Glasgow missing out on £100m Games would be 'travesty'

Missing nan chance to big nan 2026 Commonwealth Games successful Glasgow would beryllium a “travesty”, and would put nan early of high-performance athletics successful nan state “under superior threat”, nan Scottish Government person been warned.

Talks person been ongoing for respective months astir hosting a scaled-back type of nan arena successful Scotland aft nan Australian authorities of Victoria withdrew arsenic hosts past July because of rising costs.

As negotiations resistance on, First Minister John Swinney warned, external connected Thursday that nan Scottish Government will not perpetrate immoderate nationalist costs to nan bid.

However, Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) has reiterated that its “innovative, cost-effective and sustainable” connection would not request immoderate authorities money to bring nan Games backmost to Glasgow 12 years aft it past staged them.

Furthermore, it said that not capitalising connected successful excess of £100m of finance from nan Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) would beryllium “short-sighted” and called connected Holyrood to enactment quickly.

“The determination to big nan Games has been sitting pinch nan Scottish Government since May,” said Ian Reid, nan chair of CGS.

“And we person worked tirelessly to reside each questions and concerns raised crossed nan past fewer months. However, nan model of opportunity is accelerated closing.

“It would beryllium a travesty if alternatively of grabbing nan opportunity of complete £100m investment, we chose to fto it spell and alternatively beryllium near needing to find millions elsewhere to upgrade nationalist facilities.

“A determination complete nan coming weeks is critical. We judge nan conception is simply a nary brainer and we are calling connected nan Government to not discarded nan unsocial opportunity which is successful beforehand of us.”

BBC Sport Scotland has approached nan Scottish Government for comment.

Instead of nan 20 sports included astatine Birmingham 2022, nan cut-down Glasgow arena would impact conscionable 10 different disciplines.

Only 4 venues would beryllium utilized – including Scotstoun Stadium and nan swimming excavation astatine Tollcross – each of which would beryllium successful an eight-mile corridor wrong nan Glasgow City Council boundary.

And existing accommodation would beryllium utilized to location a smaller number of athletes and support staff.

The costs of nan arena has been estimated arsenic astir £114m, a full that includes each Games costs, including information arsenic a good arsenic a contingency fund.

The mostly of that – astir £100m - would beryllium covered by compensation recouped by nan CGF aft Victoria’s withdrawal, pinch nan remainder funded by commercialized opportunities.

As portion of nan bid, Tollcross and Scotstoun would beryllium upgraded, while CGS opportunity staging nan arena would besides bring an estimated economical worth of much than £150m to nan area.

After a prolonged search, nan Australian authorities of Victoria agreed to big nan Games successful April 2022.

However, small complete a twelvemonth later, they declared that nan projected costs had tripled and go "well and genuinely excessively much".

Singapore and Malaysia some ruled retired stepping successful to prevention nan multi-sport event, earlier Glasgow said it could clasp a curtailed offering should nary different big beryllium found.

The multi-sport event, which welcomed competitors from 72 countries successful Birmingham, has taken spot each 4 years since 1930 and has only ever been cancelled during nan Second World War.

CGS chair Reid acknowledged that nan arena would “look and consciousness different” to nan past clip it was held successful Glasgow successful 2014 but warned that nan “the 2026 Games bent successful nan balance”.

He added: “Scotland has been offered £100m+ of inward investment. To perchance move down specified a important sum of money is short-sighted.

“It would beryllium a travesty if alternatively of grabbing nan opportunity, we chose to fto it spell and alternatively beryllium near needing to find millions elsewhere to money nan basal superior activity needed to upgrade nationalist accommodation successful nan coming years, and time off hundreds of Scottish athletes, aspiring and established, without an avenue to compete for Scotland connected nan world stage.

“We judge nan conception is simply a nary brainer. We are calling connected nan Government to not discarded nan unsocial opportunity which is successful beforehand of us.”