| XX Commonwealth Games | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host city | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Motto | People, Place, Passion |
| Nations participating | 72 Commonwealth Teams |
| Events | 17 Sports[1] |
| Opening ceremony | 23 July[2] |
| Closing ceremony | 3 August |
| Queen's Baton Final Runner | TBC |
| Main Stadium | Hampden Park (Athletics and Closing Ceremony) Celtic Park (Opening Ceremony) |
| Website | www.glasgow2014.com |
The 20th Commonwealth Games in 2014 will be held in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The winning city was announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation on 9 November 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Games will run over 11 days of competition from 24 July to 3 August 2014. It will be the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland, although the country previously hosted the Games in 1970 and 1986 in Edinburgh. Over the last 10 years however Glasgow and Scotland have also staged World, Commonwealth, European or British events in all 17 sports proposed for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, including the World Badminton Championships in 1997.[3] It will be the third time the Commonwealth Games have been held in Scotland, previously hosting in 1970 and 1986, both occasions in Edinburgh.
Contents |
Selection process
Scotland was the first country to consider hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games in 2004, with Scottish cities being invited by the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland to consider making a bid. In September 2004, Glasgow was announced as the Scottish candidate city over Edinburgh (which hosted the Games in 1970 and 1986, and the inaugural Commonwealth Youth Games in 2000) following a cost-benefit analysis by the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland. The Scottish Executive under then First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, with the support of the United Kingdom government and all main parties in the Scottish Parliament, formally announced Glasgow's intention to host the games on 16 August 2005.[4][5]
In March 2006, the bidding process began, with the Glasgow Bid team presenting their case to the Commonwealth Games Federation at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, along with the other confirmed candidate cities; the Nigerian capital, Abuja and Halifax in Canada.[6] In October 2006, the first voting delegates arrived in Glasgow, in order to inspect the city's existing and proposed amenities and facilities. Glasgow announced on 16 January 2007, the 17 sports to be included should its bid be successful.[7] Halifax later withdrew its bid on 8 March 2007, following the withdrawal of funding from the municipal government.[8]
That left Abuja and Glasgow as the remaining bidders, with Abuja seen as a likely favourite due the basis of its campaign that an African nation has never before hosted the Commonwealth Games.[9] The deadline for formal submission of bids to the Commonwealth Games Federation, in the form of a Candidate City File, was set for May 2007.[10] Both bids were highly recommended, though Glasgow's bid team had made use of extensive benchmarking against the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and as a result, its bid was deemed technically superior according to the CGF Evaluation Report that was released in September 2007. The Commonwealth Games Evaluation Commission concluded that: "Glasgow has shown it has the ability to stage the 2014 Commonwealth Games to a standard which would continue to enhance the image and prestige of the Games." This put Glasgow ahead in terms of the technical comprehensiveness of its bid.[11]
The final decision on the host city of the 2014 Commonwealth Games was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 9 November 2007 at the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly, attended by all 71 Commonwealth Games member associations. Each bid city made a presentation to the General Assembly, the order of which was determined by drawing lots. Glasgow's delegation was led by Louise Martin, chair of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland, First Minister Alex Salmond, athlete Jamie Quarry and Leader of Glasgow City Council Steven Purcell. The presentation also included a promotional film narrated by Sir Sean Connery.[12] Abuja's delegation was led by General Yakubu Gowon, head of the Abuja 2014 Commonwealth Games bid team.
