Convener and members of the Health and Sport Committee, thank you for inviting us to speak to the committee about the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth games. It feels strange to talk about the games in the past tense, but having witnessed 11 extraordinary days of sport and culture, we are in a position to look back and consider what we have achieved together. The games have changed us; they have changed Glasgow and Scotland and they have given the rest of the world a new understanding of the city, the country and our people.
We all have memories of the games, which will stay with us for many years to come: it might be Usain Bolt dancing to the Proclaimers at Hampden, it might be the cheers of “Uganda!” at the rugby sevens at Ibrox, or it might be the endurance that was shown by the road race cyclists on the final day of the games in appalling rain, when something like 240 cyclists started and half a dozen finished the race.
Whatever memory you take with you, we see widespread agreement that Scotland’s biggest-ever festival of sport and culture has been a huge success. The games made history; in sporting terms, nine world records and 142 Commonwealth records were set during the games. We had the biggest integrated para-sport programme in Commonwealth games history, and we had a groundbreaking partnership with UNICEF and the Commonwealth Games Federation, which so far has raised £5 million to put children first across the Commonwealth.
Our work on accessibility has set a new bar in sharing the excitement of sport. A £3 million investment to create permanent improved-accessibility facilities at Hampden was just one example of the many lasting accessibility improvements that came about as a result of the games.
We published a procurement sustainability policy and a position on human rights, and we were the first Commonwealth games to achieve ISO 20121 status for our commitment to the environment and sustainability. In so many ways we sought to set new standards for the Commonwealth games.
What sets Glasgow apart from other host cities is not just what we have delivered but how we have delivered it. We have worked incredibly closely with our games partners—the 1,500-strong team of people at the organising committee has kept people at the heart of our story—and throughout the journey of the games we have been inspired by the Commonwealth Games Federation’s values of humanity, equality and destiny. We have enjoyed incredible support from the people of Scotland, whether they volunteered as Clyde-siders, took part in a legacy project or bought tickets and cheered on the athletes. We have striven to maximise the legacy ambitions of our partners, and we have worked hard to make Commonwealth games athletes and the young people of Glasgow and Scotland an integral part of a world-class, community-relevant games that has made the people of Scotland proud.
The games have left an economic, social and sporting legacy. There is a wealth of evidence about the opportunities that have been brought about by the games, whether in jobs, in training, in new and improved venues, in community and cultural initiatives or in the increase in confidence and profile that comes with our hosting such a successful event. Our games partners—Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government and Commonwealth Games Scotland—will continue to assess the impact of the games long after the organising committee has packed up and gone home.
Glasgow and Scotland raised the bar. We created history. We did it in partnership, thanks to the incredible support of the people of Scotland and the Commonwealth. Everyone in Scotland should be very proud of what has been achieved, and we are ready to build on it in the months and years to come.
Thank you for inviting us here this morning. I look forward to taking members’ questions.