With less than one month to go until the opening ceremony of Seventh Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago 2023, the final athletes representing Team Scotland in the Rugby 7s have now been confirmed. A total of 49 Scottish athletes will travel to Trinidad and Tobago and compete in competition from the 4-11 August 2023.
The 13 named Rugby 7s players, aged 17 and 18 years old, will compete for Team Scotland alongside athletes from the six other sports on the Trinidad and Tobago programme: Netball, Beach Volleyball, Triathlon, Athletics, Cycling and Swimming.
Rugby 7s is a fast paced, high tempo game, played with 7s players a side, for two seven-minute halves. With more room to roam and little time to waste, the result is a version of rugby that is shorter, faster, and higher scoring. The squad selected will be sure to step up to the challenge and aim to make their mark on the international stage.
The Rugby 7s competition will take place at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex on the island of Tobago and will be contested by Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Jamaica, Scotland, Fiji and South Africa.
The concept of the Youth Games was created by Scotland in 2000 with the aim of developing young athletes and giving them an early experience of an international multi-sport environment. The event now has a proven track record of uncovering future champions at senior level, with athletes such as Hannah Miley, Eilish McColgan and Josh Taylor competing at Youth Games before going on to senior success.
Team Scotland 2023 will depart for Trinidad and Tobago on the 1st August, ready to make the most of the multi-sport Games experience and aiming to follow in the footsteps of previous Team Scotland Youth Games athletes.
Congratulating the athletes on their selection, Chef de Mission, Chris Purdie, said, “I am delighted to welcome the 13 Rugby 7s players to Team Scotland, who now make up the complete Scotland delegation heading out to Trinidad and Tobago. With the final athletes confirmed and our Team Camp having taken place, the excitement and anticipation of the games is very high. The hard work and dedication that all of these athletes have put in to get here is fantastic and all truly deserve this opportunity to represent their country on the world stage.”
Craig Dods, who will manage the Rugby 7s team heading out to Trinidad and Tobago, said, “We’re delighted to confirm the 13-player squad that have been selected to represent Team Scotland at the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games. The 13 boys will now take part in an intensive month-long programme before flying out at the start of August.”
“All players selected have been part of the FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy or involved with our SQ programme. Six members of the team represented Scotland at the U18 Six Nations Festival in Dublin earlier this year. I’m excited to see how this group of players progress in the coming weeks and watch them compete on the international stage.”
Johnny Ventisei, Captain the Scotland side, said, “I’m over the moon to be asked to captain this team at Trinbago 2023. I’m buzzing to represent Team Scotland with the rest of the boys in a once in a lifetime multi-sport games experience in an incredible location.”
Full Team List
Fergus Watson, 17
Ben Morriss, 17
Joe Townshend, 17
Jack Craig, 17
Fergus Wood, 18
Robbie Baird, 18
Matthew Urwin, 18
Jack Hocking, 18
Hugo Alderson, 17
Johnny Ventisei ©, 18
Benjamin Roger, 18
Ross Birnie, 18
Ritchie Mitchell, 17
Craig Dods (Head Coach)
Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS), in conjunction with Table Tennis Scotland, has confirmed today the sports specific selection standards required in Table Tennis and Para-Table Tennis for nomination to Team Scotland for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
These are in addition to the criteria laid down in the General Selection Policy published in January 2020. This means that 18 of the 19 sports on the programme have now agreed the sport specific standards required for athletes to put themselves in the frame for competing at Birmingham 2022.
For all Table Tennis events, participation in the Games is subject to receiving an invite to compete from the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). Invitations will be accepted in line with the CGS Selection Policy, with the requirement to demonstrate the potential to place in the top six in the Games.
Teams may qualify through Direct Qualification based on ITTF World Rankings, by winning a Regional Qualifying event or by finishing as the highest ranked nation, not otherwise qualified for Birmingham 2022, at the Commonwealth Championships.
Individual qualification will be through results at a Regional Qualification event and the Commonwealth Championships.
Participation in the Para-Table Tennis events is also by invitation from the CGF, with a maximum of two athletes per country per event. The men’s competition will comprise Standing (Classes 8-10) and Wheelchair (Classes 3-5), while the women’s events will be Standing (Classes 6-10) and Wheelchair (Classes 3-5). Qualification will be based on the ITTF Para Table Tennis Ranking List as at 1 March 2022.
The overall Team Scotland selection period detailed in the CGS General Selection Policy is 1 March 2021 to 15 May 2022. This policy, along with the detailed selection standards for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in all sports published to date are available to download at: https://www.teamscotland.scot/games/birmingham-2022/team-selection/
The first two squash players selected to compete for Team Scotland at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games have been named today by Commonwealth Games Scotland. Alan Clyne and Greg Lobban, both Inverness natives now living in Edinburgh, will take to the courts at Oxenford Studios from 5-15 April, hoping to secure Scotland’s first Squash medal for 20 years.
Clyne in particular is determined to reach the podium next year, having finished fourth in Men’s Doubles at both the Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014 Games and results from the new partnership with Lobban suggests it could be third time lucky in Gold Coast.
In their first major tournament as a doubles pairing, they claimed World Doubles Championship gold in 2016, during a prolific summer in which both players were also part of the first Scottish team for 17 years to take a European Team Championship medal.
Following their success, serious injury put Lobban out of action for several months, but he has made an outstanding return to the court. Having never previously won a PSA Tour event, he had an incredible run of success in May and June 2017, reaching five finals and taking three titles; one in England and two in New Zealand.
Clyne, meanwhile, took his seventh Scottish national title in March and has risen to a career high of 24th in the World Singles rankings, whilst competing extensively in the World Series and reaching the semi-finals of the 2017 Swedish Open.
Reunited for the defence of their World Doubles Championship title in August this year, the pair put on a phenomenal display to once again reach the final. This time they had to settle for silver and, with Australia taking gold in a reverse of the result from 2016, the scene is now set for an epic showdown at Gold Coast 2018.
Jon Doig, Team Scotland Chef de Mission, welcomed the selections: “We are pleased to be able to confirm Alan and Greg on Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018, allowing them to concentrate fully on their preparation over the next five months.
“They both bring a wealth of past Games experience and their recent results indicate their medal potential in April next year, which would be a first for Scotland since 1998. I wish them all the best with their training and look forward to watching them compete in Gold Coast.”
Maggie Still, Chief Executive at Scottish Squash added: “At Scottish Squash we are delighted to see the early selection of Alan Clyne and Greg Lobban for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Their recent past achievements will put them among the favourites for a medal on the Gold Coast and we know that both players always give their best for Scotland and are hugely focused and committed performers.
“The past twelve months have been challenging for both players, who have shown great resilience and demonstrated that they are outstanding role models. We are already extremely proud of their achievements and we wish them all the very best in the Games.”
Clyne and Lobban’s selection brings the total number of athletes named to Team Scotland to 33, following team announcements for Swimming and Lawn Bowls in October. Further selections in Squash are scheduled to be announced in February 2018.