Next stop Gold Coast 2018Preparations for the next Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in 2018 picked up pace at the end of 2015 with a site visit to the Queensland city. Scottish performance staff from 15 sports on the Gold Coast 2018 programme joined Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) staff and representatives of the sportscotland Institue of Sport and Eventscotland. They explored the area and engaged in collaborative discussions with the Local Organising Committee (GOLDOC).

There were informative updates from the Heads of the Divisions responsible for transport, sport, venues and the Games Village. The group were invited to give feedback, before heading off on a tour of sports venues and the Village site. Everyone was impressed by the scale of investment being made into the facilities and the information gathered will help to inform Team Scotland’s general and sport specific preparations in the lead up to the Games.

Sites for Scotland House, a regular and important feature of the Team Scotland Games support programme, were also explored.

There was an opportunity to visit potential team camp facilities on the Sunshine Coast, about an hour away, to assess the feasibility of creating a Team Scotland

base there, which will assist athlete and staff acclimatisation immediately before the Games. Possible training venues and support services were also viewed. Armed with first-hand experience of the options, performance staff are now leading discussions within their individual sports, before a final decision is made on the venue and operational requirements.

“The welcome we received on both the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast was absolutely fantastic,” said CGS Games Team Operations Manager, Elinor Middlemiss. “The facilities being built for the Games are progressing well and the opportunity to hear updates and share information with the Organising Committee was very useful for everyone.

“The group were fantastic to work with and having so many of the performance

staff there was invaluable and gave the visit a real multi-sport feel. A big thank you to all the sports’ governing bodies and sportscotland for their commitment to ensuring that Team Scotland will compete in Gold Coast 2018 after the best preparation possible.”

CGS Chief Executive, Jon Doig added: “For each Games we have raised the bar in terms of our preparations and this has certainly contributed to our great performances in recent years.

“We are looking to have our best ever overseas Games in Gold Coast 2018, bettering those last held in Australia in 2006. Ensuring we are fully aware of the situation on the ground and have a base that can support our athletes as soon as they arrive, as well as in the Gold Coast, is a critical part of our planning as we approach the last two years until the Games.”

Queensland’s Gold Coast will host the 21st Commonwealth Games from 4 to 15 April 2018, the fifth time Australia has staged the Games and the first time it will be held in a regional Australian city.

COMMONWEALTH GAMES SCOTLAND NEWSLETTER ISSUE 24 – WINTER 2015

UPDATE

Since our last visit to Gold Coast there has been significant progress not only with Games planning but with the building and refurbishment of the Games Village and sports facilities. Most facilities are in close proximity to the Village in Gold Coast, with the exception of Track Cycling and Shooting which will be held 66km away in Brisbane, whilst Basketball preliminaries will be held in Cairns and Townsville, a two-hour flight away.

metre pool will become the warm up pool in Games mode.

Athletics (Track & Field) & Opening & Closing CeremoniesCarrara Stadium, Carrara will be enhanced with temporary seating to provide for 40,000 spectators in Games mode. The venue will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the Games, as well as the Athletics competition.

Athletics (Marathon, Race Walks) & TriathlonSouthport Broadwater Parklands will be the site for the start and finish of the Marathon, Race Walks and Triathlon.

Badminton & WrestlingA new Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre will be constructed to host the Badminton and Wrestling competitions.

Basketball (preliminary rounds)Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns (Men)Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre, Townsville (Women)

Boxing, Squash & Table Tennis Oxenford Studios (the Village Roadshow television production studios) will play host to the sports of Boxing, Squash and Table Tennis with a number of temporary facility enhancements.

The velodrome takes shape

Cycling (Track) The new Queensland State Velodrome which is being built at the Sleeman Sports Complex, Chandler, Brisbane will host the Track Cycling.

Cycling (Road) The Elanora / Currumbin Valley area will provide a picturesque location for the Road Racing, starting and finishing at the Merv Craig Sporting Complex.

