sportscotland today announced increased investment totaling £125,000 to Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS), the body responsible for the selection and preparation of Scottish teams for the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games.

The funding announced today will support the core activities of CGS for the next 12 months. CGS is responsible for setting and implementing the sport-specific selection policies in conjunction with the participating sports governing bodies and these will be used to determine which athletes will represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi next year. With only 20 months to go until the 2010 Games, thoughts are already turning to who will be on the flight to Delhi and the all-important selection process will start on 1 May 2009.

Announcing the investment Louise Martin CBE, Chair of sportscotland said: “I am delighted to announce this investment in CGS, one of our key partners in delivering high performance sport in Scotland.

“We are just over two months out from the start of the selection period for the next Commonwealth Games in India, so this is a very exciting time for athletes with aspirations of representing Scotland in Delhi.

“We have seen some fantastic performances from young Scottish athletes at the Commonwealth Youth Games and the Australian Youth Olympics which not only fills me with optimism for what lies ahead, but also provides inspiration and motivation for young people across the country to become involved in sport.”

The first phase of the strategic planning work for 2010 has already been implemented with a number of key appointments for the Scottish Team staff having been made and a fact finding mission to Delhi scheduled for April this year.

Welcoming the investment, Michael Cavanagh, Chairman, Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “We have a strong working partnership with sportscotland. Their support for CGS, member sports and athletes, both directly and through the Institute network is critical to ensuring we are successful in Delhi and beyond.”