold medals.
Neil said “This is pretty special; it’s genuinely mind blowing. Coming into that final lap you know it’s do or die. You can hear the crowd and I gave it everything I had. It really, really hurt but it’s so worth it when you get to stand on top of that podium.”
More success in the cycling followed – with Aileen McGlynn and Ellie Stone taking silver in the Tandem Sprint, whilst Libby Clegg placed fourth. Commenting on her success, Aileen said, “the final was hard and we knew we had to go out really hard against the Aussies as they are strong and quite jostly as well. We gave it everything we had but we just got beat on the line – we gave it everything we had.”
Over in Sutton Coldfield, Beth Potter took Scotland’s first medal of the Games. The former British 10,000m runner had an outstanding swim which she led from the front, before a strong cycle and a solid run section sitting in third place throughout.
Meanwhile in the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, the roof was raised as Ross Murdoch won an outstanding bronze in the 200m breaststroke. Murdoch, who retired for 11 weeks in December, snatched bronze behind world record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook and close friend and English rival James Wilby. Teenager Katie Shanahan was overcome with emotion after claiming a shock bronze medal in the women’s 400m IM, and that was followed by another for Toni Shaw in the women’s 100m freestyle S9.
Scotland women’s hockey team got off to a winning start in Birmingham with a 4-2 victory over South Africa. Charlotte Watson opened the scoring with an excellent finish across the goalkeeper before South Africa managed to get themselves 2-1 ahead. Sarah Robertson equalised for Scotland before Fiona Burnet’s near post deflection put the Scots back in front. Jen Eadie sealed the victory with a strike from the top of the D to earn a 4-2 victory.
Scotland men’s hockey team drew a sensational game with New Zealand. Scotland came out flying and surged into a 5-1 lead at half time through goals by Rob Harwood; Callum Mackenzie; Cammy Golden and a double for his brother, Jamie Golden. The Kiwis battled back in the final quarter and pulled the score back to 5-5. Both sides gave their all to find a winner but it ended all square. Scotland’s Alan Forsyth won his 200th combined Scotland and GB in the match.
Scotland’s Basketball 3×3 competition got underway at the impressive Smithfield facility as a Scottish women’s team took to the court for the first time in Commonwealth Games history. Despite getting off to a strong start, the win wasn’t to be and Australia picked up a 21-9 win. The evening session proved more successful for the women as they put in a quick defeat over Sri Lanka, ending 21-5 with 45 seconds still on the clock.
The men’s running team came out flying as they picked up a win over Sri Lanka in the afternoon session. The game was tight for the first seven minutes, with Scotland only taking the lead in the final two to end 16-9. Playing Canada later in the day proved to be equally as tight for the Scottish men who eventually pulled it out the bag with a nerve-wracking 21-20 win. If they win their third match against Kenya on Sunday, today’s two wins have set the men in prime position to take the top ranking in the pool and continue straight through to semi-finals on Monday.
Representing another Games first, the wheelchair competition kicked off as Scotland’s women played Australia under the floodlights. The match against the World number three team proved difficult, however, with the team from down under winning 12-5.
The Women’s Rugby 7s team made history when they took to the field for the first time in a Commonwealth Games. Despite a 31-12 loss to Olympic medallists Fiji in their opening match of competition, tries were scored by Shona Campbell and Rhona Lloyd with Helen Nelson adding one conversion. In the evening session they fell to a heavy defeat by Australia, who are ranked number one in the world, 50 points to nill.
Team Scotland’s Men top Pool B of the competition at the end of day one with final standings to be decided in the morning against South Africa. In their opening match of the tournament they won 41-0 over Tonga with a hat-trick of tries from Femi Sofolarin and further tries from Jake Henry, Jordan Edmunds, captain Jamie Farndale and Alec Coombes, Kaleem Baretto converting two scores. In this evenings match match they cantered to a 50-12 victory over Malaysia with a hat-trick by Henry, Sofolarin, Alec Coombes, with Lee Jones and Matt Davidson bagging two tries each. Davidson added three conversions.