Cycling (Mountain Bike) Nerang Mountain Bike Trails will be the location for the Mountain Bike competition.

Coomera Indoor Sports Centre underway

Gold Coast facilities take shape

The 2018 Games will be held from 4 to 15 April and the 17 sports on the programme will use the following venues:

Commonwealth Games Village & ParklandsThe new Village at Southport will include a 6,500 bed Residential Zone comprising a mix of four to eight floor residential buildings and two-floor townhouses. The International Zone will contain commercial, leisure and ceremonial services and facilities for athletes, guests and media.

Aquatics (Swimming & Diving)The Gold Coast Aquatic Centre at Broadwater Parklands has undergone a major redevelopment to provide for both the Swimming and Diving events. The redevelopment includes the construction of a new 50 metre, 10 lane swimming pool for competition, while the original 50

Games Village complex making progress

The Gold Coast’s famous beachfront skyline on the horizon behind Carrara Stadium

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Team staff recruitment to get underway in 2016As part of Gold Coast 2018 planning, CGS has undertaken a review of the Team Scotland staffing structure. This is due to be completed in early 2016 and will be followed by the recruitment of the General Team Management positions.

The aim is to have these positions filled by Spring 2016. This is likely to be followed by an initial visit to the Gold Coast in May, to start working together as a team and to progress operational planning for the Games.

General Selection Policy confirmedAt the half yearly CGS Council meeting in November 2014, a discussion paper was presented which outlined the principles proposed for the Gold Coast 2018 General Selection Policy and Standards. A year-long consultation period has followed, including workshops held in March and August 2015 with member sports and key stakeholders.

The final General Selection Policy and Standards document has now been published following the 2015 half yearly Council meeting, with the aim of selecting a team that performs with distinction in 2018:• Having a higher percentage of

athletes meeting the selection standards when in competition at the Games than in 2014

• Achieving our highest ever number of medals at a Games outwith Scotland.

The General Selection Standards include the following:• The selection standard is based

on a minimum performance level of the ability to show a top six or top half of the field performance (whichever is the tighter) in the Commonwealth.

• All individual sports will be represented in the 2018 Commonwealth Games by up to four athletes and all team sports will be represented by a minimum of one team.

CGS will now work with the sports on the Gold Coast sport programme to develop the Sport Specific Selection Policy and Standards throughout 2016 so that they are available well in advance of the selection period which will open on 1st April 2017.

Gymnastics & Netball (finals)Coomera Indoor Sports Centre, Coomera, a new indoor multi-sport facility is currently being built and will host Gymnastics and the Netball finals.

Hockey The existing Gold Coast Hockey Centre at Keith Hunt Park, Labrador will be upgraded to host the Hockey competition.

Lawn BowlsThe Lawn Bowls competition will be held at an upgraded Broadbeach Bowls Club, the city’s premier Lawn Bowls facility.

Netball (preliminary round) & Basketball (finals)The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre at Broadbeach will host the preliminary Netball competition and the Basketball finals. It will also be home to the

Gold Coast 2018 venues overview

International Broadcast Centre and the Main Press Centre.

Rugby SevensThe Rugby Sevens tournament will take place in the purpose-built Robina Stadium, Robina which is home to the Gold Coast Titans Rugby League team.

ShootingAll shooting disciplines will be accommodated at the Belmont Shooting Centre, Belmont, Brisbane. The premier Queensland shooting venue, which hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Starting in January 2016 the facility will be upgraded and refurbished.

WeightliftingPart of the Carrara Precinct, Weightlifting will be held at the upgraded Carrara Indoor Stadium.

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MEDAL TABLE

Aside from the medals, each and every one of Scotland’s athletes performed exceptionally well and were great ambassadors for their country. The Youth Games are a development opportunity for athletes and staff and the whole team undoubtedly benefited from the experience. They will take away valuable lessons from these Games, as well as memories to last a lifetime.

