Special Features - Glasgow strikes gold

Glasgow strikes gold
(16/11/07)

Glasgow will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games following an announcement in Colombo, Sri Lanka that the Scottish city had beaten off competition from Abuja, Nigeria for the right to host the Games.

Forty-seven of the 71 voting nations backed Glasgow's bid to bring the Games back to Scotland for the first time since Edinburgh hosted them in 1986.

Hundreds of people celebrate Glasgow being announced as the host of the 2014 Commonwealth Games (c) Getty Images

Passionate about welcoming the Games

Commonwealth Games Federation President, Mike Fennell, said:

"We are extremely confident that the country, the city, and its organising committee will deliver excellent Games in 2014.

"It was evident from the presentation we received today that Glasgow will be passionate about welcoming the Commonwealth in 2014, and the people of the city and all of Scotland will get right behind the athletes and make the Games an outstanding success."

Jubilation on the streets of Glasgow

The announcement was greeted with delight in Scotland. Hundreds of people gathered in Glasgow's George Square to hear the result, while about 2000 children gathered at Tollcross Leisure Centre, which will host the swimming events.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport has decorated its subway trains to mark Glasgow's success. Following the announcement, five new cars with the slogan "It's gold for Glasgow" were put into service.

A great bid

Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, said:

"We put together a great bid and this was recognised by the voters... The enthusiasm and excitement shown by people across the country did not go unnoticed. It's up to us all now to keep building the buzz to make sure that we make the most of this opportunity."

A feast of sport

The Commonwealth Games - for countries that were part of the old British Empire - has developed into one of the world's biggest sporting events since the first one was held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada.

The Glasgow Games will include 17 sports - including athletics, boxing, gymnastics, rugby 7s and triathlon - featuring some of the most famous sportsmen and women in the world.

The event, often referred to as the Friendly Games, was made up of individual sports between 1930 and 1994. However, the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur saw the introduction of team sports with countries taking part in one-day cricket, hockey, netball and rugby 7s.

Youth Games also coming to UK

The Commonwealth Youth Games, which were held for the first time in 2000, are also coming to the UK in 2011, when the Isle of Man hosts the Commonwealth's finest young athletes.

Keep an eye on the Commonwealth Games website for news about Glasgow's preparations in the build-up to 2014.

Related links

Commonwealth Games website