September 24, 2004

As generally expected, Glasgow was chosen over Edinburgh today by the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland as Scotland's choice to put forward into the international pool of cities bidding for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. A feasibility study, due next summer, will determine if Scotland will actually go through with a bid. Bids are not due until late 2006 or early 2007 prior to the 2007 Commonwealth Games Council meetings.

The compactness of Glasgow's proposal, with venues in two clusters, and close to the proposed site for the village, helped tip the scales in their favor. Sentiment also fell in favor of moving the games to another city, as Edinburgh has served as host city on two previous occasions, 1970 and 1986.

Glasgow has very little on its international games hosting resume, having hosted just the 1999 European Maccabi Games which had about 1500 participants from 28 nations and 12 sports.

Edinburgh papers said that plans for a new velodrome, renovation of the Commonwealth pool, and new football and rugby stadiums would go as planned, and that Edinburgh still could play some helpful role in the games with these facilities.

September 20, 2004

Scotland's choice of which city to place in the bidding race for the 2014 Commonwealth Games is due to be made on Thursday of this week, and announced on Friday.

Edinburgh and Glasgow have been lobbying for the prize, and presumably the government funding that comes along with it. Both cities are hoping to be able to upgrade existing local sports facilities with government assistance.

Scotland's Commonwealth Games Council will debate over the two bids on Thursday.

July 21, 2004

Glasgow and Edinburgh have now both submitted bids to the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland (CGCS) in hopes of becoming the nations candidate for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The CGCS is scheduled to decide between the two cities on or around September 15, 2004. After that, a thorough feasibility study would be completed and the CGCS would then determine if that city should go on to bid against other international candidates. The Commonwealth Games federation is scheduled to choose the host for 2014 in 2007.  

Glasgow did not reveal details of its proposal. Edinburgh is proposing renovations to its arena, pool and the creation of a temporary track, a brand new velodrome and an athletes village of 4,000 units that would be sold or rented out after the games. 

Edinburgh is also proposing that a year long festival accompany the games.

Edinburgh hosted the 1970 Commonwealth Games, fondly remembered, and the 1986 Commonwealth Games, a games boycotted by the African nations, that were not remembered as happily. Edinburgh bidders are hoping that a third chance to host the games would help to erase the memories of the 1986 boycotted games, but many speculate that the chances are thin that the Commonwealth Games Federation would give Edinburgh the games for a third time. Edinburgh also hosted the very first Commonwealth Youth Games in 2000.

April 29, 2004

What some thought might be a cooperative Commonwealth Games bid for Scotland, has taken a competitive turn this week.

Brian Ferguson of the scotsman.com writes first that Commonwealth Games rules do not allow for a joint bid, so Edinburgh and Glasgow can not take the cooperative route.

Edinburgh Council member Brian Meek and other Tory members of the council are urging the council to drop the bid immediately and save the £25,000 cost of putting together the first bid. Meek said, "Edinburgh's already hosted this event twice in 1970 and 1986, and frankly has no chance of hosting it again. "It seems very churlish to be going ahead with a bid simply to try to stop Glasgow winning it and we'd be as well throwing £25,000 in the bin.

Some £50 million pounds is available from Sportscotland to upgrade sports facilities, and some Tory members of the council have accused Edinburgh of attempting to bid for the games simply to be able to get a hand on that money. Meek and other Tory members would like Edinburgh to support Glasgow's bid instead.

Councillor Steve Cardownie, disagreed stating, "It would be an act of complete folly not to go forward with a bid at this stage. If Glasgow is awarded the Games then good luck to them, but we owe it to the citizens of Edinburgh to bid for major events like this when the chance comes up."

Both Glasgow and Edinburgh will find out about the funding awards from Sportscotland at the end of June.

April 24, 2004

The Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland (CGCS) is still considering either Edinburgh or Glasgow as its candidate city to enter the international contest for the 2014 Commonwealth Games bid according to the scotsman.com. Both cities have entered expressions of interest with the CGCS.

In the case of either city, the bids are still in an exploratory stage. Detailed bids are due to the CGCS on July 19.

SportsScotland has tentatively stated that up to 50 million pounds could be available to the city that wins the bid for preparations for the games.

The field is still wide open for the games, with early interest being expressed from South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and possibly Nigeria. 

The Commonwealth Games federation will choose the 2014 host in 2007.

March 4, 2004

A report commissioned by the Stirling (Scotland) Council and released last week stated that the region made a return of ten-to-one on public monies invested to host last years World Medical and Health Games.

The report says that just under £2 million was pumped into Stirling's economy by some 3600 visitors from over 40 nations. Stirling was pleased with the economic impact, especially in the restaurant sector.

The Stirling Council has approached EventScotland in hopes of landing similar events in the future.

February 1, 2004

Scottish news sources are writing about the possible demise of another storied international games venue, this time the intimate 16,000 seat Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh, the host stadium of both the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games. London's Wembley Stadium has been torn down and is being rebuilt, but will lose some of its storied grandeur.  The stadium is the second to be built on the site, the original stadium was torn down to make way for the 1970 Commonwealth Games version of Meadowbank.

Scottish track fans are hoping that the memories of Scottish heroics at Meadowbank can at least be preserved.

