Team Scotland athletes were given an exclusive first glimpse inside the state-of-the-art development which will become the home from home for 4,500 top sportsmen and women from across the world for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Saturday 13 July marks exactly One Year To Go until team members and officials from 71 nations and territories start to take up residence for the Games in the 700-home Dalmarnock complex in the heart of Glasgow’s east end which will be transformed into Glasgow 2014’s Athletes’ Village.

Adam Cox, a Team Scotland bronze medallist in Gymnastics from the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games and Netball player Lynsey Gallagher, who hopes to compete in a Games for the first time at Glasgow 2014, were given a behind the scenes tour of the site where 85% of homes are already complete. Both athletes were also given a flavour of how it will function at Games-time – complete with a full medical centre, shops, recreation areas and 24-hour dining facilities for the athletes and team officials.

The site, Scotland’s first large-scale carbon neutral housing development, will start its transformation for Games-mode at the start of next year. The Glasgow 2014 Athletes’ Advisory Committee has been involved throughout the design stages of the project to ensure that it is more than just a bed between training and competition.

Athletes and officials will be accommodated within a range of properties – from terraced homes, to contemporary cubed townhouses – within the 35 hectare site which has been developed by City Legacy – a private sector consortium which is working with Glasgow City Council.

It was revealed today that at Games-time the Village site will be zoned and has four different areas appropriately named with a Scottish flavour as Clan, Castle, Mountain and Loch.

Ensuring the smooth operating of a Games village is a mammoth logistical task, requiring precision planning.

In food terms alone more than 390,000 village meals will be served with more than 2,000 different menu items including 11,600 kg of mushrooms, 10,000 kg of garlic and 500,000 pieces of fruit.

Village-Web3.jpgAlso expected to be used are:
· 30,000 towels
· 26,000 bed sheets
· 20,000 toilet rolls
· 100,000 bin liners
· 1,400 litres of soap

After the Games, the Athletes’ Village will leave a lasting legacy for the people of Glasgow as 700 homes will be available – 300 for private sale and 400 affordable houses for rental.

Elinor Middlemiss, Team Scotland’s General Team Manager, said: “It is fantastic to see the Athletes’ Village taking shape with a year still to go until the Games. The Village is the heartbeat of every Games, providing that important home from home for all the athletes as they prepare for one of the most important performances of their lives, as well as providing a base for Team Scotland operations. The low-rise accommodation will work well, there are good public spaces and the proximity to most of the venues and the city centre is ideal.

“There has been a lot of input so far from our athletes into the Village planning process and we will continue to work closely with the Organising Committee to ensure that when it opens in one year’s time, it offers the best possible athlete experience.”

David Grevemberg, Chief Executive of Glasgow 2014, said: “We want the athletes who come for the Games to have the best possible experience and the Games Village is a crucial part of that. With one year to go until the athletes arrive, the site is already 85% complete which is a really positive message.”