Glasgow City Council<\/a> who led the city\u2019s preparations for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, shared his enthusiasm for what he said would be a \u201cunique Clyde-built experience\u201d in 2026. Glasgow 2026, he noted, will deliver support over \u00a3150 million of economic value region.\n<\/p>\n\n Meanwhile, Phil Batty, chief executive of Glasgow 2026, reminded the audience that the King\u2019s Baton Relay is under way, with all batons from the 74 competing nations reuniting at the opening ceremony in Glasgow next July.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe opportunity to collaborate is greater than ever before,\u201d he stated. \u201cThe welcome will be on point. We are working more closely with the private sector \u2013 we want to work with you because tourism is vital to the Scottish economy.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cGlasgow 2026 is setting a new standard: flexible, sustainable, and inclusive. And Scotland will be on the world stage for 11 unforgettable days \u2013 at no cost to the public purse.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n In a panel session titled \u201cCity Voices\u201d, exploring how Glasgow can leverage the Games to leave a lasting legacy for the city and its communities and chaired by Catherine Salmond, editor of The Herald, the deputy chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Richard Muir, said: \u201cWe want Glasgow and Scottish companies to win procurement contracts for the Games.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThere\u2019s a good buzz and great energy in the city just now and things are changing for the better,\u201d he noted. \u201cWe are huge event delivery city \u2013 and in 2023, Glasgow was the first city to be named the European Capital of Sport for the second time. And we see the Games as being part of the catalyst for growth for the city and change.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Chandra Pollock, project manager at Let\u2019s Go Glasgow Business Improvement District (BID), commented: \u201cThere is a real opportunity to get pride back in the city \u2013 the Games provide a springboard to get that pride back and for you to shout about what your business has to offer that is different to any city in the world. It\u2019s a struggle for some just now but we can be positive [about the Games]. Communication is key.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Editor of the Glasgow Times, Stacey Mullen, expanded on the importance of communication. \u201cWe like stories that are quirky and celebrate our culture,\u201d she said, recalling the dancing Tunnock\u2019s Teacakes at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Games and sharing her fondness of Clyde the Mascot \u2013 while welcoming the 2026 Mascot, Finnie.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI don\u2019t think a lot of people realise how great Glasgow is \u2013 we don\u2019t shout about it enough. We have a great music scene, shopping, some of the best restaurants in the world. We shouldn\u2019t be modest. The Glasgow Times wants to hear your stories \u2013 The Herald wants to hear your stories.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n This morning\u2019s event, introduced and hosted by broadcaster Rhona McLeod, a former Scottish international athlete, also heard \u201cWhat the games mean to me\u201d from three athletes: Stephen Clegg, Team Scotland Para swimmer and Birmingham 2022 silver medallist (50m Freestyle S13); Niamh McCall, Team Scotland netballer player; and Shannon Archer, former Team Scotland artistic gymnast and member of the Glasgow 2026 Athlete Advisory Group.\n<\/p>\n
\n Shannon made history at Birmingham 2022 when she won a bronze medallist (vault), becoming the first-ever Scottish women\u2019s artistic gymnast to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games.\n<\/p>\n
\n Closing the event, Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, conceded that Glasgow had \u201ctaken a bit of a buffeting\u201d in recent years but said these \u201cleaner, fitter Games\u201d will bring a \u201ctremendous boost\u201d to the economy, adding: \u201cThe momentum for change is building and there is investment across the public realm.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While the city is stepping in to host the re-imagined 2026 Commonwealth Games \u2013 the 23rd edition \u2013…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":375392,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7826],"tags":[748,918,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-375391","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-glasgow","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-glasgow","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-scotland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/375392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}