Hansard

This is my first contribution since being returned to serve as a member for the Edinburgh and Lothians East region, so I will start by paying tribute to a number of colleagues who have not been returned. In particular, I thank my former Lothian MSP colleague Sue Webber for her service to my region over the past five years. I also pay tribute to my former colleagues Ash Regan, Martin Whitfield and Angus Robertson for their service to my community.

As is the case at the start of every parliamentary session, it has been refreshing and positive to hear new members make their first speeches, and I look forward to hearing more of those this afternoon. I think that it takes new members about six months of being in this building before they start to become cynical, but it is good to hear the positive energy that they bring to our debates. I distinctly remember our former colleague Bruce Crawford saying to me, when I was elected 10 years ago, that my five years would fly by and I should ensure that I used my voice in this place to make a difference. I did not believe that those five years would fly by, but they certainly did. Therefore, my advice to any new members who will take it is to make sure that, in this session, they do what they want to do as MSPs for their communities, because that is what we are here for. I wish them all well in that.

This debate offers a great opportunity to highlight the cross-party support that exists for the summer of sport that we are all about to enjoy, and how it could make a real difference. I hope that it will inspire our nation, especially given the pressure that is being placed on Scotland’s men’s football team as it competes in the 2016 FIFA world cup, as well as on our athletes who will compete in the Commonwealth games here at home in July.

I am sorry and disappointed that, to date, the Parliament has had little or no opportunity to host an event relating to the Commonwealth games ahead of our summer recess. I hope that that can be urgently corrected and that such an event can be hosted for our athletes, to inform MSPs and our communities about the games and to ensure that, ahead of the opening ceremony, our Parliament has welcomed them here. Glasgow 2026 presents Scotland’s opportunity to turn a landmark summer of international sport into lasting participation, pride and opportunity for communities across our country.

It is telling and important that all the amendments to the motion, including my own, recognise that sport should be accessible to all people in Scotland, irrespective of their backgrounds or personal circumstances, and also recognise the commitments made to ensure that physical education is supported in schools—specifically, as Jackie Baillie outlined, in relation to the manifesto commitments that we all made on swimming. It is important that we see a timetable for how that policy, which has cross-party support, can be implemented.

As is always the case when countries host major sporting events, there is concern about overpromising, about legacy, and about how sporting events can deliver a positive impact on the health of a nation. However, I have been impressed by Glasgow 2026’s organisers and the realistic goals that they have set to date.

For example, the Glasgow 2026 schools programme invites every school and youth organisation in Scotland to get inspired, to get active and to get involved as the city prepares to welcome athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations. The programme is designed to be inclusive and accessible, with flexible activities that can be delivered in classrooms, assemblies, playgrounds and youth settings. School and youth leaders can draw on free, ready-to-use learning resources covering different subjects around curriculum areas, from early years to upper secondary. Organisers of the schools baton relay invited children and young people to design batons and then relay them between classes or schools to enable them to take part ahead of the games themselves.

I hope that, after the games, we will be able to look back at how the sporting stars who will soon become household names across the country inspired our young people, helping to turn a summer of elite sport into opportunities for participation, learning, confidence and wider engagement.

The work that is being done to make these games some of the most para inclusive on record is welcome. Glasgow 2026 will feature 47 para sport medal events, making it the largest integrated para sports programme in Commonwealth games history. Para sport will be fully integrated across six of the 10 sports in the 2026 games, which is a really welcome step forward. They will include para athletics, swimming, track cycling, bowls and power lifting, and also wheelchair basketball.

Finally, I take the opportunity—as the minister did—to pay tribute to, and to thank, the more than 3,000 volunteers who are known as the Glasgow 2026 legends. I met many of them when the games were last held in Scotland, when we hosted the diving here in Edinburgh. They really helped to make those games a success—that was so welcome, and I know that they will do the same again.

This summer has the potential to truly inspire us all. Scottish Conservatives send our best wishes to all Scotland’s athletes who are competing.

I move amendment S7M-00208.2, to insert at end:

“; recognises that sport should be accessible to all people in Scotland, irrespective of background or personal circumstances; recognises the commitments made to ensure physical education is supported in schools, including swimming lessons, and considers that sport in school and in extracurricular activities is the best way to ensure access for all young people; believes that physical education should reflect the sporting opportunities in local communities and local clubs, and considers that investment in sport should reflect the positive impact that it can have in the health of the nation and attainment in Scotland's schools.”