
- Women’s Boxing and the Mixed Team Relay event in Triathlon will make their Commonwealth
2. Glasgow 2014 will have the largest ever number of fully integrated Para-Sport events with 22
medals up for grabs in five sports within the programme.
Games, more than both Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006 combined.
4. The Queen's Baton Relay journeyed by sea to the tiny island of St Helena for the last time via
the Royal Mail Ship St Helena. A new airport, which is due to be opened by 2016, will replace the five day-long sea route.
5. Glasgow 2014 is the first Commonwealth Games to welcome volunteers from aged 16 on
application.
6. Glasgow won the right to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games on 9 November 2007.
7. Sir Peter Heatly opened the Glasgow 2014 HQ Commonwealth House and the boardroom
inside is named in the legendary diver’s honour.
8. War veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq were employed to work during the renovation at
Glasgow 2014 HQ, Commonwealth House, all of them recruited through the Glasgow City Council’s Helping Heroes campaign which assists ex-soldiers in finding work.
9. The Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh will feature in its third Games having been
involved in 1970 and 1986. It is the only venue to be used in three Games.
10. The surface at Hampden Park has been raised by 1.9 meters, transforming it from the home
of Scottish football into an IAAF-standard athletics arena for Glasgow 2014.
11. It has taken approximately 6,000 steel posts and 1,200 panels to create a deck for the transformation of Hampden. The deck weighs over 1,000 tonnes.
12. A further 16,000 tonnes of stone, tar and rubber are now being placed on top of the deck as it readies itself for a track and field competition that will include over 1,000 athletes.
13. Athletics has appeared on the programme of every Commonwealth Games, but only ten countries participated in 1930 at Hamilton.
14. 3000 balls will be used across six sports during the Games; Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby Sevens, Squash, and Table Tennis.
15. 840 shuttlecocks will be used across the Badminton competition at the Emirates Arena as the Commonwealth’s best players battle it out for the Gold medal.
16. The Glasgow 2014 Queen’s Baton was honoured with a national holiday when it arrived on the island nation of Nauru.
17. The last time Judo was at the Commonwealth Games was in Manchester in 2002 meaning a gap of 12 years before it returns at Glasgow 2014.
18. Glasgow 2014 will play host to the first Para-Sport Cycling (Track) events in Commonwealth Games history.
19. Fiji, who will now be part of the Glasgow 2014 Games, have a total of 14 medals in their history, first competing in the 1938 British Empire Games.
20. Team sports only appeared in the Commonwealth Games from 1998 onwards with Kuala Lumpur including Cricket, Hockey, Netball and Rugby Sevens.
21. The ceiling height must be at least 12m above Field of play for Rhythmic Gymnastics which makes use of hoops, balls, clubs and ribbons.
22. As President of the Kenyan National Olympic Committee, three-time Commonwealth Gold medallist Kip Keino, welcomed the Queen's Baton Relay as it visited Kenya.
23. Commonwealth Games history was made this week when the Queen’s Baton Relay arrived in Rwanda for the first time ever in mid-January 2014.
24. The Glasgow 2014 Marathon will start and finish in Glasgow Green covering a route that will take in iconic Glasgow landmarks including the Merchant City, George Square, Buchanan Street and the Clyde Arc.
25. Athletes undertaking the 42.195km (26.2miles) Marathon route on Sunday 27 July will cross the River Clyde four times as they push themselves towards the finish line.
26. The Lead 2014 programme, a partnership between sportscotland, Youth Sport Trust and Glasgow 2014 designed to develop leadership skills has seen the number of young people involved since its inception in 2011 surge beyond 50,000.
27. The Glasgow 2014 Queen’s Baton Relay Baton has been designed by award-winning 4c Design. Established in 2002 by two design graduates of The Glasgow School of Art, William Mitchell (Product Design) and Robin Smith (Product Design Engineering), it comprises expert designers, engineers and model-makers.
28. The 2,000-seat capacity Dining Hall in the Athletes’ Village will serve around 390,000 meals with more than a thousand different menu items.
29. A weightlifting platform tested by elite Olympic and Commonwealth athletes has been donated to the Gladiator Weightlifting Club in Easterhouse by the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee.
30. The Weightlifting weigh-in for athletes will be conducted two hours before the start of the competition and last for a maximum of one hour.
31. Cydonie Mothersille’s Gold success in the women’s 200m Athletics was the only medal of any colour won by the Cayman Islands at the Delhi 2010 Games.
32. Situated above the destination board at Glasgow Central station, the Glasgow 2014 Official Longines Countdown Clock will be seen by hundreds and thousands of commuters and visitors in the lead-up to the Games in July.
33. Celtic Park’s entire South Stand will be transformed into Glasgow’s ‘Window on the Commonwealth’ for the Opening Ceremony after the installation of a digital LED backdrop, the largest screen of its kind ever seen in Europe. Nearly 100 metres wide, it weighs 38 tonnes.
