Good morning. Welcome to this meeting of the Scottish Affairs Committee at the UK Government’s HMRC offices in Glasgow, and welcome to our first panel. We are looking at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year, 2026. I am sure we are all very excited about that, but maybe not as excited as you three. Before we begin, could you briefly tell us who you are and what your role is?

I am Jon Doig, chief executive of Commonwealth Games Scotland.

Good morning, everyone. I am Phil Batty, chief exec of the Glasgow 2026 organising company.

Good morning. I am Louisa Mahon, chief marketing officer at Glasgow 2026.

The 2014 Games in Glasgow were widely seen as a great success. How will next year’s event compare, in terms of both preparation and what the public will see? Perhaps I will first ask Phil that one.

I think you have captured it brilliantly. The 2014 Games set the bar very, very high; our job with the 2026 Games is to live up to that ambition and expectation. We have a packed sporting competition next year. We have 10 days of electric sport, 215 medal events and 3,000 athletes coming to the city, but we are also reimagining the format of the Games. We are looking at all the existing fantastic facilities that are here in the city, but also making sure we celebrate the whole 8-mile corridor where this event will take place.

Would Jon or Louisa like to add anything to that?

Having gone through the 2014 Games, I have no doubt that the Games coming up will recapture the excitement from the athletes and the public who come to see them.

Victoria withdrew from hosting next year’s Games because of cost pressures at its end, and other cities apparently raised concerns about the possibility of hosting the Games; they were perhaps finding it to be too expensive. How has Glasgow managed to come up with a viable model, when other cities have concluded that they cannot?

One of the real strengths of Glasgow as a city is that it has continually invested in major events, so there is an incredible amount of muscle memory in the city—not just in the facilities themselves, but particularly in the people. We have been looking at planning these Games in record time; it is about 18 months that we have been established as an organising company. We are very much doing that in partnership, whether that is with the city council, Glasgow Life or the SEC. That means that when you are designing a major event, you are designing it to the city’s infrastructure; you are designing it to the way the city moves and the way the city transports people. That has allowed us to do things much more cost-effectively. I think this was a really important moment for Commonwealth Sport. There are 74 nations and territories in the Commonwealth, and we need to design for this event a format that can go the length and breadth of the Commonwealth. After Glasgow and Scotland reimagining these Games, we are already seeing huge interest from a number of nations—more than there have ever been before—in 2030, but also in 2034 and the future pipeline.

When we looked at developing the concept, we looked, as Phil said, with the people and the expertise that we have within the city and within the country—Commonwealth Games Scotland and the wider sports. We also looked at the format of what we would deliver over that time, to make sure it fitted within the facilities and the budget that we had at the time. There was a very big emphasis on decreasing the amount of risk in terms of delivery within the timeframe that we had.

Certainly, prior to Glasgow taking over, one of my personal concerns about Victoria withdrawing was that that might be the end of the Commonwealth Games. Do you see this as a way of allowing the Commonwealth Games to go forward with a perhaps reduced, less costly format, but in a way that is viable for other nations and cities to do in the future?

That has definitely been at the heart of all our planning. Certainly, that is what we feel, and it is a very unified feeling across the Commonwealth—all the 74 Commonwealth nations—that what we are developing here in Glasgow is something that will be truly sustainable in lots of different ways, allowing nations that would never have been able to step forward with a viable bid to do that, and to do it with the confidence that they have a really robust blueprint for taking it forward. In feedback from around the Commonwealth, we have had—this has been quite overwhelming—immense gratitude towards Scotland and towards Glasgow as a city, and a real feeling of having saved the Games. What we are doing here is unique and innovative, but it should last for generations to come.

That is reassuring and great to know. I will pass over to Angus MacDonald now.

Mr Doig, you were involved in the 2014 Games. What stimulated Glasgow to step into Victoria’s shoes? Were the Westminster and Scottish Governments supportive at the outset? How did you make it happen?

We recognised at the time, when Victoria withdrew, that the Games were important, as outlined, for Scottish sport, UK sport and the Commonwealth, and that it was important that they continued. That was not only in terms of what we could deliver, but so that we did not lose something in the future—once the Games stopped, it was obviously a worry that they would not be able to come back, given the timeframe and the very crowded international calendar. That aspect was foremost in our minds. Sorry, what was the other bit of the question?

Did the Scottish and Westminster Governments come straight in to support you? I imagine you were a bit worried about finances when you were getting going.

We had very early informal conversations with them. First and foremost for us was to see whether we could do it and come up with a concept that we could take forward later on. They were kept in contact, and then at the point when we had been through the Commonwealth Games Scotland board, and our sports had said, “This is something we think is feasible,” we engaged in those conversations more directly through the Scottish Government and UK Government. It was very much a stepwise approach. First and foremost, we are a membership organisation, and we needed to make sure first that our members were behind the Games.

Did you pick up the phone and ring the Commonwealth Games to say, “We wonder if we could come up with something”? What initiated it?

There was the general assembly in Singapore in 2023. At that stage, Commonwealth Sport, as it now is, basically identified and put a sum of money down on the table. We looked at that and went away, first and foremost, to say, “Can we come up with something feasible which can go through and use that money?” That money was only going to be available once, and it is money that is invested in, or disposed directly into, these Games, with direct economic benefit for Scotland as well. First and foremost, we looked at what we could do and then went back to them.

What are your latest estimates for delivering the Games? Can you give me an idea of where the overall figure breaks down into different areas of spending? That may be one for you, Jon.

I will pass that one to Phil, who deals with the day to day of the organising company at the moment.

Thank you, Jon. We inherited a robust plan from Commonwealth Games Scotland, but we set up the organising company towards the end of last year. Our overall budget for the Games—the delivery budget that we are responsible for—is £150 million, and that comprises not only the initial investment from Commonwealth Sport, but investment from ticket sales, broadcast rights, commercial partnerships and other contributions. Critically, no public funding goes into that core delivery budget. There is a whole range of things that that gets invested into. Obviously we have to accommodate the athletes, so a big part of this is investing in hotels for the accommodation and the overnight stays of those athletes, and for the catering. We were also lucky that Commonwealth Sport put an amount of money on the table for venue upgrades, so we have put a new athletics track in Scotstoun stadium and we have supported, with Glasgow Life, some of the works at Tollcross international swimming centre on the lighting and the refurbishments there. We are really keen to ensure that we leave the venues stronger and better than when we enter them, particularly because those are community facilities, and major events only work if they work in partnership with the communities that keep those facilities alive over the years and weeks in between events. On the budget, I am pleased to say that we have completed 87% of our procurement by value. At this point we have a really high degree of confidence in the overall budget delivery, and we are seeing strong interest in ticket sales, which start later this week.

Good. Drilling down a wee bit more into that, how much would be spent on operational things and logistics, and how much on upgrades and legacy?

It is a real mix across the budget. We have a core £5 million or £6 million being invested into venue readiness and venue upgrades. That has come, as I said, partially from a contribution from Commonwealth Sport, but also from some additional funding from the core delivery budget. We then have a broad range of operations that account for the majority of our budget. That is everything from the infrastructure that we require, to temporary seating in the SEC, to our venue hires, but also some of the core delivery people at Games time. Then there is part of the budget that goes on the services and support that sit around the Games. We are very conscious that we are welcoming 75 nations and territories and 3,000 athletes to take up home here in the city for 11 days. It is really important that they feel welcome and supported. Projects such as the volunteer programme, which is open now, are a big part of that investment. We are making sure people are fully trained, supported and equipped with a uniform, ready to welcome people to the city.

In terms of the overall difference, the main changes are around sustainability: reusing existing venues, leaning into sustainable transport infrastructure and using existing talent and partners, rather than bringing in new resources to deliver the event. That is the fundamental change. The majority of that is back of house, so you will not see that in the day-to-day experience. The model of using hotel accommodation for athletes has been well used in the city, so we are building on learning that Glasgow has done previously. I was lucky enough to work on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Because of the global pandemic, we had to pivot towards using three villages in student and uni accommodation. Particularly for Commonwealth athletes, this is a tried and tested model. Our focus is on making sure that the athlete experience is the best it can possibly be. We have an athlete advisory committee formed of athletes—past and present—who advise and guide us, whether that is on catering solutions or transport methods. We are particularly keen, because this is a Para-integrated competition, to make sure all our service levels are inclusive. A lot of guidance is provided from international federations on that. I hope that any athlete fortunate enough to have competed in 2014 and coming back in 2026 will see a Commonwealth Games that they know and love. They will probably feel more embedded in the fabric of the city by the very nature of living in the city itself. The service levels that they receive should be commensurate with the size and scale of a Commonwealth Games, and what it will be for future hosts as well.

