Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) today confirmed the Sport Team Manager appointments for Table Tennis, Gymnastics and Lawn Bowls. This means 16 of the 18 managers are now in place and preparing to lead their sports at Glasgow 2014, as the selection period for athletes is about to get underway.
Whilst new to Team Scotland in management positions, they all bring a wealth of experience from both their professional roles and their extensive sporting involvement over many years.
Table Tennis – Euan Walker is a former Scotland number one men’s singles player, winning a record 12 Scottish titles, three British titles and making over 200 senior international appearances for his country before retiring in 2006 after 27 years in the sport.
Throughout his playing career, Euan attended seven World Championships, six European Championships, five Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships and the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He also played in the European League 1990 – 2005 and the Home Countries Internationals 1990 – 2005.
Apart from winning a record 12 Scottish Men’s Singles titles, one of Euan’s proudest moments was parading with the Scottish Team at the Opening Ceremony at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He is also now looking forward to taking up a new role with the sport as Team Manger for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Gymnastics – Tracy Rea joined Scottish Gymnastics as Head of Performance in October 2011, with her primary role being to lead and direct the implementation of the sport’s Performance Plan in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. This makes Tracy ideally placed to fulfil the role of Team Manager at the Games, a challenge which she is relishing. Prior to this she was a Performance Lifestyle Adviser with the sportscotland institute of sport and is acutely aware of the support required by athletes in the high performance environment.
As an athlete, Tracy competed as a junior international shot putter and also spent several years coaching junior national squads for netball in England.
Lawn Bowls (including Para-Sport Bowls) – Ricky Taylor has been playing lawn bowls from the age of 12, joining Bellahouston Bowling Club as a junior at the age of 16. He went on to compete for Scotland at both indoor and outdoor Home Internationals and Test Series in Australia and New Zealand at U25 Level. He has represented Glasgow in the County championships since 1997 and will earn his 100th County Cap this year. He is now looking forward to taking on a new role with the sport he is so passionate about.
Ricky is also a keen triathlete and as well as competing for Glasgow Triathlon Club he is a personal trainer and fitness instructor in his spare time, and is the strength and conditioning coach to Stranraer Football Club.
Welcoming the trio to the sport management team Jon Doig, CGS Chief Executive and Team Scotland Chef de Mission said: “I am delighted to welcome Euan, Tracy and Ricky to the team. We now have a strong mix of team managers on board with extensive Games and sport experience as well as some fresh ideas, which augurs well not only for Glasgow but for future Games. I know they are all excited about the prospect of leading their sports at a home Games and we look forward to working with them to build a successful overall team.”
The full team management will make an official visit to the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee in May, just as they would for any Games, as planning steps up a pace with just over a year to go.