The CGF members subsequently voted for their preferred candidate in a secret ballot. As there were only two bids, the winner was announced by the CGF President, Mike Fennell, after the first round of voting, with the winner only requiring a simple majority. The results of the bidding process were
| 2014 Commonwealth Games bidding results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| City | Country | Votes | |
| Glasgow |  Scotland | 47 | |
| Abuja |  Nigeria | 24 | |
Celebrations were held at Glasgow's Old Fruitmarket, where a crowd of over 1,200 had gathered to watch the result live.[13]
Preparation
Venues
One of the key technical aspects of Glasgow's successful bid was the fact that the city already has 70 percent of the planned venues in place. The vast majority of venues are located within 20-minutes driving time of the Athletes Village in Dalmarnock and are broadly grouped into three clusters; in the East End, South Side and West End districts of the city. The only sports held outside the Greater Glasgow area will be the Diving and Full-Bore Shooting events.[14]
Main Stadia
Hampden Park, Scotland's National Football Stadium, located on the South Side, will be the main venue for Athletics and the Closing Ceremony, while Celtic Park, located in the East End, will be used for the Opening Ceremony.[15]
West End Cluster
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, located in the West End of the city, will host Wrestling and Judo, as well the Main Press Centre and the International Broadcast Centre, benefiting from its strategic position adjacent to the new headquarters of BBC Scotland and SMG at Pacific Quay. The Clyde Auditorium will host Weightlifting, whilst the new Scottish National Arena will be used for the Gymnastics and Netball events.
Kelvingrove Park, also in the city's West End, will be the venue for Bowls and already has five bowling greens installed for competitive use. A comprehensive upgrade and refurbishment of the park is underway. Kelvingrove Park is situated close to the SECC and is adjacent to the Kelvin Hall, which will host the Boxing tournament. Scotstoun Sports Centre will host Table tennis and Squash.
East End Cluster
A new National Indoor Sports Arena and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome Complex is planned for Parkhead in the East End of the city, the velodrome itself will be opposite Celtic Park, which will be used for the opening ceremony. These venues will become the headquarters of sportscotland and Scottish Cycling, and will also host Badminton as well as Track cycling.
The Road cycling and Cycling Time-trial events will start and finish at Glasgow Green. Glasgow Green will also be the venue for Field hockey and will see the construction of a new Regional Hockey Centre.
The Athletes' Village will be located adjacent to the National Indoor Sports Arena and Velodrome in Dalmarnock at Cuningar Loop on the banks of the River Clyde. The village will form the centrepiece of the wider Clyde Gateway Project, a strategic £1.6 billion inner city regeneration project for the East End of the city.[16][17][18] The village masterplan, designed by RMJM, covers a 35 hectare site and will be purpose-built to house 6,000 athletes and officials in 2,500 residential units and leave a legacy of regeneration in this deprived district of the city.
Tollcross Park Aquatics Centre, also in the East End, will be the venue for Race swimming events. It already has one Olympic standard 50 metre swimming pool, which will be extensively upgraded, and a second 50 metre pool is also to be added for the Games as a warm-up facility. The existing permanent seating capacity will also be increased by 1000. Combined with additional temporary seating there will be over 5,000 seats for the Games in 2014.
Strathclyde Country Park, on the eastern outskirts of Glasgow, will host the Triathlon event.
South Side Cluster
Ibrox Stadium, in the South Side, is the planned venue for the Rugby Sevens tournament. Mountain biking will be held on the Cathkin Braes near Rutherglen, the highest point in the city. The Marathon will also begin and end at Hampden Park in the South Side, which is hosting all the Track and Field Athletics events.
Satellite Venues
Diving will be held at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh, located 45 miles (72 km) to the east, which will also be holding the annual Edinburgh Festival at the same time as the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The Shooting competitions will take place at two separate outdoor venues, the Strathclyde Police ranges at Jackton, near East Kilbride, and the Ministry of Defence full-bore rifle and clay target ranges at Barry Buddon, near Dundee, which were also used in the 1986 Commonwealth Games. It should also be noted that shooting is the only sporting event that will not derive an enhanced physical legacy from the Games.
Infrastructure
Over two billion pounds[19] will have been spent on enhancements to the city's transport infrastructure by 2014, including completion of major motorway links, like the M74 and East End Regeneration Route. There are also planned improvements to public transport provision, such as the Clyde Fastlink project.