In terms of our athletes’ experience, they are well used to going to European and world championships and staying in hotels. There are a number of those, as Phil said, in the city here. Each team works with the organising companies to make sure that they have that kind of home from home. Once they are in the hotels, there will be some adjustments to make. Some services will be provided by the organising company and others. As Phil said, the model was brought in in Birmingham and worked very successfully there.

Has the hotel accommodation been booked for the athletes at this stage? Are we convinced that Glasgow has the hotel capacity? I think the date of the Commonwealth Games is slap bang in the middle of the Glasgow Fair in the summer. Does that leave enough capacity for spectators travelling to Scotland and Glasgow to view the Games?

Yes. An accommodation provider has been working with us really since we came in at the concept to look how we pull the accommodation together for our athletes, and that is confirmed. In all our communications and marketing, we have been keen to be clear to people about all the different options they have to come for the Games and stay for the city. We have a city region and a network of hotels and accommodation. We have amazing ways to reach the city and go home again at the end of the day, but we also have an amazing network across the city region of places and options for people to stay. It is very much about how we spread the impact and make sure that in the wider city region and across Scotland—given the connectivity that we have with transport—there are options for visitors to come, have an amazing time in Glasgow, see more of Scotland and spread that economic impact across Scotland. That has been at the heart of all our marketing and communications, and that will continue as we move to Games time.

Phil, you alluded to other countries using student accommodation. Is that a model you will be looking at here? Obviously, it is in the middle of the summer and the kids will be away back home.

We have a number of different client groups. For our athletes we are using hotel accommodation, because we want to ensure, depending on which sport they are competing in, that they are as close to their venue as possible, because that allows us to use close connectivity to get them to and from those particular facilities. Of course, there is a workforce that comes with delivering the Games, so we will use student accommodation for that and other various accommodation that the city has. It is a blended model. We are obviously keen that this investment is being spent locally, whether that is on the hotel accommodation or on the inevitable experiences that people do in the city: food, drink, culture and everything that Glasgow has to offer. As Louisa says, particularly for ticketed spectators, we want them to enjoy Scotland’s tourism offer. That is a really important part. You may have tickets to the athletics on the Tuesday, but we hope you arrive on the Friday evening and explore Scotland in advance of coming to the city and enjoying the Games on the Tuesday.

On that same topic, having been to a Commonwealth Games and having visited the athletes’ village, I was struck by the fact that one of the real advantages for athletes was that, for example, they could have food at the time of day that suited them, depending on what their training or competition schedule looked like for that day. If they needed to eat really late at night they could, but they could also have a diet that reflected what they needed for their particular event. Similarly, if they needed an ice bath when they came back in, they could have one, or they could have physiotherapy. Is that kind of service available in hotels?

As the organising company, we work across the overall landscape of the Games to make sure we are making those team services available. For some of them, we will be using some of the spaces within the venues, because these are fantastic facilities that, yes, have the field of play, but also have a lot of back-office space that we can use. In others, we will be taking over meeting rooms within the hotels and converting those. We have some fantastic learning from 2014 on the catering and food offer. We are working with a number of the individuals who delivered the key catering plans in 2014 and are doing that again this time around. That is all part of the detailed planning that we do behind the scenes to make sure that, ultimately, athletes can compete at their absolute best on the field of play, and that they are walking out well fed, well rested and with all the recovery and resource they need around them to compete at a global standard.

That is reassuring. Thank you.

What has delivering the event without public funding meant that you cannot deliver? What more would you have liked to deliver?

The model has really reset our relationship with the public sector. It is key that, while we have no public funding, we could not stage this event without the support of both Governments, the city council, arm’s length bodies and a number of agencies such as Police Scotland. It has forced us to focus on making sure that those are true partnership relationships—understanding when we need resources, how we fund those resources and how we ensure those resources are used wisely, given the other pressures on the public sector at this time. Coming into the project at the beginning of the year, a lot of the relationship building was also about being able to set clear planning assumptions of what the event will look and feel like, so that every partner, whether they are private sector or public sector, can absolutely scale and support around that. One of the things we also have to acknowledge is that huge public sector investment went into 2014, so we are benefiting from a down payment of the investment that went in. The legacy of 2014 is allowing us to do this without public sector investment. Obviously, a core part of our financial model is the investment that has come from Commonwealth Sport. Future Games will still require the support of Government and the public sector to stage major events. That is key. We are trying to reduce the overall cost of delivering a major event by, on average, 60%. We are making it better value for money, getting a better benefit-cost ratio and, overall, making it affordable in the context of wider public funding.

How much commercial funding do you need to deliver the Games? How much have you raised so far, or had promises on?

As I mentioned earlier, our overall budget is £150 million, and approximately a third of that is made up of different commercial revenue sources. We obviously have tickets going on sale, which is one of the key underpinning financial parts of our model. I am pleased to say that hundreds of thousands of people have signed up for the pre-sales that are taking place. Over the course of this week, we have Glasgow and Scotland, next week is the UK and international, and then general public sale is towards the end of next week. That is a real sign of confidence that there is definitely an appetite to get in the venues and watch the sport. The rest is made up of things like broadcast rights. Channel Seven and Sky New Zealand TV have already confirmed that they are investing in the Games, and a number of other international broadcasters will be confirming over the next couple of weeks and months. We have announced a number of commercial partnerships and sponsors. I was really pleased that Trespass, a great Scottish business in Glasgow that provided the uniform in 2014, is coming back and investing in the uniform again. CMS, our legal partner, has come on board as the legal services partner for the game. We have amazing UK businesses such as SLX, which has done lighting for the Games for a number of years. It is fair to say that the private sector is already really stepping up. Not a week seems to go by in which we do not have another business that wants to make the most of the opportunity.

Do you have any guidelines on what you will accept as sponsorship, for example in terms of the nutritional value of a food supplier? On the one hand we are selling public benefit and health benefits, and on the other you absolutely need to find sponsorship to support the Games. How do you look at any company that offers to support the Games?

From the outset, as an exec team and with our partners, we looked at a matrix of what we felt would be the brand categories that would be really important to amplify the Games, while balancing that with the commercial targets that we have to reach. Our partners are working on a really robust pipeline of sponsors on a day-to-day basis. As you all know, we have appointed our official timekeeper, Longines, in a multi-year deal. With a year to go, we have also been able to announce a number of incredible partners, from Trivandi through to Trespass, which is joining us again after 2014, and really considered sponsorship packages. As we build that pipeline and meet potential sponsors, we are always being really true to the values of Commonwealth Sport and the 2026 Games, considering policy and making sure that we make decisions that are not only right for the nation and for the city, but right for the Games and the sustainability of our delivery model.

The key thing about the number of tickets is that it is based on every single seat we can fit safely into the venues. Whether it is the velodrome, Tollcross international swimming centre, the Hydro or the Armadillo, when you take all the seats across the 10 days of competition, around half a million tickets are available for public sale as part of the programme, so it is definitely not about demand. One thing we have tried to do with the design of all the venues is make sure, this time, that spectators are really close to the field of play and in the thick of the action. In Scotstoun, for the athletics and Para athletics, you will have this electric sense that when the 100-metre final is happening, you feel like you are on the finish line. The quality of sport and the quality of experience for those ticket holders will be exceptional—like nothing you have seen before, even in a Commonwealth Games—and that is because of the fantastic venues that we have. As Louisa knows, I would love every single one of the seats to have a person in it. When we are putting on sporting events, it is important that as many people as possible get the opportunity to see them live. Part of what we will do through the Glasgow 2026 festival, through exploring opportunities to watch the Games through broadcast and—critically, since 2014—through the amazing world of digital content that we can create, is make sure that millions more, not just in Scotland but in the whole Commonwealth, can see world-class sporting moments live through delayed content across digital media. It is a balance, which reflects what we see across all global multi-sport events now. It is fantastic to have a seat in the venue, but it is also fantastic to watch and experience some moments digitally.

Maximum capacity.

