Glasgow will be announcing its bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games within hours, according to The Times. Glasgow will be the only British bid since Cardiff opted out, but there are bids expected from cities in South Africa, Canada and Nigeria.
The 2006 Games will be in Melbourne and the 2010 Games have already been awarded to New Delhi.
Glasgow decided to become a candidate for the Games after the Scottish bid assessment team concluded that the Commonwealth Games Federation will give the city’s bid serious consideration despite London hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
The assessment committee has concluded that hosting the 2014 Games would provide a significant boost to the Scottish economy even though the 1986 Games in Edinburgh were not a financial success and have not left a lasting legacy of sporting facilities.
David Mackay, chairman of the assessment team and former chairman of the Scottish Rugby Union, has recommended that the Scottish executive board support the bid because it would create jobs, improve tourist numbers, and potentially act as a catalyst to improve Scotland’s poor health record.
Likely venues include both Hampden Park and the SECC and would cost about one million pounds to produce. It’s believed that new facilities would be created for swimming and athletics.
Glasgow has successfully hosted the Special Olympics and Scotland’s history of hosting major sporting events, including the Open golf championships and the 2002 Champions League final, is expected to give its bid a boost.
Also, Glasgow’s willingness to host the Commonwealth boxing championships after India withdrew is considered to be a plus for the bid.