Elsewhere, boxer Reese Lynch overpowered Kiribati’s Timon Aaree and secured a first-round stoppage within three minutes. Reese will now face India’s Shiva Thapa on Sunday 31st July in the Light Welterweight Round of 16
Scotland flagbearer, Badminton’s Kirsty Gilmour set the tone for the Mixed Team, with Callum Smith; Eleanor O’Donnell and Ciara Torrance; Alex Dunn and Matthew Grimley all going on to record 2-0 victories over their respective opponents from the Maldives and securing a dominant 5-0 win overall. The Mixed Team will play Uganda tomorrow in the second of their three group stage ties.
Photo Gallery
Team Scotland are set for a busy day two at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games with action across 13 sports.
07:00 – Sean Frame is first up for Team Scotland on day two of Birmingham 2022 as he competes in the T53/54 Marathon, the first event in the Athletics programme.
08:30 – In Lawn Bowls, Scotland’s Men’s Triples (Darren Burnett, Iain McLean and Stewart Anderson) continue their campaign against New Zealand after wins over Malta and India on the opening day. Garry Brown and Kevin Wallace in the Men’s B6-B8 Pairs, also undefeated on day one, play South Africa.
09:00 – Scotland’s Badminton Mixed Team take on Uganda after a straight games win over Maldives on day one.
09:00 – Women’s Rugby 7s continue their debut Commonwealth Games by playing South Africa in their third Pool B match.
10:00 – The Track Cycling qualifying action continues at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London with Gold Coast medallists Neah Evans, John Archibald and Jack Carlin all in action.
10:30 – Duncan Scott became Team Scotland’s most successful athlete at a single Games with six medals at Gold Coast 2018. He gets his Birmingham 2022 underway in the 200m Freestyle as Swimming heats start at 10:30. Fellow 2018 medallists Mark Szaranek and Stephen Milne are also in action, as is Tokyo Paralympic Games medallist Stephen Clegg.
11:30 – Dee Hoggan had two wins out of two on day one in the Women’s Singles Lawn Bowls. She plays Daphne Arthur-Almond of the Falkland Islands as sectional play continues. Rosemary Lenton and Pauline Wilson play New Zealand in the B6-B8 Women’s Pairs after a loss by the narrowest of margins to Australia and a win over South Africa on day one.
12:00 – Georgia Adderley plays Emma Keane of Bermuda in the Women’s Squash Singles round of 32.
12:00 – Netball gets underway at the NEC Arena as Scotland play Australia in their opening game.
12:18 – Like their women’s counterparts Scotland’s Men’s Rugby 7s also take on South Africa in their Pool B match after convincing wins over Tonga and Malaysia on day one.
13: 45 – Greg Lobban plays Sri Lanka’s Ravindu Laksiri in the Men’s Squash Singles round of 32.
15:00 – The Lawn Bowls action continues with Garry Brown and Kevin Wallace back for their second match of the day, this time facing Australia. Alex Marshall and Paul Foster play Niue after opening their Men’s Pairs campaign with a convincing win over Jersey. Scotland’s Women’s Fours team of Hannah Smith, Claire Johnston, Lauren Baillie-Whyte and Caroline Brown play Australia in round three of sectional play.
16:00 – Cycling finals get underway at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London.
16:30 – Following the men’s competition on day one, it’s the turn of the Women’s Gymnastics Team Event at Arena Birmingham. Scotland is represented by Shannon Archer, Cara Kennedy, Eilidh Gorrell and Emily Bremner.
18:00 – In the evening session of Lawn Bowls, Rosemary Lenton and Pauline Wilson continue their sectional play in the Women’s B6-B8 Pairs by facing England. Alex Marshall and Paul Foster are back for their second match of the day in the Men’s Pairs, this time against Canada.
18:30 – Rory Stewart plays Temwa Chileshe of New Zealand in the Men’s Squash Singles round of 32 following an impressive win on day one.
19:00 – The Badminton Mixed Team play Canada in their second match of the day.
19:00 – Swimming finals get underway, including the Men’s 200m Freestyle, Men’s 400m Individual Medley, Men’s 50m Freestyle S13 and 4x100m Freestyle Relays for both men and women.
20:00 – Jodey Hughes goes in the Women’s 55kg Weightlifting final.
20:15 – Stephen Newns gets his Light Middleweight Boxing campaign underway against Albert Mengue Ayissi of Cameroon.
