Aimee
Glasgow’s moment has arrived after seven years of waiting. The Commonwealth Games will officially get under way following the denouement of the opening ceremony on Wednesday evening and, just as before London 2012, the sun is shining on a city rippling with anticipation.
The fervent celebrations that followed the decision in Sri Lanka to award Scotland the Games in 2007 seem an age away. Now, on the eve of an event that is certain to provide box-office sporting drama amid moments of magic, the time for waiting is almost over.
More than 4,500 athletes will compete across 17 events in the next 11 days. From athletics at Hampden Park to rugby at Ibrox, from the triathlon in Strathclyde to the swimming at Tollcross, the hopes of 71 nations and territories will play out on the track, across the streets and in the water of a city with a rich sporting history.
Usain Bolt, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Mo Farah and David Rudisha are among the stellar names that will grace stadiums and screens in the coming days. Other heroes will emerge while hearts will also be broken and dreams ended in Glasgow, a fitting stage for feats of bravura that will live long in the memory for those lucky enough to witness them.
At a cost of £575m these Games have united a city that, at times, other sports can divide. The baton relay that climaxes inside Celtic Park on Wednesday night, when the Queen will declare the Games open, has passed through every local authority in Scotland to rapturous applause, while on the streets of Glasgow the signs of something significant brewing are everywhere. From the road closures to the bunting, the new accents and the foreign faces, the anticipation is palpable.
The debate over Scottish independence will continue until the nation’s referendum in September but for the next week and a half there may be some respite from an intense discussion that will be contested until the very end.
Scotland’s first minister, Alex Salmond, was reluctant to use the commencement of the Games as a political tool under scrutiny from the world’s media. However, as Salmond sipped on a glass of Irn Bru – the diet version – at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, his message was clear: that Glasgow would deliver a world-class event to leave a lasting legacy in the country, declaring that the Commonwealths will follow in the footsteps of the London Olympics.
“London set a very high bar and it will be our task over the next 10 days to see if we can leap over that bar,” said Salmond. “The benefits and impact will be felt here for generations.”
Comparisons between Glasgow 2014 and London 2012, however, are arguably an exercise in futility. The Olympic Games is unparalleled in its stature and any attempt to replicate the scenes of two years ago in the English capital would undermine what is expected to be a significant event in its own right.
These Games will seek their own identity and, although Sir Chris Hoy – the six-time Olympic champion who has been honoured by the Glasgow velodrome being built in his name – spoke of an “afterglow” effect from London, he also said the Commonwealths “in many ways can be better for a sports fan”.