34. The Official Glasgow 2014 tartan was designed by then 15-year-old Glaswegian schoolboy, Aamir Mehmood.
35. In March 2014, around 18,000 people attended one of Scotland’s biggest ever mass orientation events over four sessions at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.
36. The Games workforce uniform consists of red polo shirt, grey trousers, red and white soft shell jacket, red cagoule and grey hat. Workforce will also be given matching bags, umbrellas and a water bottle.
37. Hampden Park will play host to the Closing Ceremony of the Games, at which Glasgow 2014 will officially hand the Commonwealth Flag over to the Gold Coast, hosts of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
38. The Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village Hair Salon will be operated by West College Scotland students who will provide hair-styling, make-up and grooming services.
39. Athletes are expected to eat 500,000 pieces of fruit during the period the Village is open with plenty of vegetables too including an estimated 60 tonnes of potatoes.
40. Glasgow 2014 has a team of nine Official Ambassadors spreading the Games message far and wide, including Great Britain’s Nicola Adams and Scottish comedian Billy Connolly.
41. The 10 metre platform is the highest of three platforms/springboards used in Diving.
42. All of Glasgow 2014’s permanent sporting venues have been opened and have been used by both elite athletes and local people, making them both world-class and community relevant.
43. The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, located in the Emirates Arena, has been described as ‘one of the busiest in the world’, with the venue welcoming a 350,000 attendance in its first year.
44. Brig O’Doom, Broken Biscuits and Clyde Climb were among the standout winning entries in a schools competition to name eight features of the Cathkin Braes Mountain Bike course.
45. The Queen’s baton’s handle is made of elm wood sourced from the grounds of Garrison House on the Isle of Cumbrae – a tribute to Scotland’s natural resources.
46. The Queen’s Baton contains a granite ‘gemstone’ which is gifted to each nation and territory. Housed at the very top of the baton, it is released only by opening a clever puzzle mechanism.
47. Badminton is widely regarded as the fastest racquet sport in the world, with shuttles travelling at more than 300 kilometres an hour.
48. The Satellite Village in Dundee will host around 500 Shooting athletes and team officials during the Games.
49. Athletes resident outside of the UK who compete at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games will be exempt from income tax, mirroring a similar exemption in place for London 2012.
50. Great Britain’s most celebrated Olympian Sir Chris Hoy was revealed as the first Official Ambassador for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in September 2012.
51. The Host Broadcaster contract for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games was awarded to international television sports broadcast experts Sunset+Vine and Global Television, two highly-respected independent television production companies in their first joint venture as SVGTV.
52. In the Full Bore Shooting discipline, shooters fire at targets across a range of distances up to 1,000 yards.
53. The most famous Boxing name to claim a Commonwealth Games Gold was Lennox Lewis for Canada in 1986.
54. The diver Alexandre Despatie (Canada) has won nine Commonwealth Gold medals, the most of any single competitor.
55. The Australian men’s team have won every hockey Gold medal since the first competition in Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Games in 1998.
56. The Barry Buddon Shooting range was used for the full-bore rifle contest during the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games in 1986
57. During Glasgow 2014 Barry Buddon will host all disciplines of the Shooting competition which includes Clay Target, Small-bore and Pistol
58. Glasgow 2014 has worked in collaboration with Scottish Government partners, the Food Standards Agency - Scotland, and the food industry to develop a Commonwealth Games Food Charter which outlines a commitment to the ethical, safe, and healthy-living standards for all food served across the Games.
59. The iconic medals for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games have been designed by award-winning maker and jeweller Jonathan Mathew Boyd, a graduate of the illustrious Glasgow School and Art.
60. The Culture 2014 and Festival 2014 Programmes officially launched in July 2013, a nationwide celebration including events, exhibitions and performances delivered on behalf of the Organising Committee by Glasgow Life and Creative Scotland.
61. Some of Glasgow’s best-known and historic locations will be at the heart of celebrations during the Games with ‘live zones’ at Glasgow Green and the Merchant City with further activity at the refurbished Kelvingrove Bandstand.
62. Dancers from the Desi Bravehearts and piper Johnny Gauld performed at Glasgow airport as the Queen’s Baton Relay started 248-day international journey by heading to India, home to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
63. Up to 4,000 special people will be baton bearers carrying a unique symbol of the Games during the 40 days it will tour Scotland through all 32 local authority areas.
64. The first Queen’s Baton Relay was staged for the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, with England’s famed middle-distance runner Roger Bannister.
65. The Queen’s Baton Relay will cover 190,000km, the equivalent of going around the Earth’s surface almost 4.25 times.
66. The CGF Anti-Doping programme at the Games will be supported by around 140 UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) personnel and over 200 Volunteer Anti-Doping Chaperones.
67. ScotRail anticipate more than a million extra rail journeys being made on their trains during the Games period having unveiled a special expanded timetable.
68. Glasgow 2014, through Forth Ports, used 350 40ft shipping containers to pack and store equipment purchased from London 2012 Organisers, LOCOG, including furniture for use in the Glasgow 2014 Athletes Villages. They were shipped from their previous location in The Port of Tilbury on the Thames to The Port of Grangemouth.