OPENING CEREMONYThe fifth Commonwealth Youth Games was officially declared open, at a colourful ceremony celebrating Samoan traditions and culture, held in the Apia Park Stadium. Youth Team Scotland were led into a packed arena by flagbearer Craig McLean and received an enthusiastic welcome from the travelling Scottish support.

ARCHERYWith archery included in the Youth Games for the first time, Struan Caughey and Evelina D’Arcy made history, becoming the first Scottish archers ever to compete at this level and performed well over the

Fantastic Youth Games in SamoaThe fifth Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa last September were a huge success, with Scotland’s 28 athletes returning with an impressive 21 medals (three gold, ten silver and eight bronze). This was Scotland’s best medal to athlete ratio since the 2004 Games in Bendigo, Australia.

course of the competition. In individual qualification Evelina finished 4th and Struan 5th, before both were eliminated in the quarter-finals. In the non-medal mixed team event Evelina and her partner from Barbados took an excellent second place.

Alisha Rees dips for silver in the 200m

ATHLETICSIt was an exceptional performance on both track and field, as all six of Scotland’s young athletes returned with medals. George Evans had the honour of claiming Scotland’s first medal of Samoa 2015, with Discus silver on the opening day, swiftly followed by sprinters Alisha Rees and Cameron Tindle taking bronze in their respective 100m finals.

Rachel Alexander took bronze in the Long Jump, Carys McAulay a silver in the 800m and Alisha claimed her second medal of the Games with silver in the 200m. Last to perform was 800m runner Ben Greenwood and he responded in style, staying strong in the home straight to claim bronze in a new Scottish record.

BOXINGScotland’s boxers are renowned for their success at both Youth and senior Games and Samoa was no exception as the four athletes returned with four medals. The atmosphere inside the arena for the finals was spectacular and Kieran McMaster took bronze in the 64kg event, while Billy Stuart went one better winning silver at 56kg. A superb bout from John Docherty (75kg) saw him win a well-deserved gold, before Sean Lazzerini finished the night in style, taking less than one round to overcome his Tongan opponent and secure Scotland’s second boxing gold.

LAWN BOWLSScotland’s lawn bowlers put in long days on the greens in relentlessly hot conditions. In the singles, semi-finals places came down to the wire and both players came agonisingly close to progressing, each with three wins from five. In the final group

11THOVERALL POSITION

3 10 8

Boxing quartet all win medals

Struan Caughey

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Lifesaving legacy left in SamoaAs the 2015 Youth Games drew to a close CGS was delighted to leave behind a lasting legacy for the people of Samoa, with the donation of two Cardiac Life Sciences Automated External Defibrillator (AED) units, worth over £3,000.

In partnership with Lucky2BHere and World Rugby, Youth Team Scotland gifted the lifesaving equipment to the Samoan Red Cross and the Samoan Rugby Union.

Lucky2Bhere is a Skye based charity which places defibrillators in rural areas where ambulance response times are greater due to distance. They were first alerted to Samoa’s lack of defibrillators when Dr Jonathan Hanson, in his capacity as Global Technical Director, was in the country delivering World Rugby’s First Aid in Rugby course.

The chances of resuscitation being successful decreases by roughly 10% per minute without a defibrillator. If a defibrillator is used, it increases survival of out of hospital cardiac arrest from 8% to 35%.

The devices were handed over to their new homes by Youth Team Scotland General Team Manager Elinor Middlemiss, Team Doctor Jonathan Hanson and Flagbearer Craig McLean.

Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, Paul Bush said: “We are proud to be able to contribute in a small way to the vital life-saving work undertaken by this leading edge Scottish charity. We are immensely grateful to Lucky2Bhere for the donation of the two AEDs which were carried by our medical team in Samoa for the duration of the Games and will now save lives on the other side of the world.”

game Darren Weir recorded a convincing win over his Northern Irish opponent, but lost out on a semi-final place on shots. Carla Banks also up against Northern Ireland just missed out to in a close 21-20 match. In the mixed pairs, Carla and Darren got off to a fantastic start with a win over England, but losses to India, Malaysia and New Zealand ended their hopes of progressing.