In terms of minimising costs, it has been about designing the event for the place. Far too often—we see this in other major events across single sport and multi-sport—the format of the event is set, and the city or the place has to adapt and move about to make that work. What was powerful about the concept that Commonwealth Games Scotland set out, and the partnership work with the city, was that we looked at what world-class facilities we have, where they are strong, which sports fit where, and how can we make the most of those facilities. When it comes to changing costs, I will use the example of overlay, which is the temporary infrastructure that is put into venues. Because these facilities already have so much of what is needed for a core major sporting event as part of their permanent infrastructure, we have significantly reduced—in the region of 70% to 80%—our overall overlay costs for the Games. That is something that spectators very rarely see and recognise is there. That, in itself, is more sustainable. On transport, we know that this is a highly connected city, but we also know that the transport models of Commonwealth Games of old, where there was a car to a person, a tier 1 service, or various taxi services that were created just for the Games, do not reflect the more sustainable world in which we live now. So we have moved to shuttle services on EV buses. That alone takes us from something in the region of 1,400 cars for the Glasgow 2014 Games to probably in the region of 100. Some of these big cost-saving measures also massively advance our sustainability goals. I would hope that other major events, not just future Commonwealth Games, look at this model and think it is the way the world should be moving. The fact that Glasgow and Scotland are leading that charge is going to be one of the greatest ongoing legacies, outside the city and the nation, that future events experience.

In developing the sports, when we looked at the early stages of the sports programme, one of the critical things was the balance across different team sports and individual sports. Also, the essence of the Commonwealth Games is that it is focused on women’s sport, and it is no surprise that the biggest team sport we have is netball, which is showcased through the Games. We are also very proud that this is the biggest Para sport programme there has ever been, in terms of medal events, in a Commonwealth Games. On the one hand, in terms of the number of sports, it may be smaller, but the number of Para sport events is far bigger. That is a huge opportunity to showcase some of the phenomenal athletes not only in Scotland but across the Commonwealth.

The event competition schedule has been designed for the city itself, as I said. In terms of the limited number of events, we have chosen to focus on 10 sports and six Para sports and do them brilliantly. As Jon mentioned, this is the largest ever Para sport competition. There are things that are within our gift. The first medal of the Games, on the first day, will be for Para powerlifting. A Para athlete has never been the first medal of the Commonwealth Games in the history of its existence. We have also got the largest ever swimming programme in the history of the Commonwealth Games, and the biggest ever track cycling and Para track cycling programme, including the elimination race. We have brought the Commonwealth mile back to the athletics, which has not been seen for a number of decades. It is about the quality of the sport. Rather than using a single venue for one day, we have tried to look at venues that we can use for the full duration of the competition. That is one of the reasons why I love the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome in the arena: we can have artistic gymnastics in one space and then move to track cycling and Para track cycling, but the same operational team can deliver those two events. That, alongside the amazing facilities at the Scottish Event Campus, where we have six sports all happening within the campus, is where the operational efficiency is. It has not been driven by a reduction in facilities; it has been driven by maximising the facilities we have.

On the contrary. I actually think that the model we have developed across the 8-mile corridor—how packed the programme is, the quality of sport and events that people can access each day of the competition, from day one right through to the end, and the level of medals, with 215 gold medals—from a consumer perspective, whether you are a sports fan or you are new to the Games, what you are able to see and do in a concentrated footprint within a concentrated period of time, whether as a day visitor or coming for a couple of nights, is probably one of the most intense, close-to-the-action, immersive experiences you would get at a sporting event. From that perspective, we have created a massive opportunity, despite the timescales and pace, by delivering the Games in such a short period, with resources different from before. This is record-breaking from that perspective as well. What people will experience when they have a ticket as a spectator will be incredible. Everything we are working on now is about how we take that experience beyond the field of play and ensure that as many people as possible experience that immersive, electric sporting atmosphere, whether you are a fan forever or whether this is your first time at the Games.

In the scaled-back Games, there is no marathon and no cycling road race—there are no road-based events. As I understand it, previously the public could watch or get a glimpse of the Commonwealth Games at no cost. How did you work out how to balance the pricing of the tickets? Do you think that the costs are affordable, not just for visitors but for my West Dunbartonshire constituents, to buy a ticket to the Games?

We took a very early decision on that. Baked into the concept, and something we supported as an organising company when we set up that part of our model, from both a sustainability and an operational point of view, was not to have road races within the footprint. They are often for a single day or a short period, and they require a lot of infrastructure and operations, which does not make them as sustainable as working within existing facilities and venues. There are other events throughout the year—marathons take place and there are other opportunities for road-based activities. UCI cycling is a great example of something that Glasgow did brilliantly before. That has always been part of our core planning. With ticket sales, we have tried to ensure that there is a real range of ticket prices, and affordable ticket prices. There are preliminary qualifying event tickets from £17 and events for every single medal session from £26. That is very much in line with prices being less than the 2014 Games plus inflation—we have taken that into our core consideration. We have also benchmarked with other events that take place across Scotland. We want to ensure that we can invest in the event and, as I mentioned, ticket revenue is part of that. The money gets invested to ensure that we can provide team services for the athletes and support their rest, recovery and preparation. It is not a commercial endeavour, but it allows us to fund other activity outside the Games. Thanks to some support and investment from Commonwealth Sport, we are working in partnership with Glasgow Life to do a Glasgow 2026 festival. That will provide free, open-access opportunities to experience not just the wonder of sport, but the wonder of culture and art. This city does festivals incredibly well, and Scotland does festivals incredibly well, and we want that energy and community celebration to be part of the Games. We would definitely encourage those who can to take the opportunity to come and see the event in a stadium, but there is a responsibility on us to make sure that there are many opportunities to experience it outside the paid, ticketed event.

There has been a lot of discussion so far, and my question might contain a bit of duplication, but can you enhance your answer a wee bit? What progress have you made in preparing for the Games? What are the key things that have been delivered so far? Also, what are the key milestones, obstacles and uncertainties that you are focused on in the lead-up to the Games?

Jon, do you want to talk about the bid, and then I will come in?

Yes. One critical element that we looked at for these Games was not only delivering a fantastic and absolutely brilliant 2026, but getting a future for the Games. We are really pleased that, through the work we have done and the concept we have gone through and developed, there is now a proposal for a centenary Games in 2030 that will be voted on in Glasgow in November. There is also interest in the 2034 Games and that particular pipeline. One of the key objectives that we had at that particular time will be achieved in November. I will pass over to Phil for the best bits.

It has definitely been a different planning timeline, compared with not just previous Commonwealth Games but previous events that most of us have worked on. It was only a year ago that George Black was appointed as chair of our board, which has been incredibly supportive to us as an organising company, and the partnership has moved really quickly to make sure that we have all the right governance and operational insurance in place to deliver not only on time and on budget but, critically, safely and securely. As a team, we have been in place for just shy of 10 months. Over the course of that 10 months we have completed all our venue operational planning. That process took nine months on the Gold Coast and 16 weeks in Birmingham, but we managed to do it in four and a half weeks, thanks to the knowledge and skills of the existing venue staff, as well as the amazing blueprints that we were able to bring forward from some of the same sports being in the same venues, not just in 2014 but for other world championships and other events. We definitely got a strong standing start from that point of view. As I mentioned earlier, with one year to go we really stepped out. You will hopefully have met Finnie, our glorious mascot. She has been working harder than any mascot that has gone before her, and thanks to her relentless endeavour, going out into communities across the country, that database and engagement has built up. It was only five weeks ago that we opened applications for volunteering, and we have had thousands upon thousands of people expressing their interest in being a volunteer. Importantly, although some Clydesiders are keen to dust off the uniform and get back out there, we lowered the age to 16 and we have had an overwhelming response from 16 to 25-year-olds. Someone who was four the last time the Commonwealth Games came to the city is now putting their hat in the ring and looking forward to volunteering. That opportunity will be open for another couple of weeks. There is also a lot going on behind the scenes, including really strong multi-agency working with Police Scotland, the city council and fire and ambulance to make sure there is the ecosystem required to deliver a safe and secure event. Behind the scenes, all the operations, logistics, transport and Games services are all also being worked through, and that is down to the fantastic team we have assembled. We have been able to assemble a fantastic team because Scotland and Glasgow have continued to invest in events.