All venues in the Glasgow area will be directly served by city's extensive railway and subway network, with its main interchange at Glasgow Central/St Enoch, including; Hampden Park and Jackton, as well as the other major venues served by either the central Argyle Line or Subway.
There are also ongoing improvements to the River Clyde such as the construction of new bridges and development of river-based transport.[20]
In terms of utilities, Glasgow has a comprehensive mains electricity network supplied by the National Grid, which is operated by Scottish Power and generated from an increasing share of renewable sources, such as Whitelee Wind Farm. More flexible electricity supplies are also readily available, with mobile generating specialists Aggreko, based in the city. Scottish Water operates Glasgow's primary water supply, which is sourced from Loch Katrine and enters the city via the state-of-the-art Milngavie water treatment works. The city has a world class healthcare sector administered by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Strathclyde Police have a proven track record in providing security at high profile events such as the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2005 G8 summit. Glasgow currently has some 11,870 hotel rooms, including three 5-star hotels. There are plans for eight new hotels in and around Glasgow. Ranging from 3 to 5 star accommodation; they will collectively provide a further 1,445 beds by 2014.[21] The Glasgow City Marketing Bureau has also obtained contractual agreements from 67 hotels in the city to guarantee room rates with no minimum length of stay.[22] In terms of telecommunications, Glasgow was voted the Intelligent Community of the Year in 2004 by the Intelligent Community Forum, in recognition of the city's comprehensive level of Broadband Internet access and highly developed 3G and Wi-Fi networks.[23][24][25]
Financing and administration
On 14 November 2007, the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, announced that with the disbandment of the Bid Committee, headed by Louise Martin, Chair of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland and Bid Director, Derek Casey, a new Organising Committee and formal Business plan, for implementing the 2014 Commonwealth Games and securing its legacy, would be established within 100 days.[26]
The Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council have agreed to underwrite the Organising Committee's net running costs of staging the Games, which is currently budgeted at £288m. This will be on the basis of an 80/20 split. It is expected that the majority of the 80% of costs to be covered by the Scottish Government will be new money committed to the sports and major events budget. A further £50m is expected to be raised through merchandising, broadcasting, sponsorship and ticket sales.[27] Current major corporate sponsors include; Clydesdale Bank, Highland Spring, O2, FirstGroup, BBC Scotland and Diageo.[28] Other capital expenditure is taking place in addition to the Organising Committee's budget, principally on venue infrastructure. Only three entirely new venues are required to stage the games, which are budgeted at a combined total of £200 million and additions to existing venues will cost an additional £70 million, although most of this investment had been planned to take place regardless of the bid result.[29] The Games Village is projected to cost some £229 million and will be developed through a Public Private Partnership scheme.[30] Following the announcement on 9 November 2007 that Glasgow will host the Games, the Scottish Parliament passed the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill. This legislation aims to protect the Games from Ambush marketing and ticket touts, while putting powers in place to address matters such as transport and land purchase. The Glasgow Commonwealth Games Act 2008, received Royal Assent on 10 June 2008[31]
On 8 February 2008, Sir Robert Smith was appointed as Chair of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games organizing company. Smith is the former Chairman of the Weir Group, CEO of Morgan Grenfell Private Equity and BBC Governor and Chairman for the Broadcasting Council for Scotland.[32]
Sports
The current regulations state that from the 26 approved sports administered by Commonwealth Governing Bodies, a minimum of ten and maximum of seventeen sports must be included in any Commonwealth Games schedule. The current approved sports include; Athletics, aquatics, lawn bowls, netball (for women) and rugby sevens (for men). Integrated disabled competitions are also proposed for the Games in several events including; Swimming, Athletics, Cycling, Table Tennis and possibly Powerlifting, with the medals being added to the final tally for each nation.
Twenty20 Cricket has been mention as a possible sport.