69. Volunteers for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games will be known as clyde-siders, a deliberate nod to the famous and historic river which runs through the heart of Glasgow.
70. Created by Big Lottery Fund with support from Glasgow 2014 and the Scottish Government, the Legacy 2014 Volunteer Support Pot is a discretionary fund to help Scottish volunteers whose individual circumstances means they need assistance towards the cost of participating.
71. Tom Daley is the youngest Official Ambassador for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
72. In his first year alone, Clyde, Glasgow 2014's Official Mascot, visited over 600,000 people in Scotland, from Dumfries to Orkney.
73. Clyde was designed by a then 12-year-old schoolgirl Beth Gilmour from Cumbernauld who won a UK-wide competition in partnership with the BBC.
74. Glasgow 2014 has opened its first merchandise store at the city’s Central Station. It is the first of more than 40 planned for locations across Glasgow as well as in competition venues.
75. Clyde, the official Glasgow 2014 Mascot, is a thistle and the first Games mascot that hasn’t been an animal.
76. Royal Mint has released an official Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games 50p coin, struck as a lasting reminder of the event.
77. ICON are the official Provider of Look, Wayfinding and Signage Services for the Games which includes responsibility for dressing all Games venues with a distinctive Glasgow 2014 design.
78. Glasgow 2014 has an Athletes’ Advisory Committee, chaired by former Scotland Hockey player Rhona Simpson, ensuring athletes have direct input to the Games.
79. Glasgow 2014’s official partner level sponsors are Longines, SSE, Virgin Media, BP, Emirates and Ford.
80. The first Gold of the Games will be in the Women’s Triathlon on Thursday 24 July at Strathclyde Country Park.
81. Saturday 2 August will be a jam-packed with Gold medal action, with 34 Gold medals up for grabs in Aquatics (Diving), Athletics, Boxing, Hockey, Squash, Table Tennis and Para-Sport Powerlifting.
82. Scottish designer Kerry Nixon designed the dress to be worn by female Medal Bearers at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Kerry will also style the male Medal Bearers.
83. The housekeeping duties in the Athletes’ Village will include the washing of 3600 flat sheets per day and 7200 bath towels.
84. The Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village is 35 hectares in size, the equivalent of 54 football pitches.
85. The first Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland in August 2000 where 733 Athletes from 14 countries competed in 8 sports over 3 days.
86. Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth athlete is shooter Alister Allan, with 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 4 Bronze medals from 1974 to 1994.
87. Renowned outdoor clothing manufacturer Trespass is the Official Casual Uniform Provider to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Workforce. As well as this, Trespass have also designed the uniform which will be worn by clyde-siders during the Games and baton bearers carrying the Queen’s Baton as it travels through Scotland in the build up to the Games.
88. Singapore has won the most Table Tennis Commonwealth medals, gaining 34 of the 80 awarded to date.
89. The 250-metre track at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome was created by one of the world’s foremost track designers, Ralph Schuermann.
90. One kilogram is the minimum increment between lift attempts in Weightlifting and Powerlifting competitions.
91. Glasgow 2014 Frontrunner Izzy Conway was the first baton bearer on the Queen’s Baton Relay as it departed Buckingham Palace for its journey around the Commonwealth.
92. So far on its journey around the Commonwealth, the Queen’s Baton has visited some of the most remote regions in the world, including Kavieng, in Papua New Guinea, Tarawa Island in Kiribati and the island nation of Niue, which is only connected by one weekly flight.
93. Iconic Scottish comedian Billy Connolly narrated the magical story of Clyde, Glasgow 2014’s Official Mascot, in an animated film which premiered at the launch of the mascot.
94. Game On Scotland is the education programme of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. It has been designed to enable schools and educators to use the Games as an inspiring, motivating, relevant and fun context for learning across the curriculum for pupils of all ages.
95. At the heart of the Queen’s Baton is the Queen’s Message, inscribed on a parchment handmade in Glasgow using linen and plant fibre. The message has been scrolled and is held in a transparent cylinder within a pure titanium latticework frame.
96. The recently extended M74 roadway is open and helps to grow Scotland’s economy by improving transport links in the west of Scotland. The road will also provide a crucial Games-time link for the Games Village to the competition venues in the west of the city.
97. Through the Glasgow 2014 pictograms, each of the 17 participating sports are represented by their unique ‘defining moment’ in the iconic images whose primary purpose is to celebrate sport and aid wayfinding to members of the public, athletes and officials. Each pictogram was designed in conjunction with a Scottish athlete from each sport.
98. Scotland sit seventh on the Commonwealth Games all-time medals table with 92 Gold, 104 Silver and 160 Bronze medals.
99. Australia leads the way with a staggering 803 Gold medals, the only nation with over 2,000 medals.
100. The Glasgow 2014 logo is an original piece of art work that is rooted in sport: time, data and measurement, with a green 'G' for Glasgow at the heart of the logo, as the ‘dear green place’ is the heart of the Games.