20:45 – Scotland continue their Women’s Wheelchair Basketball 3×3 competition in Pool B up against South Africa.
21:00 – Scotland take on New Zealand in Women’s Hockey Pool B.
Neil Fachie became the most decorated Scottish athlete in Commonwealth Games history on the opening night of Birmingham 2022, as he and pilot Lewis Stewart won Team Scotland’s first gold of the Games.
Opening the team’s gold medal count on the very first day of action, the pair followed Beth Potter, who won a fantastic triathlon bronze just over an hour earlier.
For Fachie though, this fifth Commonwealth gold takes him level with lawn bowler Alex Marshall as the most decorated Scot of all-time, whilst Stewart marked his debut for Team Scotland with a trip to the top step of the podium.
The pair left everything out there and, collapsing as they were helped from their bikes, it was clear they couldn’t have done any more.
With gold medals around their necks, and a Games record of 59.938 to boot, Fachie said:
“This is pretty special. It’s genuinely mind blowing. Eight years ago in Glasgow – I didn’t think I’d still be here. I’ve been ill all week so the preparation hasn’t been great – you can hear it from my voice – but I still had the legs. It’s thanks to this man on the front of the bike.
“Coming into that final lap you know it’s do or die. You can hear the crowd and I gave it everything I had. It really, really hurt, but it’s so worth it when you get to stand on the top of that podium.
Of becoming the joint most decorated Team Scotland athlete of all-time, he added:
“It’s something I was aware of before the champs and I wanted to do it for disability sport to put us on the map. I knew it would be a huge challenge but I was so relieved I had Lewis as a pilot – the guy is an absolute hero. He’s got a back problem and shouldn’t be on a bike right now and here he is winning gold medals for his country – it’s unreal.
The pair will go again on Sunday in the Men’s B Tandem Sprint, where Fachie has the chance to become outright most decorated, should be win a sixth gold.
There was a second medal at the velodrome to cap a scintillating opening night – Aileen McGlynn, another of Team Scotland’s most decorated para-athletes, secured a splendid silver in the Women’s B Tandem Sprint alongside another debutant, Ellie Stone.
For McGlynn and Stone, their final straddled the Men’s Tandem final, as they took on the Australian pairing who had swept all before them in qualifying. In truth, they made light work of bettering the Team Scotland duo in the opening head to head sprint, but perhaps inspired by their teammates gold, they upped their game for the second race.
It was another physical affair, with the two tandems side by side for the whole of the final lap, the Aussies just edging it on the line. That meant it was silver for the Scots, a valiant effort, especially given how new the partnership is.
On how it played out, and what it meant to win yet another medal, Aileen said:
“The final was hard and we knew we had to go out really hard against the Aussies as they are strong and quite jostly as well. We gave it everything we had but we just got beat on the line – but we gave it everything we had.”
“This might be my final one to be honest, as it’s getting harder! The knees are getting a bit sore in the gym but I’ve always felt I’ve been able to get a bit faster and maybe get that world record back. I’m definitely really competitive as well!
“But it’s a team effort – Ellie’s been fantastic, coming in at the last minute and piloting me – she’s done an amazing job. We’ve only been riding together for like 12 weeks. Ellie has never ridden a tandem before, never ridden tri bars. She done an amazing job, and I’m so grateful to her for getting me a silver medal.
Also in action on Friday night was the other Team Scotland female tandem, with athlete turned cyclist Libby Clegg teaming up with Jenny Holl in the bronze medal ride off.
Taking on the English pairing, the debutants knew they would face a stiff contest, having seem them push McGlynn and Stone extremely close earlier in the day. They weren’t going to give an inch though, the newcomers acquitting themselves exceptionally, as they both took on the sprint for the first time. In the end though their opposition were too good, but it was a valuable experience ahead of the kilo, which should play more to their strengths.
Follow Team Scotland’s results at the Birmingham 2022. This page will be updated regularly throughout each day as results come in from around the venues.
