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Going for the Games
05/06/2007
There has never been a more important time to back Scotland's Bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today.
She was speaking as she joined the Leader of Glasgow City Council, Steven Purcell, to launch the latest phase of the Back Scotland's Bid campaign.
Concentrating on large, outdoor poster sites, the campaign aims to show Scots the benefits of hosting the Games, as well as highlighting the role that they can play in winning the Bid.
Also in attendance at the event in Glasgow's George Square was nine-year-old Melissa Thomas from Edinburgh. Already a keen swimmer, Melissa has great ambitions to represent her country at the Games in 2014.
Ms Sturgeon said:
"There has never been a more important time for Scots to get behind the Commonwealth Games Bid. Next week the Evaluation Commission will be in Scotland to assess our Bid. They will want to see our venues and our infrastructure, but they will also want to know how much our people want to win.
"That is why it is so important that Scots everywhere get behind the Bid. People have already shown their support in huge numbers, but we need more. We need the voters from around the Commonwealth to be in no doubt that this Bid has huge public support.
"Winning the Games will inspire the next generation of sporting heroes and will give us the opportunity to show the world exactly what kind of country we have become. It is an opportunity that we cannot afford to miss."
Steven Purcell said:
"Glasgow is an amazing city - the perfect host for 2014. Our Games would be a celebration of sport in a city that loves to compete and to put on a show. They would be spectacular, they would be the perfect environment for athletes to have the performance of their lives.
"But our challenge is clear. We have already shown that we have an excellent technical Bid - that our venues would be world class and our infrastructure faultless. Now we have to tell more of the Glasgow story. Now we have to show the voters why our people would make these Games so unforgettable.
"We only have a few short months to go before the final decision. If you haven't already done so - now is the time to Back Scotland's Bid."
The Evaluation Commission will be in Scotland between June 10-14. They will assess every aspect of the Bid - from transport to security, to medical provision. They will then write a report that will be delivered to all 71 of the Commonwealth Games voters.
All 71 voters from across the world will visit the City between July and September this year.
The final decision on the 2014 Host City will be made at the General Assembly of the Commonwealth Games Federation, in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo on November 9.