Our Gold Coast 2018 Sport Focus is a double-header this week as Lawn Bowls and Cycling share the spotlight. Both Lawn Bowls and Cycling have done the nation proud over recent Commonwealth Games, delivering five gold medals between them at Glasgow 2014 and it is a big week in both sports with finals action imminent at the World Indoor Bowls Championships and Scotland’s cyclists gearing up for this weekend’s British Track Championships.

Look out for all things Bowls and Cycling on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this week as both sports share the spotlight in our Sport Focus Series, which features each of the 18 sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme through athlete interviews, facts & figures, competition news and more.

Lawn Bowls at the Commonwealth Games

One of the six sports included in the first Commonwealth Games in 1930, Lawn Bowls is a core sport and has been featured at every Games, with the exception of Kingston, Jamaica in 1966 where the sport was dropped from the programme due to no sufficient bowling greens being available.

With three gold and a silver, Glasgow 2014 is Team Scotland’s most successful Lawn Bowls performance to date, but Scottish bowlers have been a regular fixture on the podium since the first Games, winning a total of 32 medals, half of them gold.

Bowler Willie Wood holds the record for Commonwealth Games appearances, competing at eight Games between 1966 and 2010. At the Delhi 2010 Games he was the oldest competitor, aged 72. Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games bowler, Alex Marshall, will make his sixth Games appearance in Gold Coast, looking to add to his tally of four gold medals.

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

Cycling at the Commonwealth Games

Cycling made its Games debut in 1934 and has been included in every Games since, despite being an optional sport on the programme. It was a long wait for Scotland’s first medal in the sport, coming courtesy of Brian Temple’s silver medal winning ride in the 10 mile Scratch Race at the home Games of Edinburgh 1970. A bronze followed in 1986 for Eddie Alexander in the 1000m Sprint, but since 2002, Scottish cyclists have come into their own, winning 16 medals across four Games and at least one gold in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.

Para-Sport events were first included at Glasgow 2014 and Team Scotland were dominant, taking two gold and two silver across the four events. All four events are back on the programme for Gold Coast 2018.

Craig McLean is Scotland’s most successful cyclist, winning gold in 2006 and bronze in 2002 in the Team Sprint with Chris Hoy and Ross Edgar, before piloting Neil Fachie to double gold at the Glasgow 2014 games in the Para-Sport B Tandem events.

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

Team Scotland 2018

Team Scotland have named a strong squad of 10 able-bodied and seven para-sport bowlers for Gold Coast 2018 including double Glasgow 2014 medallist Alex Marshall, plus fellow Glasgow 2014 champions Paul Foster and Darren Burnett. Irene Edgar and David Thomas, who were part of the silver medal winning Visually Impaired quartet in Glasgow also return as does Melbourne 2006 silver medallist Kay Moran.

The Cycling team have still to be named, with the announcement due in February, but it promises to be a strong squad with the likes of Olympic gold medallists Katie Archibald and Callum Skinner in the frame, as well as a host of past Games medallists and up-and-coming talents.

Click here to meet the full Lawn Bowls team for Gold Coast 2018.

A total of 117 athletes have been named to Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date, with athletes announced in Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Beach Volleyball, Lawn Bowls, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Triathlon and Weightlifting.

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.