Gymnastic Artistic
Women’s Team Result- 6th
Lawn Bowls
Men Pairs
Scotland 23 – 10 Niue
Women’s 4’s
Scotland 16 – 9 Australia
Para Men’s Pairs B6-B8
Scotland 15 – 21 Australia
Cycling Finals
Women’s 3000m Individual Pursuit Finals – Neah Evans – BRONZE – 3:25.050
Men’s Keirin Finals – Jack Carlin – SILVER –
Lawn Bowls
Para Women’s Pairs B6-B8
Scotland 7 – 19 England
Men’s pairs
Scotland 18 – 11 Canada
Squash
Men’s Singles – Round 32
Rory Stewart 3 – 1 Temwa Chileshe
Alan Clyne 1 – 0 Abhay Singh (retired)
Badminton
Mixed Team Group Stage
Scotland 4 – 1 Uganda
Swimming
Women’s 50m Breaststroke final – Kara Hanlon – 8th
Women’s 50m Freestyle Semi-final 1 – Emma Russel – 7th, Evie Davis – 8th
Men’s 200m Freestyle Final – Duncan Scott – GOLD – 1:45.02
Men’s 50m Freestyle Final – Stephen Clegg – SILVER – 24.33
Women’s 50m Freestyle S13 Final – Abbey Kane – 6th
Men’s 100m Breaststroke Semi Final 2 – Ross Murdoch – 3rd
Men’s 100m Breaststroke Semi Final 2 – Craig Benson – 4th
Men’s 100m Breaststroke Semi Final 2 – Archie Goodburn – 5th
Women’s 100m Backstroke Semi Final 1 – Katie Shanahan – 4th
Women’s 100m Backstroke Semi Final 2 – Cassie Wild – 5th, Holly McGill – 6th
Men’s 400m Individual Medley Final – Duncan Scott – BRONZE – 4:11.27
Men’s 400m Individual Medley Final – Mark Szaranek – 8th
Boxing
Over 67kg-71kg Round of 32
Stephen Newns 2 – Albert Mengue Ayissi
Wheelchair Basketball 3×3
Women’s Pool Round
Scotland 16 – 2 South Africa
Rugby 7s
Women’s Semi-final 2
Scotland 58 – 0 Sri Lanka
Men’s Quarter Final 2
Scotland 7 – 34 Fiji
Squash
Men’s Singles Round of 32
Greg Lobban 3-0 win against Ravindu Laksiri (Sri Lanka)
Netball
Australia 83-30 Scotland
Rugby 7s
Men’s 7s
Scotland 0-34 South Africa
Lawn Bowls
Women’s Singles
Dee Hoggan (SCO) 21 – 5 Daphne Arthur-Almond (Falkland Islands)
Para Men’s Pairs B6-B8
Scotland 18-10 South Africa
Badminton
Scotland 4-1 Uganda
Grimley and O’Donnell 2-0
Callum Smith 0-2
Kirsty Gilmour 2-0
Hall and Dunn 2-0
MacPherson and Torrance 2-0
Rugby 7s
Women’s 7s
Scotland 33-12 South Africa
Athletics
Men’s T53/T54 Marathon
Sean Frame – SILVER
Following an eye-catching Opening Ceremony at the Alexander Stadium, Team Scotland are set for a packed day of action, competing in 11 sports on the first day of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
08:30 – Lawn Bowls are first up as Darren Burnett, Iain McLean and Stewart Anderson kick off their Triples campaign, Dee Hoggan goes in the Singles and both Men’s and Women’s Para-Bowls B6-B8 Pairs, Garry Brown and Kevin Wallace, Rosemary Lenton and Pauline Wilson begin competition.
09:22 – It will be a historic moment as Scotland Women’s Rugby 7s play their first ever game at a Commonwealth Games, taking on Fiji. They play their second match, against Australia, at 17:52.
10:00 – A busy day in the pool begins with Gold Coast medallists Ross Murdoch in the 200m Breaststroke and Stephen Milne in the 400m Freestyle, leading the charge for Scotland as the Swimming heats get underway.
10:30 – Action begins in Track Cycling at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London. The Women’s Tandem B Sprint qualifying is the opening event with Aileen McGlynn and Libby Clegg, piloted by Ellie Stone and Jenny Holl respectively, going for Team Scotland.
11:00 – Scotland take on South Africa in Women’s Hockey.
11.00 – Grant Sheldon and Cameron Main go in the Men’s Individual Triathlon looking for a strong performance after Marc Austin claimed the sport’s first ever Commonwealth Games medal at Gold Coast 2018.