SQUASHScotland’s young squash players put in a strong performance against high quality opposition as they faced tough draws in the singles. Carrie Hallam met the eventual bronze medallist in the opening round, while Richard Hollins, after a dominant display in his first game, came up against the top seed and eventual gold medallist. Both players learned a great deal from the experience and turned their focus to the mixed doubles where they just missed out on the medals, to finish fourth.

SWIMMINGYouth Team Scotland’s swimmers excelled with seven medals, including Scotland’s first gold of the Games from Erin Roberston in the 50m Breaststroke. She also picked up a bronze in the 100m Breaststroke, whilst Meg Finnon opened and closed the swimming medal rush with silver in both the 200m Butterfly on the opening day of competition and 800m Freestyle on the final day. Craig McLean took 100m Freestyle silver and there were bronze medals for Tain Bruce in the 100m Butterfly and Kieran Preston in the 50m Breaststroke as he touched out teammate Benedict Tortolano.

TENNISScotland’s two tennis players were some of our busiest

athletes on the team, spending long days on the court. Their stamina was well rewarded with Ewen Lumsden making all three finals, despite facing opposition up to three years older than himself. Teammate Louie McLelland made two of her three finals. Ewen took silver in the men’s singles and won the men’s doubles with his Cypriot partner, while Louie won the women’s doubles with her partner from Barbados. The pair then teamed up to take a well-earned silver in the mixed doubles to complete a fantastic tournament.

Biatrice Gabell lifts her way to the podium

WEIGHTLIFTINGIt was a fantastic opening day for Biatrice Gabell who won silver in the women’s 53kg with six perfect lifts. She set new Scottish Youth and Junior records in the process and took one of Scotland’s first medals of the Games. Daniel Richardson was another lifter in Scottish record breaking form as he took sixth in the men’s 69kg, while in the men’s 77kg Jason Epton put in a strong performance to finish fourth, his total just shy of his own British record.

General Team Manager, Elinor Middlemiss, was immensely proud of the team’s achievements in Samoa and said : “I would like to congratulate each and every one of our athletes on a fantastic Games. Every single one of them performed to their best and, along with the 21 medals we had a host of personal bests and new Scottish records.

“Learning to perform when it counts at a multi-sport event is a big part of what the Youth Games are all about and our athletes now have great experiences to draw on as they embark on the next stage of their sporting careers.”

With over a quarter of previous Youth Games athletes going on to represent Scotland at the senior Games we look forward to seeing some of these young athletes at Gold Coast 2018 and beyond.

A great welcome at the opening ceremony

Golden girl Erin Robertson

EwenLumsden

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The dinner is one of the highlights of the Scottish sporting calendar and recognises the achievements of Scotland’s athletes in Commonwealth Games Federation member sports over the past 12 months. This year was a celebration of the achievements of Youth Team Scotland, recently returned from the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa and of the senior Scottish athletes vying for selection for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio.

Renwick scooped the top award for playing a key part of Great Britain’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay team at the 2015 Swimming World Championships in Kazan. At age 27, his split of 1:45.98 to win gold in Kazan was the fastest of his long career.

Robbie’s debut for Scotland was at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2004. Medal success followed in the next three Commonwealth Games in 2006, 2010 and

2014, where he anchored Team Scotland to three successive silvers in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay and won individual gold in the 200m Freestyle in 2010. Training in Scotland throughout his career, initially in Aberdeen and then in Glasgow, Robbie is now based with the successful University of Stirling squad, leading by example to the next generation of Scottish swimmers.

