THE Glasgow Commonwealth Games will allow Scotland to continue forging key links across the globe after the Tartan Army lit up the US during the World Cup, the nation’s Sport Minister has said.
The Commonwealth Games have returned to the city for the second time in 12 years, albeit in a smaller format featuring just 10 sports compared to 18 in 2014.
The city stepped in to host the event in 2026 after the Australian state of Victoria pulled out, citing unmanageable costs.
It comes in the wake of the Tartan Army capturing the hearts of Boston and Miami during the World Cup, with Glasgow and Boston set to be formally twinned to celebrate the burgeoning relationship between their citizens.
At a time of geopolitical tension across the world, Sport Minister Maree Todd believes the Commonwealth Games presents another vital opportunity for Scotland to continue implementing soft power.
“The Tartan Army did an amazing job; they are the best ambassadors a country could ever have,” Todd told the Sunday National.
“I went out to the World Cup and every door was open; people are really keen to speak to Scotland, and that’s down largely to the Tartan Army. Now the Commonwealth Games are back in Glasgow, and we are welcoming the world.
“One of the most important things delegates have been saying to me is about the warm welcome in this city, and they can feel it as soon as they arrive. We’ve got a real opportunity not just to host a fantastic Games but to forge links across the globe to make business links as well as political ones, and there couldn’t be a better time.
“A number of people have mentioned this is a time of great tension in the world and how wonderful it is to have countries come together to compete fiercely but also to work together, to form partnerships and have conversations.”
Todd also believes that in saving the Games from “real jeopardy”, Scotland has created an opportunity for a “glaring gap” to be filled in the future in opening the door for African nations to finally host it.
It’s the second time in a row a UK city has had to save the event at the last minute – with Durban being stripped as a host in 2022 over failures to meet key obligations in relation to governance and funding and Birmingham stepping in.
That should have been the first time an African nation hosted the Games but, in a 100-year history, we are still waiting for the event to be held there despite just under 40% of Commonwealth nations being in the continent.
But Todd believes this is not far away from changing after Scotland reimagined the Games to make them more sustainable and manageable for other nations to host.
“The Commonwealth Games is in real jeopardy and without Scotland stepping in it wouldn’t have happened this time, and it may never have happened again,” she said.
“With this reimagined Games, there is an opportunity for other countries to host and feel the benefit of hosting a big event like this. Some of these events become so enormous and so expensive, and it’s just impossible for countries to host.
“What we’ve done is reimagine these huge events, and we think we’ve made it more sustainable so more countries will be able to do it and we can still gain a big benefit from hosting.”
Asked about the Games having never been held in Africa, she went on: “It is a glaring gap that in 100 years there hasn’t been an African-hosted Commonwealth Games and I think Scotland has played a part in making that a possibility.
“I think in future there will be opportunities for smaller countries to collaborate. We need to recognise [the] challenge that it is for any host nation to put these events on and think about how we ensure we capture the benefits but don’t make it impossible for everyone to have a go. I am confident there will be an African Commonwealth Games in the near future.”
Despite extensive speculation Glasgow could be the final edition of the Games, it was announced at the end of last year the centenary 2030 Games would be hosted in the Indian city of Amdavad – also known as Ahmedabad.
Commonwealth Sport also confirmed that 15 to 17 sports would feature at that edition instead of the 10 confirmed for Glasgow.
The Commonwealth Sport Executive Board has also agreed to develop a strategy for supporting and accelerating Nigeria’s hosting ambitions for future Games, including consideration for 2034.
Todd told the Sunday National she believes there has been too much emphasis on the Glasgow Games being scaled back and not enough on how the nation has saved an event that has always been vital to Scottish athletes.
For many, it is the only opportunity they get to represent Scotland on the world stage in their sport as they compete for Team GB at the likes of the Olympics and world championships.
“What I would love for people to understand is that only Scotland could have done this,” Todd said.
“Glasgow is probably the only city in the world that could’ve stepped up and that’s partly because of the facilities we have and the capacity we have in our teams that are involved in putting on international events. It’s something we’re really good at.
“To take an event like this on with just 18 months to go, a number of countries, when they’ve been talking to me and in public speeches, have been talking about us as Scotland the Brave. To quote Burns, if only we could see ourselves as others see us.”
Todd said when she knew the Commonwealth Games was in trouble, she knew the problems it could create for Scottish elite athletes in the future.
“I hear directly from athletes how much it means to them to represent Scotland on the world stage, and the Commonwealth Games, for many of our athletes, is the only opportunity for that to happen,” she said.
“It does also mean we punch above our weight in Team GB; we have some incredible Olympians from Scotland, and if I think about how I felt when I knew the Commonwealth Games was in jeopardy, I had a real concern about the elite athlete pathway, and if there wasn’t a Commonwealth Games how we would develop those athletes so we can continue to punch above our weight.
“It’s a really important multi-sport event, and it wasn’t going to happen if Scotland didn’t step in, and I think people are genuinely glad it’s happening.”