I was surprised and delighted that 16-year-olds are involved. It is really good to bring the age down so that they have that opportunity as well. I look forward to meeting Finnie.

It also means that this Clydesider does not feel quite so bad about not volunteering this time around.

I notice that you have an intention to make sure that people who can get the most out of volunteering are selected for it. How are you going to do that?

We have a really robust application process in place. I am thrilled with the response that we have had on volunteering. We have reached all the targets that we expected to reach, and now it is a process of carefully selecting the right volunteers for the right positions. There are so many different ways you can volunteer. There are so many different roles, which may be suitable for people who have had particular experiences, or for those who have no experience whatsoever. Our target is to make sure that we create a genuine pipeline for people to experience volunteering at first hand. It may be their first leg on a journey to employability. That is all part of an exceptionally robust application process, but also all the training and support that goes with it. When you become one of our volunteers, you become part of a family that guides you from the minute that you are successful, right through to the end of the Games. Whether you are a Clydesider and a seasoned volunteer or you are new to it, the experience will be bespoke to you. Everything is designed thinking about what the onwards pipeline may be for you. That is why we work so closely with our network of colleges and universities.

We are also keen to ensure that if someone is unable to volunteer on the Games, for whatever reason, we are guiding them to other volunteering opportunities in the city. One benefit of having a partnership model with Glasgow Life and others is that we can signpost people to continuous volunteering. That is a big lesson that has been seen across major events over the last 10 years. It is great having the mega-event volunteering moment, but it is more important to make sure that those moments feed the existing community, cultural and sporting organisations, which can only thrive and succeed because of volunteers. Making sure that those benefits and relationships are embedded is also part of our responsibility.

What are the plans for the Commonwealth Games baton? I read somewhere that there are going to be 74 individual batons, one for every nation. What are the plans for Scotland’s Commonwealth Games baton? Will it be coming to West Dunbartonshire?

Now we are probably going to have lots of supplementaries about people’s individual constituencies.

You are right: there are 74 batons, which are being developed over at GalGael on the other side of the Clyde. They are currently out and around, or have been out and around, with those countries doing their own baton. In terms of the Scottish aspect, we will have the baton in Scotland. That will be co-ordinated by Commonwealth Games Scotland with our Games organising company partners and other partners that we have gone through and talked about. That baton will be in the country from 1 July through to the Games. We are developing that programme at the moment. I think we had 42 days in Glasgow 2014. We obviously do not have that number of days, so we are working on where it can go in that time. The theme is reaching communities—in particular, from our point of view, those communities that have been there supporting athletes and others. Commonwealth Sport also has a major focus on sustainability and cleaning up waterways. That has been a theme through the rest of the Commonwealth with the King’s baton relay through the other Commonwealth countries, and it will obviously feature when we have the baton here in Scotland. It will then be handed over to the organising company, which will bring it in and do a fantastic opening ceremony, with the baton being a key part of that.

I concur with Jon. Planning is well under way. The sustainable new King’s baton has been really exciting. It is presenting huge opportunities for all nations. We will receive all the batons back to Scotland and are really looking forward to how those are then displayed and shared over the course of the Games. More importantly for Scotland’s baton, it is about ensuring that there is representation all across Scotland and designing a programme that works for the ethos of the King’s baton relay this time round, to ensure that as many communities as possible can engage with the Games through the baton. The mascot, the baton and our schools engagement programme are the levers that we can pull are the levers that we can pull to make sure that everyone in Scotland can join this Games and the Games can genuinely feel like Scotland’s. We are very clear about the opportunities that we have and about making sure that everyone has their rightful opportunity and share.

Coming back to volunteers, I take it that there will be people who might have physical disabilities who want to volunteer. How do you support that, and is there an uptick in that?

Absolutely. Para inclusion is central to the delivery of these Games. That means all aspects of Para inclusion: on the field of play; in our venues, looking at disability inclusion and the accessibility required; and in our volunteer programme. We will be supporting disabled people to participate in all parts of that. Over the last 10 years we have seen a lot of advanced work done on the support that is needed around those programmes. In Birmingham we had a project funded by Spirit of 2012 called Critical Mass, which looked at how to ensure that disabled performers could participate in the opening ceremony of the Games. There are lots of learnings from previous events that we can take forward and that will absolutely apply to our volunteer programme too.

Back to the baton, the last time round south and east Ayrshire played a big part in that, and it would be great to see that happen again.

I did warn you! It might be easier if you could just supply us with a list of where the baton is going.

As Jon mentioned, we are currently planning the Scotland element of the relay, and one of the key commitments of the King’s baton relay is to take 1 million pieces of plastic out of Commonwealth oceans, rivers and waterways. I am pleased to say that the Caribbean and Africa have already set the bar very high, with hundreds of thousands of pieces of plastic taken out of rivers and waterways with beach clean-ups, litter picks and lots of activity there. As we start planning the Scotland leg, we are really interested in how different communities interpret and respond to that core sustainability goal, because it is such a powerful part of rethinking what the relay can and should be. I am sure that we will welcome all ideas from all parts of Scotland on that, but we can definitely write to the Committee as that gets confirmed and provide an overview of the route and the community groups that we will be working with as part of that.

Thank you. South Ayrshire has a lovely coast.

I think it would be very helpful to do that, Phil.

Thank you for that.

Can you provide an update on progress in securing a UK television broadcaster—a live broadcaster rather than a broadcaster of recorded highlights—for the Games? As I understand it, for Glasgow 2014 that was all arranged three years in advance, and for Birmingham 2022 it was done two years in advance. I appreciate that Glasgow’s stepping in and saving the Games is a unique set of circumstances, but that happened over a year ago, so can you update the Committee on how you are getting on with that? Phil, I think you commented in July this year that you expected to announce that later this year. Have we reached that stage yet?

I will take the timescales first. As you rightly acknowledge, it was two years before Birmingham and three years before Glasgow 2014, but that was three to four years after they had started their planning, so we are progressing on that at record pace compared with previous Games and previous deliveries. The global rights for broadcast are managed by Commonwealth Sport. As the body with overall responsibility for the Games, they lead on that; we obviously work really closely with them on it. The UK rights are really important. They provide an important way for people to access and experience the Games, particularly given the home nation representation in the Commonwealth Games, compared with other sporting events, where athletes compete under Team GB. We are currently in talks, through Commonwealth Sport and its agents, with multiple broadcasters for the UK rights. We will take into consideration as part of that the fact that this is a category B listed event. I still hope to provide an update on that this year, because it is really important to our planning, both collectively as organisers and for the public so that they know where to watch and how to access the Games.

Has the scaled-back nature of the event had an impact on your ability to secure a live UK broadcaster?

I can only take confidence from the fact that Australia, which was due to host the 2026 Games, was the first global broadcaster to step forward and take the rights for the Glasgow 2026 Games. We saw New Zealand follow very quickly after that. It is really important that that applies across the whole of the Commonwealth. There are lots of talks under way in the Caribbean, Asia and Africa to make sure that those rights are secured. It is a big, complex jigsaw. There is no part of the Games that we position as scaled back. That is a really important part of our journey between now and next summer. I felt that the publication of the sport competition schedule last week really brought to life to people the fact that there is not a day during those 10 days of sport that will not be absolutely action-packed. The more we can keep conveying that, alongside the huge interest in tickets and volunteering, the more confidence there will be in the success of the Games.

BBC Scotland TV news reported this morning on this Committee hearing, so there is real interest in the Commonwealth Games. You are confident that you are going to secure that, are you?

I am confident we will secure a UK rights holder for the Games.

Ms Mahon, I am the MP for Inverness, Skye and Wester Ross, as my name might suggest. We have a real concern that the trickle-down from international sport, the Edinburgh festival and the Commonwealth Games to more remote areas is not very strong. Just to put down a marker, it matters a great deal to us up there that we get some trickle-down. I will move on to my question. The relationship with the Westminster Government and the Scottish Government was demonstrated at the 2012 Olympics when G4S had a disaster on recruiting people to do the security. Because they had a good relationship with the Westminster Government, the British Army came in and did a fantastic job of that. Could you reassure the Committee that the relationship with both the Scottish Government and the Westminster Government is as strong as you would like, and that you have representatives from those two Governments senior enough to help you deliver on this?