12:00 – Scotland play Maldives at 12:00 in the group stages of the Badminton Mixed Team event.
12:15 – Boxing begins with Reese Lynch the sole Scottish boxer in action, taking on Timon Aaree of Kiribati in the first round of the Light Welterweight event. Lynch became the first Scot ever to win a World Championships medal at senior level with bronze in Serbia in November.
12:18 – Men’s Rugby 7s start against Tonga at 12:18 followed by Malaysia at 20:26.
14:30 – Beth Potter and Sophia Green go in the Women’s Individual Triathlon.
15:00 – The afternoon Lawn Bowls session sees Alex Marshall and Paul Foster start the Pairs, looking to claim back the title they won in 2014, while the Women’s Fours team are also in action.
15:55 – Scotland play their first game, vs Australia, in Women’s 3 x 3 Basketball as the sport makes its Games debut. They will then play Sri Lanka in their second match at 19.55.
16:00 – Track Cycling finals begin, including Neil Fachie looking to add to his impressive medal tally of four gold across the last two Games. He goes in the Tandem B Time Trial piloted by Lewis Stewart.
17:10 – Scotland take on Sri Lanka in their opening game of Men’s 3 x 3 Basketball. All four players were part of Scotland’s best ever team sport result, a fourth place, at Gold Coast 2018.
17:30 – The Men’s Gymnastics team event, with Frank Baines, Hamish Carter, Pavel Karnejenko, Cameron Lynn and David Weir aiming to make it three medals in a row in this event for Scotland after silver at Glasgow 2014 and bronze in Gold Coast. Baines is a veteran of both those medal winning teams, with Carter and Weir the other returning members from 2018.
18:00 – In Squash, Rory Stewart plays his opening Singles game against Nimji of Kenya.
19:00 – The Swimming finals get underway at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre.
20:45 – Scotland will look to get off to a flying start in the Women’s Wheelchair Basketball 3 x 3 competition against Australia.
21:00 – Having recorded their best ever finish with 6th place at Gold Coast 2018, Men’s Hockey get their Birmingham 2022 campaign underway against New Zealand.
In a Commonwealth Games first Team Scotland was led out by two flagbearers, Kirsty Gilmour and Micky Yule, as the 22nd Commonwealth Games got underway in Birmingham with a spectacular Opening Ceremony.
The ceremony, produced by creator of the Peaky Blinders, Steven Knight, began with a call for unity: “In times of darkness, we carry a dream of light that calls us all to gather.”
Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafza spoke passionately about her experiences in the city of Birmingham, having been brought to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital after she was shot in the head in Pakistan for demanding the right to education. Her speech, emphasising the right of every child to have the chance to fulfil their potential, was loudly applauded by the 30,000-strong crowd inside the Alexander Stadium.
Perhaps the most eye-catching moment was the entrance of a giant mechanical bull, as the ceremony celebrated the cultural diversity of both Birmingham and the Commonwealth.
The parade of nations concluded with the home nations as Northern Ireland Scotland and Wales were followed by England – last into the stadium as Games hosts. Double Commonwealth medallist, Kirsty Gilmour and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games medallist Micky Yule proudly led in Team Scotland to rapturous applause.
In Commonwealth Games tradition, the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay concluded its journey tonight with diver Tom Daley carrying it into the stadium, passing it on to other England stars such as hockey player Alex Danson and gymnast Max Whitlock, before HRH The Prince of Wales to read out the message it contained from The Queen and declared the 22nd Commonwealth Games open.
The sporting action gets underway at 08:30 with Scotland’s lawn bowlers the first in action. Darren Burnett, Iain McLean and Stewart Anderson kick off their Triples campaign, Dee Hoggan goes in the Singles and both Men’s and Women’s Para-Bowls B6-B8 Pairs, Garry Brown and Kevin Wallace, Rosemary Lenton and Pauline Wilson begin competition.
Scotland House, a welcoming home from home for visiting supporters to watch the action and celebrate Team Scotland’s sporting success, officially opened its doors on the day of the Birmingham 2022 Opening Ceremony.
It will host a range of events linked to the Games, as well as hosting the team’s post-competition media activity. Importantly it also provides a tranquil space for athletes and their families and friends to meet in private and relax; before and after competition.
