Meeting of the Parliament 07 August 2014
It is clear that every member in the chamber is of the opinion that the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow was nothing short of a massive success of which both Glasgow and Scotland can be rightly proud. The games truly brought out the best in our largest city, the best in our friendly and welcoming citizens and the best in our incredible athletes. Scotland took to the world stage and from start to finish it did not disappoint those who were watching. Many competitors will have been inspired to victory by a supportive crowd that cheered all but roared on Scotland’s own, and finishing fourth in the medal table among nations with much larger populations than our own was a hugely impressive achievement by team Scotland.
Of course, the organisers of the event—Glasgow 2014, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government—plus everyone else involved in the games from the voluntary sector and the private sector to the volunteers must take tremendous credit for helping to co-ordinate the biggest sporting and cultural event that Scotland has hosted seamlessly and without issue. For example, it was great to see the dancing lollipop ladies and a parade of Glasgow City Council’s workforce going round the track at the closing ceremony. When The Telegraph’s Alan Cochrane headlines an article,
“I’ll admit it, the SNP deserve a medal for pulling this off”,
we know that something has gone exceptionally well.
Cabinet secretary Shona Robison deserves special praise for her 24/7 leadership, hard work and commitment.
The Commonwealth games is unique in many ways. Anyone who watched the opening and closing ceremonies will attest to its spirit, which is one of family and of friendly sporting rivalry. The games also provided an opportunity for the host nation to evoke its culture and promote its values—sometimes in a very tongue-in-cheek way. I was proud that Scotland chose to demonstrate that we are a nation that is tolerant and inclusive, regardless of people’s faith, race, gender or sexuality. In the year in which Scotland passed same-sex marriage legislation, and in the knowledge that many competing nations still criminalise homosexuality, I believe that it was important that Scotland sent a message that we are a tolerant and inclusive society. My colleague Marco Biagi expanded on that tremendously in his excellent speech, which focused on that particular aspect.
I believe that we have seen in the Commonwealth games a welcome expansion of para-sports events, and that the medals that were won reflect the ethos of the games and their legacy—sporting inclusion and equality in and through sport. It is vital that we use the success of the games to build on that achievement and ensure that people of all abilities and backgrounds can access sport, thereby enhancing the chances of even greater success for team Scotland at future events.
Of course, funding and planning are essential to ensure that people across the country of varying abilities and in different disciplines can benefit from access to the appropriate facilities. I am pleased that the legacy 2014 active places fund will help to make that a reality in the months and years ahead.
Sportscotland’s Inverclyde national centre in Largs, in my constituency, needs funding to demolish its 1950s accommodation block and build 60 new state-of-the-art, fully disability accessible twin rooms. The national centre is internationally renowned—José Mourinho gained his coaching badge there, for example—and is home to enviable facilities for golf, football, hockey, squash, tennis and gymnastics, with recent enhancements through generous donations, not least from the Largs lottery winners, Colin and Christine Weir. However, the accommodation block is no longer fit for purpose, with only a small number of rooms that are suitable for those with accessibility issues.
I am, therefore, delighted that the cabinet secretary announced today that the Scottish Government will provide £6 million, on top of funding from sportscotland, to transform the accommodation at Largs and help to ensure that the facility is unique in the United Kingdom.
Scottish Disability Sport’s annual summer camp will be held at the national centre this year. Although it will not benefit from the new facility this summer, I believe that in the years to come Inverclyde will become the para-sports centre not only for Scotland but for the rest of the UK. That will be a truly great Commonwealth games legacy for the national sports centre, the people of Largs and of the surrounding communities, and Scotland and beyond.
Of course, away from the sporting fields, the legacy of the games has already been realised. Many of the volunteers have discovered new talents and gained experience—I do not want to comment further on the experiences of John Mason or Patricia Ferguson. It is of huge significance to those who have previously not been in employment that they now have the confidence and skills that they need to find work.
The UNICEF partnership that was launched by Ewan McGregor on opening night raised a fantastic £5 million, which will allow work to take place on children’s rights in all Commonwealth countries.
Of course, we know of the 700 new mixed-tenure homes in the east end of Glasgow.
The hundreds of thousands of visitors who descended on Glasgow experienced a carnival atmosphere, took in the sights and sounds and, as Hanzala Malik pointed out, were even treated to nice weather, most of the time. It is beyond comprehension to think that a large number of those people will not be back as tourists in the near future. I am not only convinced that they will come back, I know that they will.
There is, of course, one legacy that perhaps cannot be measured: the pride and self-confidence that is felt by the people of Glasgow and Scotland, who have undoubtedly just hosted the best games ever.
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