We have had incredible support from both Governments since we started the organising company, in so many different ways and at so many different levels. We have been hosted by Government colleagues, there have been regular meetings, and ministerial oversight goes to some of the highest levels in Government. We feel incredibly supported, but also in the ability to access advice and Ministers. The whole support network that sits behind the two Governments has been incredibly important to us and easy to access. Phil can give you better detail on what some of those engagements look like.

One of the opportunities of the model is that, because we are not funded by either Government, we have been able to have a really strong partnership model with both from the outset. It started in the bid and it has continued into delivery. That is allowing us to access expertise, whether that is on visas and immigration, which we obviously have a really close relationship with the Home Office and UKVI on, or within the Scottish Government and some of their big national agencies such as VisitScotland, with the amazing work that it can do to promote the Games internationally and help us with packaging the wider tourism offer. I feel that this model is giving us the best of both Governments. As Louisa said, the ministerial interest across Cabinet in both Governments has been really strong. The Games is a powerful tool, because it speaks to soft power, it speaks to culture and, with the new 2030 host announced, it speaks to trade. It really is an opportunity for any Department in either Government to use. That is our key focus between now and the end of the year. We know what the opportunities are; our main message is “Let’s maximise them”. As an organising company, we are absolutely open to working in partnership with any Department, agency or arm’s length body that wants to take this fantastic showcase of Glasgow, Scotland and the UK to the rest of the world.

In 2014, the Scottish Government passed a certain amount of legislation. They have said that they will not do so this time. Do you think that we need specific legislation this time around? Is it a mistake for the Scottish Government not to be prepared to do it?

We talked long and hard with both Governments about this, both in the concept stage and when we were setting up. Ultimately, there is not time to pass sufficient legislation for these particular Games, but we are also working in a city that already has a really strong understanding of how major events are delivered, so it is in no way inhibiting us. It is not stopping us doing anything. Actually, it is a good example of streamlining and making the event more efficient, given the context and city we are working in.

What social and economic benefits do you think the Games will bring for people living in and around Glasgow?

We have been working collaboratively with Commonwealth Sport, with which we have a shared legacy manager, since probably February or March. We brought in dedicated legacy resource to look at our story of change and what we expect the Games to deliver. We have built a really robust framework around that, working with the University of the West of Scotland and its centre for culture, sport and events to develop a legacy research network. We are focusing hard on using the power of the Games to convene and bring together the local and national bodies that are involved and ensure that we maximise every single benefit we can from cultural and sporting events. Being able, first of all, to have that really robust framework, and then to convene the right people at the table, has been incredible. In August, we engaged with more than 120 individuals from over 60 organisations based in the city and beyond to start mapping out what those benefits will look like and aligning what the Games can deliver as a platform—the jobs and employment opportunities that can be created—with the existing city and national policy and strategy. We have not just done that as an OC; we have embedded it across all our delivery partners and the suppliers we work with. We are really trying to enhance the local supply chain and make sure that those opportunities are spread far and wide. We are ensuring in all our public engagement that communities—we have really focused on those communities in and around the venues in that 8-mile corridor—can step in and actively own part of the Games and understand what sport and culture can do for them. We have taken a really holistic approach to that in how we develop our festival programme and the way we bring sport beyond the field of play into communities, in order to develop every single opportunity to deliver those benefits. We see benefits at a national and international level, but here in the city in particular, it was about making sure that sport is seen as being for all of our diverse communities. It is about not just awareness of sport and the Games—that is the first part—but the understanding that “this is for me”. We have engaged with almost 3,000 individuals since a year to go, and we have been involved in around 40 engagement events, bringing come-and-try sporting activities to our different communities and looking at every single opportunity there is to be in front of our most diverse communities, families and individuals, and to make sure that we are coalescing all the partners that already exist and do this day to day. We are very conscious as a city that amazing things happen here all the time as business as usual. The Games allows us to reconvene and make sure that we pull any lever we can pull and add any value we can add to help the city achieve those objectives. We see those broad benefits—economic, social and cultural—as we move through, and we are making sure that we are leveraging every one of those.

Building on what Louisa said, as you hopefully heard, we are not shying away from the direct benefits, whether they are economic, social or environmental. The joy and happiness that comes from major events is also important. We love major events in this city, in Scotland and in the whole UK. A little bit more happiness in the world next summer will bring benefits that are far more intangible and unquantifiable, but will sit alongside all those incredible, powerful, direct benefits that the events industry brings to the UK.

We have spoken about jobs. Do you have an idea of how many jobs might be created and what their long-term sustainability might be after the Games are done?

Jobs for this particular Games are probably less than for the previous Games, because we are leaning into the existing staff within venues and the existing staff within partners. To give you an example, Trivandi is our event delivery partner, and when they were awarded their contract, they committed to creating 300 jobs as part of the Commonwealth Games. Trivandi is a major events delivery company that works the world over. A good example is that members of their team who are now working on the Games started as sport competition co-ordinators back in 2014. They have gone across the planet delivering major events. They are from Glasgow—they were born in Glasgow and studied in Glasgow—and they are back here delivering these Games now. We hope that there will be a number of co-ordinators and managers who start their career—this is their first event—in 2026 and continue to deliver events in the city, but who also contribute to the wider UK events landscape. There is the Tour de France in 2027, the Euros in 2028 and the women’s world cup in 2035. Those major events are all on the horizon, and giving people their first opportunity in the events industry now is what will hopefully allow them to participate in all those events over the next decade.

How can you ensure that the rest of Scotland will benefit from Glasgow hosting the Games, especially communities like mine in south and east Ayrshire? How will we be able to benefit from the Games, which are just 30 miles down the road?

There are so many ways to go all in with the Games. I think you have heard about the Glasgow 2026 festival. One of the great things about festival programming is that, yes, there will be live festival events within the city, but it is also a great opportunity for people to join in and put events on. For example, you might be programming a cultural event next year. Who are the Commonwealth artists or the Commonwealth nations you could partner with for your programme next year? You might have nations that are competing in the Games that are represented strongly in your communities. How do we find a way to bring those communities to life and create celebration moments and community cohesion moments? Obviously, Jon will ensure that the King’s baton will go through many communities across Scotland, and that will be a great way to convene and participate, from that point of view. Critically, one of the things we see post major events is that sports that perhaps have not been front and centre in the TV spotlight or in the news coverage take all the headlines. I am absolutely convinced that the fact that 3x3 basketball and 3x3 wheelchair basketball are here in Glasgow for the first time—they were not here in 2014—will create a whole new fanbase for basketball players and wheelchair basketball players throughout Scotland. It is about how we signpost them to the facilities that exist within local communities, so they can see something, have a go, find out if they like it and hopefully win a gold medal in two or three Commonwealth Games’ time. That is one of the stories of 2014. We have track cyclists who were not track cyclists beforehand, but they saw track cycling in the velodrome in 2014 and won a gold medal on the Gold Coast in 2018. We need to see that repeated.

On that inspirational aspect with the athletes, our Team Scotland athletes and staff come from all over Scotland. I do not know if people recall this, but in 2014, Erraid Davies from Shetland won a medal in the pool. That is one aspect that we are very proud of, and it is not only about people who come into that team. If we look at the volunteer aspect, we see that a lot of the technical support staff will come from around Scotland. It is about making sure that they can not only deliver the Games but upskill, being at a major multi-sport event, and then take those skills back into the community over the next four to six years. There is a wide range of ways in which people can come through and contribute. I even think back to our tartan designer in 2018 and 2022. They are from the Black Isle and have gone through and designed the Glasgow 2026 tartan. There are people around the country who are already inputting into these particular Games, and they will continue to do so. Obviously, from our point of view, coming out of the Games after August next year, we will look forward to the next four, eight or 10 years, in terms of people getting inspired by these Games and delivering for that period of time. As Phil said, we hope to see them in senior positions when some of these other events come up, and also going around the Commonwealth. One other aspect I would add is the social aspect. These Games are one of the few opportunities where you have 74 countries from around the world—young people coming together in a very positive environment and showing their cultures and others. As you have probably picked up, my accent is slightly south. I remember going to the Christchurch Commonwealth Games as a nine-year-old and my world being opened to these countries and different costumes and finding out about them and about the world outside my very small space, as it was at that time. That is a huge benefit of the Commonwealth Games that a number of other games do not bring. People sit and look, and they go, “Where are my connections?”, and not only in terms of these countries. As Phil said, I then found out that there were people in my community who had connections with some of those countries. They may have been from the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey. I did not know that until the Commonwealth Games happened. I think we will see that right across Scotland—the connections that people have with countries across the Commonwealth. This will strengthen the bonds that people have.