There are a total of 17 disciplines planned for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.:[34]
- Aquatics
Athletics
Badminton
Boxing
- Cycling
- Gymnastics
Field hockey
Judo
Lawn Bowls
Netball
Rugby sevens
Shooting (Small Bore Rifle, Full Bore Rifle, Pistol and Clay Target)
Squash
Table Tennis
Triathlon
Weightlifting
Wrestling
Provisional competition schedule
| ● | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | ● | Closing ceremony |
Logo
Bid and interim logo
The interim logo for the Games was first used during Glasgow's bid, with the "Candidate City" section removed following 9 November 2007, when the bid was approved. The logo depicts two Sprinters woven into a tartan motif, representing Scotland. The logo also vaguely resembles the Clyde Auditorium, one of Glasgow's most recognisable landmarks. The pattern, forming the Roman numerals XX, also represents the fact that the 2014 Commonwealth Games are the 20th time the games will have been held. The text is more specifically Glaswegian, with its stylised Mackintosh font. A flag featuring the logo was used extensively during the bid process. The flag was flown above Merchant House in George Square daily.[36]
Games logo
The official logo for the 2014 Commonwealth Games was unveiled on Commonwealth Day, 8 March 2010.[37] It was inspired by three factors, time, data and measurement. With Macintosh undertones, its rings are proportioned to represent the 20th Commonwealth Games, across 17 sports, over 11 days in 1 city.
Concerns and Controversies
Numerous individuals, academics, activist groups, media sources, politicians and charitable organisations have been critical of backing the bid to host the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and of the extent to which the Games will bring positive benefits to the people of Glasgow and Scotland as a whole.
There are currently two dedicated media sources focused on holding decision makers to account regarding Legacy Commitments and presenting opposition to the displacement of residents and the closure of facilities and amenities as result of property developments tied to the games. These sources are: Don't Back the Bid and Glasgow Games Monitor 2014.
Criticism of Health Improvement Claims
A recently published report by Gerry McCartney et al. in the British Medical Journal (BMJ 2010; 340: c2369) has cast serious doubt on the potential health benefit legacy of the Commonwealth Games 2014.
Their report analysed fifty-four studies assessing the health and socioeconomic impacts of major multi-sport events on the host population between 1978 and 2008.
Their conclusion:
“Our review found insufficient evidence to confirm or refute expectations about the health or socioeconomic benefits for the host population of previous major multi-sport events. Benefits from future events—such as the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in London or the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow—cannot be expected to occur automatically”.
“There is a lack of evidence on the impacts of major multi-sport events on the host population, and until decision makers include robust, long term evaluations as part of their design and implementation of events, it is unclear how the costs can be justified in terms of host population benefits”.
The Scottish Government commissioned the report, but when they saw that the results didn’t conform to the outcome they wanted, they refused to publish or own it.
Criticism of Budgeting
In November the games organisers claimed that the budget allocated to hosting the games would increase from £373 million to £454 millon. The budget has since been increased to an estimated £523.6 million – a 40% increase from the original estimate.
The first increase was put down to staffing and broadcasting costs, the second increase has been blamed on inflation. This has happened in a context in which council funding cuts have forced community centre closures and a loss of funding for a number of grass-roots sports organisations.
Most recently The National Arena – a new £12 million, 12,000-seater venue due to host the gymnastics and netball finals, and the international broadcast centre during CG2014 – has received a £40 million bail-out to avoid mothballing and financial collapse by the City Council.
Elphinstone Group originally planned to build 1600 homes, helping part-finance the project, but the firm pulled out due to the impact of the recession on property markets.
Displacement of Residents
In 2009 a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) was served by Glasgow City Council on a number of homes and businesses on Ardenlea Street and Springfield Road. These properties are earmarked for demolition to make way for the building of the Athlete’s Village.
Before a CPO is served, the Council are required to negotiate with property owners and come to a just and reasonable compensation for their property. In the case of one group of long-time residents on Ardenlea Street (Mrs Margaret Jaconelli and her family), this has not been the case.