He received two Business Class flights to Dubai, courtesy of Lonsdale Trophy sponsor, Emirates and becomes the third swimmer to win the title following in the footsteps of Gregor Tait (2006) and Hannah Miley (2010).

A delighted Robbie Renwick said: “It’s absolutely amazing to win, just seeing the people who have won this award in the past few years, it’s stunning to be up there with the best in Scotland. It really means a lot to me.

“This year has been the highlight of my swimming career. From being at the point after the Commonwealth Games last year, not sure if I wanted to keep swimming to turning that around and being World Champion a year later is hugely exciting. Changing my training base from Glasgow to Stirling has had a huge benefit and everything has all come together really nicely. I’ve got another year to Rio 2016 and it is exciting knowing that we could be even faster next year and it’s now about turning that World Championship gold into an Olympic gold medal.”

Robbie saw off stiff competition from the three other incredible finalists; Rower,

Swimming’s Robbie Renwick scoops top award

Heather Stanning and Para-sport athletes Neil Fachie (Cycling) and Gordon Reid (Wheelchair Tennis). Announcing the award, Chairman Paul Bush OBE said: “Robbie has been a fantastic ambassador for both his sport and Commonwealth Games Scotland for more than a decade and to see him finally become a World Champion, posting his best ever split time, is a fair reflection of his talent and just reward for his continued endeavour.

“Many thanks to Emirates, who are supporting the Lonsdale Trophy again this year and whose support enables us to properly recognise the athlete’s achievements.”

Also presented was the Sir Peter Heatly Trophy for the outstanding Young Sportsperson of the Year. Established in 2013, this year’s nominees were: Grant Ferguson (Cycling); Samantha Kinghorn (Para-athletics); Laura Muir (Athletics) and Duncan Scott (Swimming).

This was another tough decision for the judging panel, but it was swimmer Duncan Scott who was deemed the winner. 18-year-old Duncan won an incredible six medals, including three gold, at the inaugural European Games in Baku, to become the most successful British athlete at the Games. He then collected gold at the World Championships for his swim in the heats as a member of the British 4x200m Freestyle Relay team along with fellow Scots, Dan Wallace and Robbie Renwick.

The final award of the evening was made to the Commonwealth Youth Games ‘Athlete of the Games’. This was won by Lenzie 15-year-old, Ewen Lumsden, who reached all three Tennis finals, despite facing opposition up to three years his senior.

Nearly 300 people from Scottish sport and business joined in the celebrations at Glasgow’s Radisson BLU Hotel, where the evening was hosted by BBC Sport presenter, Hazel Irvine.

Previous Lonsdale Trophy winners:

2003 Chris Hoy, Cycling

2004 Chris Hoy, Cycling

2005 Chris Hoy MBE, Cycling

2006 Gregor Tait, Swimming

2007 Chris Hoy MBE, Cycling

2008 Chris Hoy MBE, Cycling

2009 Katherine Grainger MBE, Rowing

2010 Hannah Miley, Swimming

2011 Imogen Bankier, Badminton

2012 Sir Chris Hoy MBE, Cycling & Andy Murray, Tennis

2013 Andy Murray OBE, Tennis

2014 Alex Marshall MBE, Lawn Bowls

Previous Sir Peter Heatly Trophy Winners:

2014 Kat ie Archibald, Cycling

Following an outstanding season, which saw him become World Champion for the first time in his career, swimmer, Robbie Renwick was named Scottish Sportsperson of the Year 2015 and awarded the Emirates Lonsdale Trophy at the CGS Awards Dinner in Glasgow in October. Fellow swimmer, Duncan Scott collected the Sir Peter Heatly Trophy for the Young Sportsperson of the Year, to make it a clean sweep of the main awards for swimming.

Duncan Scott cheers Team Scotland to Silver

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New Board membersCGS is delighted to welcome two new faces to its Board.

Susie Crawford

Susie Crawford takes over the position of Marketing Director from Jane Gotts, who completed her term in November.