The key thing is that the invitation is open to everyone. There is no limit other than our imagination. These Games are ours and they belong to us all. Particularly as we move into next year, we are keen to reach out across Scotland and understand how communities want to engage with these Games. That can be done in myriad ways, whether it is culturally, through sport or through conversation. There are so many plans and ideas that we are keen to hear of. I urge your communities to reach out to us. The invitation is there, and we are very keen to work with and hear from them and plan what we can do together over the course of this year and next.

I think the very first question was about whether you have booked the accommodation. Scotland is full at that time of the year. The Edinburgh festival is on, and in the highlands you cannot get a bed for love or money. You said that you were on the case, but you did not explicitly say, “Yes, the rooms are booked.”

Yes, they are booked.

Also, the Edinburgh festivals start after the end of the Games next year, helpfully. They have kindly moved the date so that you can finish up here on 2 August and head over to Edinburgh on 7 August.

Yes, 100%. The size and scale of the event is something that we all need to be really proud of. If we were sat here talking about a £2 billion Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the question would be: why has it got too big? We are able to deliver a £150 million Commonwealth Games that is delivering all the impact you would hope to see from a major event coming to the city. For me, the legacy falls into three parts. The first is that, far too often, we talk about the legacy of a major event and then lose sight of where that legacy goes. In terms of the legacy of 2014, this is it. This is the greatest example in the history of the Commonwealth Games of a Commonwealth Games legacy reimagined for the future. The second is that we had an event that was too big and exclusive to be hosted by the 74 nations and territories that wanted to host it. We had seven expressions of interest for 2034 and 2030 and for the future pipeline of the Commonwealth Games because they want Glasgow and Scotland’s version of that. As Jon alluded to earlier, the final decision on the 2030 host will be taken here in Glasgow this November. That will be a legacy that secures the next 100 years of Commonwealth sport. Scotland and Glasgow can proudly say that they played a pivotal, central role in that. The third is the direct legacy impacts that come from hosting major events. We have chosen to invest in businesses in the city in terms of accommodation and the retail supply chain. We are working with existing facilities and using their staff. We are working in partnership with venues and investing in upgrades in those facilities through Commonwealth Sport. More importantly, as Jon talked about, we will be bringing people together around a major event. I hope that those benefits in particular will be the ones where you really feel the legacy. When people talk about 2014, you see a smile go across their face. One of the core benefits and legacies is the memory that lives on far beyond the event. That is not to take away from the economic, social and environmental benefits, but that is what a mega-event—a major event—can do. When that sits alongside continued investment in events, as we have seen in Glasgow, you get a real strength of continuity and a continuous legacy from event to event.

As Louisa mentioned, we have done a round of co-creation sessions over the past six to eight weeks, speaking to hundreds of organisations. We are looking at publishing our story of change, which will set out the legacy and the short and long-term benefits that we see ourselves delivering through the Games. That is very much a partnership document, looking not only at what we can contribute as the organising company but at what other partners in the city and nation want to do. We plan to publish that by the end of the year. It gives us a really strong foundation on which to then turn into the new year and focus on working with communities and partners to deliver that plan into the future. A key part of that has been working really closely with the University of the West of Scotland, so that they can be the guardians of some of the legacy network. We are a temporary organisation. One of the challenges with such organisations is the continuity. Starting this model with a partner—they voluntarily came forward at the start of the project—means we have a real guardian of legacy and learning going forward.

We are working with both Governments to quantify the absolute opportunity. A good example would be tourism and trade. Now that we know who the 2030 host is likely to be—that will be confirmed in November—there is a huge trade opportunity for both Governments as part of that decision, and there is therefore an amazing seven or eight months to capitalise on that. Clearly, tourism will be a great opportunity, not just with the event itself but with the images and the global advert for Glasgow and Scotland. We will work with both Governments to make sure that opportunity is actively utilised and promoted. We recognise that when the decision was taken to host these Games, the UK had hosted a number of Commonwealth Games—Manchester in 2002, Glasgow in 2014 and Birmingham in 2022—so we have seen that both the UK and Scottish Governments believe in the power of the Commonwealth Games. We hope we are providing them with a new model, so that when they look not just at future Commonwealth Games but at the whole future pipeline of major events that the Scottish and UK Governments want to bid for, they say, “Before you bid, look at the Glasgow 2026 model. How can we take the best bits of that and bake that into future events that both Scotland and the wider UK bid for?”

That concludes our questions to the first panel. Thank you all for coming along this morning. We all wish you very well with your work. I am sure that lots of records will be broken next year, but I think you have already broken one today: I do not think I remember any Committee session in which we have had quite so many supplementary questions. You have obviously provoked a lot of thinking, so thank you very much.   Witnesses: Councillor Annette Christie, Denise Hamilton and Billy Garrett.

Good morning and thank you to the second panel for coming before our Committee inquiry. I welcome you all. Could you introduce yourselves briefly and say what your role is, starting with Bailie Christie?

I am Annette Christie, a councillor in Glasgow, and the city convener for culture, sport and international relations. I am also the chair of Glasgow Life.

Good morning. My name is Billy Garrett; I am the director of culture, tourism and events for Glasgow Life.

Good morning. I am Denise Hamilton; I am head of communities and regulatory services, and the SRO for the council for the Games.

We are very grateful to you for being here this morning. We have had an interesting first session, as you know, and we are looking forward to the second session and to learning a bit more about the Games and your plans. Given Victoria’s withdrawal from the 2026 Games, which might have made people a bit cautious about taking them on, what were the attractions of hosting the Games from a city point of view and from the council’s perspective? Was there a concern that the scaled-back nature of the Games might mean that hosting them would not bring much value for the time and effort that would have to go in? I will start with Bailie Christie.

As you know, Glasgow is one of the world’s big event cities; I think we are in the top five. We speak about sport and cultural events, but we also hold major conferences throughout the year. Events are a big draw for tourism in the city. We have launched a number of strategies in Glasgow over the last few years, building on legacies of the past and the work of the last 30 to 40 years, to grow our reputation as a global city. When this opportunity came forward for the Commonwealth Games—obviously we had a very successful run in 2014—the timeline was short, as you heard from the first panel, so a team of great experts would be able to pull it together, but we knew it would be something very different. Glasgow, for me, would have been an obvious choice, not simply because of our reputation for delivering major events, but because of the innovation that we have in the city. We are known as a city of innovation and invention—we do things differently. There are a number of strategies that we have launched, as I said, including an international strategy, an events strategy, a new tourism and culture strategy and, just this last year, a physical activity and sports strategy. Building on all of that, the opportunity to reinvent something that would be more accessible to smaller nations and smaller cities in the Commonwealth was very attractive to us. The Games also matched our priorities for the city in our strategic plan for Glasgow, which are to promote it as a global, world-class city and to make things sustainable and fair for the people of our city and for those who visit it. Although we knew there would be huge challenges, we thought that we were certainly up for the challenge, that it would sit well with Glasgow’s ambition and that it would reinvent and create something more sustainable. Billy might want to say a wee bit more on that.

From memory, within a day or two of us hearing that Victoria, for whatever reason, had chosen to pull out—Jon probably remembers this as well—we began to get phone calls and even press inquiries asking, “Is Glasgow interested in hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games?” For me, that is a testament to what Bailie Christie has just described, which is Glasgow’s reputation for hosting major, successful sporting events—a reputation built up, as we have heard, not just from 2014 but from a succession of major sporting events before 2014 and subsequent to it. As we heard in some of the comments earlier, we have developed in the city a significant ecosystem: venues, infrastructure, trained and experienced staff, a knowledgeable supply chain, and enthusiastic and knowledgeable spectators. That reputation, I suppose, inevitably led to that kind of inquiry, and thanks to the incredible work that Commonwealth Games Scotland and Jon, Ian and others did—we had some input—in developing the concept, it quickly became clear that there was a really interesting opportunity here. Glasgow is in the events business, and it is not every day that someone comes along and says, “Look, here is a major mega-event that could generate significant benefits. And do you know what? We’re not asking you to invest any money in this event. We’re bringing it to you, potentially, with a budget attached.” That does not happen particularly often. I don’t think it is a secret that we were not planning to host the Commonwealth Games again, but when that unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity comes along, I think it is incumbent on us not to look that gift horse in the mouth. Collectively with the Scottish Government and Commonwealth Games Scotland, we went through a really robust due diligence process, looking at the potential benefits and potential risks. But at the end of that process—well, we are where we have ended up. We are celebrating the fact that the Games are coming back to Glasgow. I use those words deliberately, because it is a celebration. We are not using the language of “scaled back” or “low-budget”. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity. From a city point of view, to be in on the ground floor of creating the new model of the Commonwealth Games, writing the next chapter in the history of the Commonwealth Games, is an incredible opportunity and one that I am glad we have grasped.