On Friday August 21, 2010, those Dalmarnock homeowners and shop-owners in the way of development for the Commonwealth Games Village will be made homeless through eviction orders by Glasgow City Council. No compensation price for their properties has been agreed or paid. Despite repeated attempts by the property owners, the Council have refused to negotiate with them.
This matter has been particularly controversial in lieu of a hugely profitable land deal done between wealthy Mayfair property developer Charles Price and the City Council. Price bought a parcel of land adjacent to Ardenlea Street and Spingfield Road in Dalmarnock for £8 million in the period 2002-2005. The land also lies on a site earmarked for the Commonwealth Games Village and is likewise deemed essential for the Games development.
The City Council had it within their powers to perform a Compulsory Purchase Order on Price’s land, but instead negotiated with Price (a process denied to Margaret Jaconelli and the other shopkeepers) resulting in a £17 million sale of the land - with £3 million added VAT. A total cost of £20 million pounds of public money.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said that compulsory purchase powers were not used against Price’s company because officials had been able to agree a deal with him. Negotiation, however, was denied to Margaret Jaconelli and the Dalmarnock shopkeepers, and homelessness and closed businesses could be the result.
Price has argued that he didn’t know the site he bought would later be developed for the Games Village. Price’s PPD consortium was one of two bidders for the construction of the Games Village site.
References
- ^ Sports Programme
- ^ 2014 Fast Facts
- ^ Candidate City File (Page 121)
- ^ Blair enjoys Games as tour begins
- ^ "BBC News:Scotland:Final push for Glasgow 2014 Games". BBC News website. BBC News. 5 November 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7077966.stm. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ BBC News - Glasgow launches Commonwealth bid
- ^ BBC Sport - Glasgow reveals 2014 bid sports
- ^ BBC News - Commonwealth bid city pulls out
- ^ BBC News - Nigerians keen to host games
- ^ Glasgow 2014 - The Story so far
- ^ BBC News - City ahead in Commonwealth race
- ^ Glasgow 2014 Presentation Transcript
- ^ The Old Fruitmarket in Pictures
- ^ Glasgow 2014 - The Venues
- ^ Glasgow plan makes best use of resources
- ^ BBC News - Regeneration scheme funding boost
- ^ Clyde Gateway Project overview
- ^ Evaluation Report (Page 88)
- ^ Candidate City File (Page 49)
- ^ SPT Subway extension plan
- ^ Evaluation Report (Page 177)
- ^ Evaluation Report (Page 71)
- ^ IFDS Glasgow
- ^ Scotland.org - 'Intelligent Community of the Year-2004'
- ^ BBC News - City 'nets' new broadband award
- ^ Glasgow 2014 - Message from the First Minister on the Organising Company
- ^ Candidate City File Summary
- ^ Major-Supporters/Major Bid Supporters
- ^ Evaluation Report (Page 70)
- ^ City File (Page 130)
- ^ Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill
- ^ News Games Head
- ^ Competing Teams at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- ^ 2014 Planned Events
- ^ City File - Competition Schedule (Page 116)
- ^ britishflags.net, Glasgow Commonwealth Games Logo
- ^ http://www.glasgow2014.com/The+Story+So+Far/Glasgow2014Branding.htm
External links
- Don't Back the Bid Blog
- Glasgow Games Monitor Website
- Official Glasgow 2014 Website
- Glasgow 2014 Candidate City File
- Commonwealth Games 2014 News
- 2014 Commonwealth Games Evaluation Report
- Commonwealth Games information - Clyde Waterfront
- SECC National Arena - Clyde Waterfront project details
| Preceded by New Delhi | Commonwealth Games Host city XX Commonwealth Games | Succeeded by TBA 2018 |
| ||||||||||||||
Source:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Commonwealth_Games
No comments:
Post a Comment