Susie, a former Scottish and British senior international judoka, has worked in marketing for over 15 years with Edinburgh Leisure, Balhousie Care Group and most recently as Head of Marketing and Development with Dundee Rep Theatre. She brings a wealth of skills and experience to the Board in this area.

Well known to CGS, having represented Team Scotland in Rugby 7s at two Commonwealth Games, including as captain at Glasgow 2014, Colin Gregor has been appointed as the new Athlete Representative.

As Scotland 7s’ highest capped player and the third highest points scorer of all time, Colin has first-hand experience of what it takes to prepare and compete in high performance sport.

For the last two and a half years Colin has been a member of the International Rugby Players’ Association (IRPA) ‘Player Advisory Board’ and was recently selected as the sole representative for rugby at the International Olympic Committee Athlete Forum. Recently retired from the sport due to injury, Colin is setting up his own business incorporating leadership consultancy, sports media, public speaking and specialist coaching.

Colin Gregor

CHAIRMAN’SVIEWPAUL BUSH OBE

At the CGF General Assembly in Auckland in September, we were delighted to see CGS Past Chair, Louise Martin CBE elected as CGF President and we look forward to working with her as the organisation sets out to implements its new strategy.

After the significant growth in numbers at the Glasgow 2014 Games, there was strong debate around the introduction of athlete entry quotas by sport for the 2022 Games. In advance of this will be potential limits on total country entry numbers for 2018. These changes will be factored into our planning, but we are confident we will be represented by a team capable of delivering our best ever overseas Games performance.

Withdrawal by St Lucia as the next Youth Games host means the venue is now undecided, although the CGF is working to ensure it still takes place in 2017 as scheduled and is expected to make an announcement early next year. Bahamas have expressed their interest for 2017 and Northern Ireland for 2022.

The General Assembly was swiftly followed by the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa, where our 28 athletes acquitted themselves brilliantly, winning 21 medals and gaining invaluable experience for the future. Well done to all our athletes and team staff on their achievements and to Samoa on hosting a great Games. I look forward to seeing many of them representing Team Scotland in years to come.

It is now full steam ahead with planning for the Gold Coast in 2018 and as you will have read earlier in this newsletter, a recent visit by governing body performance staff clearly shows how the venues and plans by the Organising Committee are impressively taking shape. The CGS professional staff will be progressing the detailed planning

over the coming year, with the first team staff appointments and further site visits planned to ensure we are as well prepared as possible.

Domestically, the new Board had a successful away day in advance of the CGS Awards Dinner in October, with our new 2016-2022 strategy taking shape. We have also made excellent progress with our commercial review conducted by Bruce Cook. Thanks to all the governing bodies for their positive engagement, as we explore how we can collectively work together to strengthen the Team Scotland brand and make it an ongoing asset valued by the public and the commercial sector alike, as opposed to a once every four year phenomenon. It was encouraging to have such great response to these proposals at our recent half yearly meeting.

That only leaves me to wish everyone an enjoyable festive season and send our best wishes to all the Scottish athletes aiming for selection for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games only eight months away.

Indeed there have been some incredible sporting achievements by Scots over recent weeks including canoe slalom athlete David Florence becoming World Champion and being selected for Team GB, along with kayaker Fiona Pennie, with shooter Jen McIntosh also securing her Olympic place. Whilst Dan Purvis was part of the silver medal winning men’s team at the incredible World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow that secured their Olympic berth and Katie Archibald became a triple European Track Cycling Champion. And finally, Andy and Jamie Murray making a massive contribution to Great Britain’s historic Davis Cup win.

We look forward to celebrating the success of all Scots on Team GB and Paralympics GB next summer.

As 2015 draws to a close I am delighted to report some significant progress for CGS over the last six months.