Scotland House was officially opened by Paul Bush OBE, Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland, Maree Todd, Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport and Professor Michael Harkin, Vice Chancellor, University College Birmingham with the opening event attended by athletes, family and friends, team officials, CGS Board members, representatives of University College Birmingham and media.
Team Scotland have partnered with University College Birmingham to deliver Scotland House which is ideally located in the city centre, less than 5 minutes’ walk from Centenary Square and 10 minutes from New Street Station. It will open daily until Monday 8 August from 10:00 to 23:00.
Paul Bush OBE, Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “With Scotland House now officially open, we will look forward to welcoming hundreds of athletes, friends, family and team supporters here over the duration of the Games.
“As always, we have strived to make Scotland House a welcoming home from home for our team members, their friends, family and supporters. The team have done a fantastic job in bringing our brand to life; from the grand entrance to the tiny details, it all comes together to be incredibly impactful. A huge thank you to the Scottish Government in understanding the value of Scotland House and continuing to support us in its delivery.
“Lastly a thank you to University College Birmingham for hosting Team Scotland. The facilities both here and at the Performance Centre are first class and will be a great resource for the team.”
Team Scotland is delighted to reveal our two flagbearers for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, which takes place at Alexander Stadium on 28th July.
Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 medallist Kirsty Gilmour and Paralympic bronze medallist Micky Yule have both been selected by their Team Scotland peers for the honour, which will see Scotland have two flagbearers for the first time in Games history.
Birmingham will be Kirsty’s fourth Commonwealth Games for Team Scotland. She won her first Scotland senior caps at 16 years old and became the youngest badminton player to attend a Commonwealth Games for Scotland when she competed at Delhi 2010 having just turned 17. She then went on to compete at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2011, winning singles bronze.
At Glasgow 2014 she became the first Scottish woman to reach a Commonwealth Games Badminton singles final, winning silver, and Gold Coast 2018 saw her return to the podium with a second successive singles medal, this time a bronze.
A double Olympian, competing at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games, Kirsty has added a wealth of international medals to her name including three European Championship medals – silver in both 2016 and 2017 and bronze in 2021. She became the first Scottish woman to win the Scottish Open since 2009 when she took victory in the Singles in November 2017 and took bronze at the 2019 European Games in Minsk as part of Scotland’s bronze medal winning team at the 2020 European Team Championships.
Micky will feature at his third Commonwealth Games at Birmingham 2022, having become the first Scottish athlete to compete in Para-Powerlifting at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, where he finished fourth. He returned for Gold Coast 2018, just missing out on a medal again, coming fourth for his second consecutive Games.
Having finished 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.
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.
Commenting on her prestigious selection Kirsty said, “I am over the moon to have been selected by my fellow athletes to carry the flag for Scotland. Representing Scotland has always been a huge honour but to be named flagbearer for a Games so close to home is amazing.
“What makes this even more special is that I will be walking alongside Micky who is an inspirational athlete and I have no doubt it will a very special moment for both of us. For me personally, I am also the first openly gay athlete to carry the flag for Scotland – a huge honour for me and for everyone in the LGBTQ community. I can’t wait to get to Alexander Stadium now.”
Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland Paul Bush OBE said “This is a fantastic moment for Team Scotland, and for Kirsty and Micky. Selecting two flagbearers who have such an impressive track record in sport is a real honour for us and shows that our athletes are role models and heroes to so many for more than just their sporting achievements. I look forward to seeing them on parade at Alexander Stadium on Thursday.”
Team Scotland Chef de Mission, Elinor Middlemiss said “We are so proud to have selected two amazing flagbearers to lead Scotland into the Stadium on Thursday night. We are really proud of all of they have achieved and to be selected by their fellow athletes is recognition of how highly regarded they are within Scottish sport. We couldn’t wish for two better athletes to lead our team into the Games.”
Maree Todd, Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport said: “I am delighted that Kirsty and Micky will lead the Team into the Opening Ceremony as flagbearers. To be selected by their fellow team members demonstrates how worthy and experienced they are as athletes. I am sure it will be a proud moment and everyone in the Ceremony and at home will be cheering them on.”
The Opening Ceremony for the Birmingham 2022 Games takes place at Alexander Stadium on 28th July 2022.