A celebration of sport and fitness celebrating the announcement that Scotland will be hosting the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014. Subscribe to my channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=BlueOrcaDigital Watch this video and more in the 'My Videos' playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUvAv2FgLlwCqPlCwmB_TmCPGAGYf8aU9 My Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/WillowCreekPictures Credits: Alan Taylor -- Videographer Despite the popular success of the previous 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, the 1986 Games are remembered with considerable notoriety due to a large political boycott and financial mismanagement. The Games were boycotted by a majority of countries, largely African, Asian and Caribbean states, and making it appear as a whites-only event. Of the 59 eligible countries, 32 boycotted the Games due to the Thatcher government's attitude towards British sporting links with apartheid-era South Africa as opposed to the sporting boycott of South Africa. It resulted in the lowest number of athletes since the 1950 Commonwealth Games. Further controversy came about when it was revealed that due to the lack of participation and associated decline in anticipated broadcasting and sponsorship revenues, the Organising Committee was facing a serious financial black hole, and the boycott ended any prospect of securing emergency government assistance. Businessman Robert Maxwell stepped in to offer funding, taking over as chairman, but despite promising to invest £2m, Maxwell's contribution was just £250,000. On a budget of £14m, the Games opened with a deficit of £3m, which later grew to £4.3m, and instead of putting enough money into the event to save it, the new chairman of the Games asked creditors to forgo half the payment due to them to keep the event out of liquidation. The debt was finally paid off in 1989, with the city of Edinburgh losing approximately £500,000. Several participants were excluded because they breached the amateurism rules, most notably lawn bowlers Phil Skoglund from New Zealand and Willie Wood from Scotland, both of whom have competed in subsequent games. Scotland is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since the first Empire Games in 1930. The others are Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand and Wales. The Commonwealth Games is the only major multi-sport event in which Scottish athletes and teams compete as Scotland; otherwise Scotland participates in multi-sport events as part of a Great Britain team. Scotland has hosted the Commonwealth Games twice, both in Edinburgh; in 1970 and 1986. Glasgow will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games between the 23rd of July and the 3rd of August 2014. The inaugural Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Edinburgh in 2000. Scotland sent a team of 207 athletes and 85 officials to the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, and won 30 medals (6 Gold, 8 Silver and 16 Bronze). After the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, Scotland was seventh in the all-time tally of medals, with an overall total of 329 medals (82 Gold, 94 Silver and 153 Bronze). Scotland's most successful Commonwealth medallist is shooter Alister Allan, with 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 4 Bronze medals from 1974 to 1994. Other successful medallists include athlete Allan Wells (a total of 4 Gold, 1 Silver & 1 Bronze in two Games - 1978 & 1982) and Peter Heatly (diving Gold's in three successive Games & 1 Silver & 1 Bronze - 1950, 1954 & 1958). Lawn bowler Willie Wood is the first competitor to have competed in seven Commonwealth Games, from 1974 to 2002, missing 1986 because of a dispute over amateurism. 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 inauguralCommonwealth 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. 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. In October 2006, the first voting delegates arrived in Glasgow, 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okG8mmiSJos

• published: 17 Jun 2014
• views: 321