Several options are being considered. The Meadowbank facility sits next to other small facilities, which would most likely be kept. The site could have another stadium built on it, another site in the city could be chosen, or the Edinburgh City Council could still choose simply to refurbish the facility.

The stadium, which was built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, and cost just 2.8 million pounds at the time has been showing its age.

Scottish Olympic champion Allan Wells expressed his displeasure at the thought that the Meadowbank stadium might be torn down.

Glasgow over Edinburgh as Scotland's 2014 choice?  

January 31, 2004

Scotland has given the go ahead for interested Scottish cities who wish to bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, to make ready presentations for the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland.  

While any city may propose a bid, the Sunday Herald in Scotland stated that the most likely bid city will be Glasgow, over Edinburgh or any other bid.

Edinburgh has hosted the games twice before, in 1970 and 1986, making it unlikely to win a third bid.  

Glasgow currently has a proposal in the works for a new sports village.

Glasgow or Edinburgh for 2014 Commonwealth Games bid?

December 1, 2003

The Scots are looking at a future Commonwealth Games bid, in 2014 or 2018, and are discussing whether Glasgow or Edinburgh might be the best place to hold the games. There is some talk of convincing the Commonwealth Games Federation to allow the games to be held in both cities, but current CGF rules do not allow it.

Glasgow has fewer facilities at present for any games, but Edinburgh's facilities, Meadowbank Stadium and the Royal Commonwealth Pool, both used for the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games need to be refurbished.

The current Scottish Government has said that it will solidly support any bid for a future Commonwealth Games.

In the past four years Scotland has hosted the European Maccabi Games in Glasgow in 1999, the World Corporate Games in Aberdeen in 2000, the Commonwealth Youth Games in Edinburgh in 2000 and the World Medical Games in Stirling in 2003.

The early race for the 2014 Commonwealth Games is looking to be quite crowded with South Africa, Wales, Singapore, Canada and New Zealand, as well as Scotland, all expressing interest.

World Medical and Health Games in the news

June 30, 2003

It's an unfortunate axiom, that many times an international games won't be covered in the news, until something unseemly happens.

Such was the case at the recently concluded World Medical and Health Games in Stirling, Scotland.

During a football match between teams of doctors and medical professionals from Italy and Hungary, an Italian player, upset over a misunderstanding of a foul, punched the referee during an argument. Police were called to the filed to calm the incident.

The player was sent home, expelled from the Italian team and banned for life from ever participating in the World Medical and Health Games again.

The World Medical and Health Games oath reads:

"Having prepared ourselves for the sporting events of the World Medical & Health Games, we accept the challenge of competition in a spirit of sportsmanship and friendship, respecting the sporting and professional ethics that bind us together, hoping that during the challenge the fair play spirit will be rekindled and we will set an example to all great international sports competitions."

Perhaps they should add a line about, "First do no harm."

But if it's not violence, its sex. The same paper, two days later covered the Beach Volleyball competition with a brief note under the title "Volley of the Dolls" that read, "No, this beach babe isn't playing volleyball on the Copacabana - this is Stirling in deepest Braveheart country. And you'd need courage to play beach volleyball in a car park in Scotland. But that's what 50 leggy lovelies in figure-hugging gear did yesterday. The car park needed 250 tons of imported white sand for the makeover. But the women competing in the World Medical Games, and their drooling fans, seemed to enjoy every minute."

Both items were from Glasgow's Daily Record, the only paper that seemed to cover the games at all.

Edinburgh Commonwealth Bid

December 17, 2002

Edinburgh, Scotland, which hosted a well-received Commonwealth Games in 1970 and a frustrating, boycott-plagued Commonwealth Games in 1986, has made mention of hosting the games for a third time in 2014.

The recently created EventScotland, is hoping to attract tourist traffic to Scotland and bid for the Euro 2008 football championships, (which were awarded to Austria-Switzerland this week).

Early discussions are centered around the usual topics, such as should public money be spent, and the fact that venues are in need of renovation.

Scotland's Lord Watson brought the proposal to light earlier this month, mentioning that preliminary discussions had already included the Commonwealth Games Council of Scotland.

Bizarre eligibility twist means Scotsman can not run for Scotland

April 2002

Charles Robertson-Adams, a 23 year-old hurdler who has competed for Scotland on numerous occasions over the past decade, has been told by the Commonwealth Games Council of Scotland, that he is not eligible to compete for Scotland in the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

Eligibility rules set by the Commonwealth Games Council of Scotland require that an athlete be born in Scotland, or born in the UK with at least one parent born in Scotland, or a resident of Scotland three of the five years prior to the Games or resident in Scotland for the years prior to the games.

Robertson-Adams has been ranked on the national lists in Scotland in his event, the 400 meter hurdles, since 1991, and is funded by Scotland's sport lottery, is the current Scottish champion, and also the Scottish record holder! Though he qualifies for funding and the lists he does not meet the specific criteria set up by the Council.

Robertson-Adams father was born in Ghana, but the family moved to Scotland when he was two months old.  Charles was born in Liverpool, spent some of his early years in Zambia, and then moved with his family back to Scotland. He currently lives and trains in Liverpool.

Robertson-Adams is eligible to compete for Scotland in events under the authority of the Scottish Athletics Federation, but not, under the current state of the rules, the Commonwealth Games Council of Scotland.