Aiming for gold in Glasgow

The 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games will be no different from its predecessors; it will showcase the elite talent the Commonwealth nations have to offer. Across late July and early August this year, around 6500 athletes from 70 nations will call Glasgow home for 10 days, competing in Scotland’s largest city for the chance to be crowned King or Queen of the Commonwealth in their respective sport.

Scotland has a history rich in sporting success, including when the capital Edinburgh played host to the Games in 1970 (then known as the British Commonwealth Games) and 1986.

Since formally announcing its intention to bid in 2005, Glasgow has been planning for its moment on the world stage. The city faced competition from Abuja, Nigeria and Halifax, Canada for the right to host the Games, and was selected as the host by the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly in 2007.

Hosting the Games, Commonwealth or Olympic and Paralympic, is now much more than celebrating sport and success for a week or two, and the long term plan of the UK’s fourth largest city was a significant reason as to why it was selected as host. One of the most important aspects of Glasgow’s bid was its response to Games’ requirements, such as venues and building a legacy post-Games, much like the extremely successful Sydney and London Olympic Games.

The key strategy behind the bid was Glasgow’s ‘Legacy 2014’, a policy which similar to that of London used “the unique opportunity of the Games to deliver lasting change across the whole of Scotland,” broadening the scope of the event to have a positive impact on the whole country rather than just focusing on one city.

As part of the plan four programmes were implemented; Flourishing, “to contribute to the growth of Scotland’s economy”; Active, “helping Scots be more physically active”; Connected, “to strengthen learning and culture at home and internationally”, and Sustainable, to demonstrate environmental responsibility and help “communities live more sustainably.” Contained within each programme are steps which engage a range of businesses, community organisations, schools and individuals to make the Games a lasting success.

As always the Australian team will feature heavily on the medal dais throughout the competition, having already topped the medal tally on 12 of the 19 occasions the Games have been staged. Now, as part of the Australian Sporting Commission’s ‘Winning Edge’ strategy, being the number one sporting nation in the Commonwealth is a must, so it is likely that Australia will extend its winning streak.

NSWIS athletes have contributed significantly to the success of the nation at Commonwealth level, most recently in Delhi where 42 NSWIS athletes contributed to 20 gold, 15 silver and seven bronze medals. Several of the athletes from the 2010 Games will feature in Glasgow, including swimmer James Magnussen, and divers Melissa Wu and Matthew Mitcham.

For Magnussen in particular, the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi were the launching pad to a career that has since seen him win two world championship gold medals, as well as Olympic silver at the 2012 London Games.

The 23 year old has fond memories of the Delhi Games and how important they were in the progression of his career.

“The 2010 Commonwealth Games were my first major Australian team, so it was a great experience being around many of the older swimmers and learning what it is to come together as a team and compete on a major international stage,” Magnussen said.

“The success we were able to have was something that really inspired me and pushed me on to want to be a swimmer who could compete strongly on the international stage in the years ahead.”

Magnussen will face stiff competition from his competitors in Glasgow, including current Australian 100m freestyle champion Cam McEvoy, though he is not concerned about the results that lay ahead. Along with his coach Brant Best, Magnussen has been working on making sure that he is ready to race as well as he can on any given day. Though to add to his own personal goals, Magnussen is looking forward to the opportunity to compete for Australia and support the rest of his teammates who will be in Scotland.

“Brant and I have set similar goals to what we have for previous international competitions, and that is to really focus on my processes, on the quality and precision of my racing and to perform at the highest levels I can on each day,” Magnussen said.

“In the past few major competitions for the Australian Swim Team we have all felt a change in the atmosphere, and the focus of the team as a whole, and I am looking forward to hopefully making a strong contribution to the overall team results.

“I have never been to Scotland and so I am hoping to be able to get out and see a little of the surrounds once my events are over and also to see some of the different sports at the Games.”

Magnussen is just one of the 6500 athletes descending on Glasgow who will compete in 261 events across 17 sports. Around £530m will be spent on making the Games a successful venture for Glasgow and Scotland, with all signs pointing towards one of the best displays of talent that sport has to offer.