How are the city council and Glasgow Life supporting preparations for the Games’ delivery—that is, the number of visitors we are going to have and how it will work with transport and accommodation?

That is one for Denise.

It is partly mine, so I will start and then hand over to Billy. Certainly the city council is part of the planning process, across all the subject matter you mentioned. We have representation on all the groups established for the planning teams. A lot of information, like what the festival is going to look like and how people will travel into the city, is still being worked on. Ticket sales are not live yet, so we do not know where people are travelling from. Certainly, from the point of view of transport and keeping the city moving, we are involved in that process. We are still waiting on information and we will continue to work on that. A critical element is making sure that the city can continue to function so that all our services can continue to be delivered, even with this influx of sport, visitors and new people coming into the city who have not moved around it before. We are certainly involved in all of that element. We are also planning and making preparations with the hotels that they are staying in. As was mentioned earlier, there is no village. Our environmental health officers will be part of the teams who are working with the hotels to prepare for the athletes staying there. We are at the early stages. I know it is less than a year out, but we are at the early stages in terms of that wider piece of information around the operational elements of those parts of the Games. We are all engaged; we are waiting on information coming through, and we will continue to do that. In terms of the bigger piece around accommodation, I think that may be one for you, Billy.

Major events always bring major challenges. That is true, and this maybe alludes a bit to the first question. It is important not to be complacent or arrogant, but the ecosystem that I talked about, which Glasgow has built up layer after layer, event after event, includes a whole series of multi-agency groups and individuals sitting in various agencies who can then be mobilised to address all those challenges. Denise has mentioned this to an extent, but we are already working across those multi-agency groups—with Transport Scotland, the chamber of commerce and a whole series of groups—around all those challenges, whether that is in relation to transport, how we respond to businesses or the Get Ready Glasgow campaign, which talks about how business as usual can continue. We are standing up all those groups. We stood them all up before to deal with previous events, from the cycling world championships to the European championships or the previous Commonwealth Games. We are, in a sense, standing up all that infrastructure again—all those governance groups—to address all those challenges. It will be slightly different around this particular event, because each event is always slightly different, but that is how we will be addressing that. This was discussed earlier, but the accommodation approach is incredibly exciting. People say there is no village, but in a sense there is: it is Glasgow’s city centre and Glasgow’s communities. How exciting is that? Mixing the athletes and officials with the people of the city during the summer—when we have the Merchant City festival, the Mela and the film festival—is a tremendous opportunity and an interesting approach to how you host major events in a bustling city environment like Glasgow. That is tremendously exciting. We are not complacent or arrogant; we are aware of all the challenges, and we have a robust set of governance arrangements to deal with those. We are collaborative and collegiate with all the agencies, and there are ministerial assurance groups. Everyone is leaning into this. We are working our way through those challenges.

What steps are you taking to make sure that the visitor experience is great, and that visitors go away thinking, “Wow, I am going to go back to Glasgow—that was fantastic”?

I would like to think that everyone who comes to Glasgow already goes away with that experience, and I am pretty sure they do. Unlike some other cities that I will not mention, Glasgow does not just have the one festival. We have a year-long festival: it starts with Celtic Connections in January and runs all the way through to the winter. A word I use far too often—Phil has already pulled me up for using it too often—is “festivalisation”. As we have with previous events, we will be creating a festival atmosphere in the city, so it is not just people who have been fortunate enough to get tickets for the competition venues who feel part of this event. It will be people in the city centre, visitors and Glaswegians. We will be curating and working with partners to deliver a whole series of events, as well as utilising existing events—the Merchant City festival, Celtic Connections, the Mela and a whole series of things. There will be a curated programme, so no one will come away from Glasgow not being clear that the Commonwealth Games has been happening. We will be blurring the boundaries between sport, community engagement, cultural engagement and physical activity in the way that we have done—I like to call it the Glasgow model. That will be happening. We are working with a whole series of agencies. We are working with VisitScotland, the chamber and a whole series of artists. I am absolutely confident that, come the summer of 2026, the visitor experience in Glasgow will be exceptional.

One thing that has always been clear from the start is that Glasgow feels like a host city—it is not just the sport venues and that’s the end of it. There is the festival, as Billy said, and the team from the Commonwealth Games have been keen from the start to make it feel that, when you get off the train at Central station or at Queen Street, you know you are coming into a host city for the Commonwealth Games. We will work with them on that, in conjunction with everything Billy said. So come to Glasgow next summer!

As my colleagues have said, the city has vast experience in hosting events. Every single month of the year, there is one festival or another going on. Every week of the year, 140 live music events are happening in the city. Outside the Games festival, which the teams are actively pursuing at the moment and building and developing, there will be additional things happening. We would encourage local businesses to get involved, which they always do, by rebranding and bringing new themes to sit alongside the Commonwealth Games. As you know, our motto is “People Make Glasgow”, and there is something that is often quoted. Just last year, when we were awarded another accolade—the city receives many, because we are one of the best cities to visit—as the best city for live music, they referred to the fact that not only do we have world-class museums, nightlife, great food and entertainment, but there is one thing that no other city in the world has, and that is Glaswegians. They will be our tour operators and guides, and whether they are official volunteers or not, I can assure you that everyone in the city always pitches in and welcomes everyone. We are really looking forward to that.

I must say that my constituency of Mid Dunbartonshire neighbours the village centre that you are talking about, and my constituents are visitors and regular attenders. I remember coming up to the last Commonwealth Games, the whole city was given a spruce-up; there did not seem to be one park railing that had not been painted. As part of the funding package for the Games, the Commonwealth Games Federation has reportedly provided £5 million for the city council. How is the money going to be spent this time?

We are incredibly fortunate and incredibly grateful for that investment. A significant chunk of that investment—it has been mentioned already—is in infrastructure, for example the brand-new athletics track at Scotstoun. There is also investment going into Tollcross, the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome and the Emirates arena. That is a significant chunk of that money. It is incredibly important, and it is part of the legacy narrative as well. While that investment will obviously support the Games competition, it is also about supporting Glasgow and Scotland’s sporting infrastructure, which supports school use, sports clubs and community use. There is a really powerful and positive narrative around that investment, because it is investment that otherwise would probably not have been made. There is something really positive there. We are also very grateful for the Commonwealth Sport investment in the Games festival programme, which again is very significant. Denise can perhaps comment on this, but I know that there are in-flight conversations about exactly how the Commonwealth Sport and Commonwealth OC budget can support the city’s existing attempts to dress the city for the Games. A lot of work and a lot of discussions are going into that already. The city, separate from any investment specifically around the Games, is currently embarked on one of the biggest investment programmes in the country, in redeveloping the city centre with the Avenues project and the re-engineering of George Square. There is a massive investment programme in the city already, as you might have noticed if you have travelled around it. There are huge investments being made in the urban realm in Glasgow already, notwithstanding the Commonwealth Games. All of that, aggregated together, means that Glasgow will be more than ready to welcome visitors to the city come the summer of 2026.

The administration recently provided additional funding to the service that maintains the city’s cleanliness—the street cleaners and enforcement officers. That has meant that we have been able to enhance the current model for business as usual. I think it is important that that investment and that new approach to neighbourhood cleanliness, in which the venues and the festival and everything will take place, is focused on enhancing neighbourhoods for communities, rather than focusing specifically on the Games. Again, to echo Billy’s comment, we do not have concerns about the standards expected at Games time, because we are making that change and taking that enhanced approach just now, and that will continue beyond the Games. In addition, there is the dressing of the city—the look and feel of the city—which is not directly related to cleanliness, though often the term “cleanliness” is bandied about. Sometimes it is the general look and feel that is our challenge: graffiti, unoccupied properties, flyposting and things like that. We are looking at ways in which we can improve the look and feel of the city, across the whole city, not just focused on the Games. Again, that is all part of our business-as-usual work.