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Commonwealth Games Scotland, Gannochy Sports Centre, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LATel: +44 (0)1786 466480 Email: info@cgcs.org.uk www.cgcs.org.uk

MAJOR SUPPORTER PARTNER

Chair of sportscotland Louise Martin CBE along with Sir Chris Hoy, Shirley Robertson, Kenny Cairns, Shirley McIntosh and Sir Ian McGeechan

Sir Peter with grandson James Heatly

Sir Peter Heatly CBE DL

In September, Commonwealth Games Scotland Patron, Sir Peter Heatly, sadly passed away at the age of 91. For over 65 years Sir Peter was central to the Commonwealth Games movement in Scotland and indeed worldwide.

As an athlete he represented Great Britain at the 1948 London Olympics and won five Commonwealth Games medals in Diving, including three gold between 1950 and 1958. In 1958 he was the Scotland Team Captain, and as an administrator, he then filled every role for the Scottish Team from Team Manager through to Chef de Mission. He attended every Games from 1950 to 2014 when they returned to Scotland.

Sir Peter was a central figure on the Organising Committee of the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, serving as Chairman of both CGS the Commonwealth Games Federation, later becoming a CGF Life Vice President. Sir Peter was also Chairman of the Scottish Sports Council and an inaugural inductee of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.

Sir Peter’s memory will live on through the annual presentation of a trophy donated by his family in 2013, which since 2014 has been awarded to the outstanding Young Sportsperson of the year from a Commonwealth Games sport.

Recently, the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) has announced that Sir Peter Heatly will be one of a group of 16 people from 11 different nations inducted during the ISHOF’s annual honours weekend in June next year in California.

Three Team Scotland athletes were amongst the latest inductees into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. Sir Chris Hoy MBE (Cycling), Shirley McIntosh MBE (Shooting) and Kenny Cairns MBE (Swimming) were recognised at an event at Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow, in November, along with Sailing’s golden girl, Shirley Robertson OBE and Rugby’s Sir Ian McGeechan OBE.

Sporting icons honoured in Scottish Sports Hall of Fame

Key dates 2016

5 January 2018 Sport Specific Selection Policy development commences

31 January 2017 Youth Games host country confirmation

15 –17 April European CGA meeting – Malta

May 2018 Site visit with lead GTM

24 May CGS Board & AGM

5–21 August Rio 2016 Olympics

7–18 September Rio 2016 Paralympics

1–9 October CGF General Assembly - Edmonton, Canada

1 December 2018 Sport Specific Selection Policies and Standards agreed

8 December CGS Board & Half Yearly Meeting – TBC

20 December 2017 Youth Games Sport Specific Selection Policies finalised

Sir Chris Hoy is Britain’s most successful Olympic athlete of all time, with six gold medals and one silver. Sir Chris, who also won two Commonwealth Games gold and two bronze medals said: “This is a huge privilege for me. To see my name on a list of some of Scotland’s most inspirational sporting stars, many of them my childhood heroes, I am overwhelmed.

“I hope that by celebrating Scotland’s sporting history, we can demonstrate that with hard work and determination, the possibilities are endless. I know that sport gave me an incredible life and I hope that my story, and the stories of all of the inductees, will inspire more people to make sport a part of their lives.”

Shirley McIntosh took gold and silver

medals in her first Commonwealth Games in 1994 – the first ever Scottish woman to win a gold medal for shooting. She added two bronze four years later to become Team Scotland’s most medalled female athlete, a feat only surpassed by her daughter Jen at Glasgow 2014.

Selected for the Paralympic Games in 1984, Kenny Cairns MBE won an astonishing four golds and one silver, at the start of an incredible 20-year career in swimming. He represented Team Scotland in Manchester 2002.

Launched in 2002, 98 of Scotland’s sporting best representing 32 sports from athletics to wrestling have now been inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.

Photo credits: Getty Images; GOLDOC; Gillian Cooke; Jeff Holmes; Craig Watson; Duncan McEwan; Ian MacNicol