Will there be expenditure by the council and Glasgow Life that is specifically related to the Commonwealth Games?

I think the short answer to that is no.

No.

Denise was referring to an investment at the last council budget for an additional 200 cleansing workers. Most of them—not all, as we are still hiring some—are in post at the moment, and you can see the difference in our communities across the city. Billy and Denise have referred to the investment in the city centre through the Avenues programme and the renovation of George Square. There is also one area on Sauchiehall Street that will be our new culture and heritage district. That is a long project, probably a decade long, but we have initial funding and are waiting for confirmation of some more. We hope that next year that will be a focal point to come alive with city dressing, with pop-up artists and different events going on to complement the Games.

To pick up on the George Square point that has been made by Bailie Christie and Mr Garrett, am I right in thinking that George Square will still be out of bounds by the time we get to the Commonwealth Games next year?

I am not sure that I am best placed to answer that. My understanding, at the moment, is that the square will not reopen until just after the Commonwealth Games.

It will not be open.

Yes, that was my understanding.

It was very important for the city council, as enthusiastic as we are to welcome the Games, not to hinder our day-to-day business and our support for our ambitions for the city and the people of the city. That is why the works on George Square went ahead as planned.

Perhaps that is not the best vision when you leave Central station, but these things happen, I suppose.

Part of my question has been answered by Billy, about infrastructure and the public realm, but does that include any investments that would not have happened without the Games?

I think it does. Again, this is not a secret, but clearly the financial landscape for local authorities is really challenging, and I do not envy the difficult decisions that elected politicians like yourselves at national or metropolitan level have to make. The opportunity to get between £4 million and £5 million-worth of investment in the infrastructure across Scotstoun, Tollcross and the Emirates arena, is an incredible one, and I think it would have been very difficult for us to generate that level of investment without the Games. That is absolutely true. Again, I make the point that people should not believe that that is an investment in elite sport. It is absolutely not. In the programme at the velodrome, there are club nights and school use, and at one point it was the busiest velodrome in the world, because of the way that we programmed it with community and school use. Scotstoun has been an athletics venue for over 100 years; it has one of the biggest and most successful athletics clubs in the country, also used by schools and community organisations. Similarly, at Tollcross—it may be about Duncan Scott winning a gold medal during the Games, but immediately after, it is a local east end community swimming pool. That incredibly important investment might well not have been made had it not been for the fact that the Games are coming back to Glasgow. That is a powerful legacy narrative around the Games.

The 2014 Games, which were absolutely amazing, have stuck in everybody’s memory. It was a fantastic time and very uplifting for the city, and I hope we will be replicating that slightly now. People still talk about 2014 and always will. We saw investment in transport and infrastructure at that time and the regeneration of Glasgow’s east end. What will be the physical legacy from next year’s games?

Like you and lots of others, I worked on—and lost a couple of years of my life to—the Commonwealth Games. They were a tremendous success. One of the challenges this time around, however, is the comparison. This is something very new and very different, in a positive way. One of those positives, as we heard earlier, is the fact that it is a new, very focused, very compact model that is incredibly sustainable. One of the ways in which it is sustainable is by utilising what currently exists in many ways as a legacy of 2014. But that means that there is no massive capital programme. We are not building a village, not building new venues, not building M74 extensions and not refurbishing railway stations. We are not doing any of those big projects. There are not any of those, which is one of the reasons why this model is so accessible. It is why other Commonwealth nations are interested in hosting in future. That does mean we will not see transformational projects in the way that we did historically, and it does not mean that there is not a really exciting legacy from the Games in 2026; it is just legacy of a different kind. This is a long-winded answer—apologies. When I think about legacy, I think about it as a layering process. Glasgow could not have hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014 if we had not had that track record of people who had been in Glasgow a while. In the grands prix that we hosted, in the Kelvin Hall indoor athletics and indoor gymnastics, we built up experience and knowledge. We could not have hosted the European Championships in 2018 unless we had hosted the Commonwealth Games, and we could not have hosted the Cycling World Championships unless we had hosted the European Championships. It is a layering process, and we are seeing the best example of how we are building this event on the layers of previous events. The legacy from this event will be the prominence of Para sport. That is a really important legacy that we will see from this event—the integration, the prominence, the profile. In other words, people will just be seeing elite athletes. The distinction between Para and able-bodied will be blurred and broken down. That is a real legacy. The capital infrastructure investment in some of the key venues is a real physical legacy. The festival programme will include a grants programme for local organisations. There will be small-scale grants for sports clubs and cultural organisations to allow those organisations to build capacity and be more sustainable. That is important. Then—I say this as a previous director of sport—there is the inspiration and demonstration effect from major events. That is a real thing. I remember that in 2014 we recorded the number of young people joining sports clubs in Glasgow, and it increased by 384% after the Commonwealth Games. That is not an opinion; that is a fact. There is a real impact. People get inspired. Then—sorry, I will shut up soon—there is the model itself and the fact that Glasgow has been able to co-design and co-curate this new model for the next 100 years of the Commonwealth Games. In terms of our reputation and Scotland’s reputation in the event marketplace, which is a very competitive marketplace, that is a real legacy as well. There will be a legacy: a very different and very exciting legacy.

Thanks for that, Billy. You mentioned the 384% increase in people joining clubs. In the north-east of my constituency, we have a lot of venues opening up, but my concern is how they will keep those venues open financially. There is a concern for me there. I think it is right that we have gained something from it, but how do we maintain it? People are desperate to go into different sports, and I would like to see those venues and organisations being supported.

You will be aware that earlier this year we launched our new physical activity and sports strategy in Glasgow. That is very much a public health approach, falling in line with Public Health Scotland and its aspirations for a whole-systems approach to supporting individuals at all abilities and levels just to get out and enjoy the benefits of physical activity, not necessarily a formal sport. We are well aware that on occasion—not on all occasions—you need a venue, but the outdoors is obviously something we should use, such as our parks and facilities, which anyone has access to. Our aspirations, not only in Glasgow but across the nation, are for more active travel and getting people moving their body more to get to work and school and so on. All those things are combined. It is a whole-system approach in this strategy, but it is not a local authority strategy, or for any Government, for that matter; it is everyone in the community. We have employers and academia involved. Everyone has to get behind whatever strategy it is in the city for it to work. I am specifically referring to this physical activity and sports strategy, but every other strategy we have in Glasgow is the same, whether that is culture, economic or international strategies; it is a whole-city approach. When we are looking at venues, that is how we must look at it to make them sustainable. For me personally, it is not always about the venue; it is about what is happening in a venue. If we have to co-locate and join services together into hubs, that is the way we have to direct things in the future.

It is just that some people prefer indoor, and some of the sports have to be indoor. There are other things apart from sports; there are services that go in and help people. I would not like to see that totally disappear.

No, no. It won’t.

I am going to push you on this bit about George Square. I see Sauchiehall Street is opening prior to the Games after being refurbished, or so it says on the internet.

Sauchiehall Street is open, yes. It has been open for a while.

With George Square, I do not understand why you would not accelerate things. It strikes me that you are due to open it after the Games, but to fast-forward that a bit by a couple of a months must be doable. It is a whole year away.

It is a major infrastructure project that has had years of planning to get to the point where there is a spade in the ground, where we are now. I think everyone is disappointed that the square will not be available, but at the end of the process we will have an amazing square for the people of Glasgow and people coming into Glasgow. If there were opportunities, they will have been scoped out, and unfortunately the square will not be open at the time the Games will be here.

If it were a private company, it probably would, wouldn’t it? There must be something that can get that couple of months accelerated.

That is not something I can comment on here today. As I say, it has been years in the planning to get to the point where we are currently in the process of digging up the square. As anyone who is involved with major infrastructure projects knows, it is not easy to change the final year of the project, given the amount of planning it has taken to get to this point.

The Games are expected to deliver £100 million of inward investment into Glasgow, and, as a result of that, £150 million of economic value added for the region. How will you ensure that that translates into tangible benefits for the people who live here in Glasgow, beyond just the joy of hosting the Games?

A lot of numbers have been quoted, and it is hard to be quite specific. Tangible benefits are ultimately the aim, no matter what the pound sign is at the end of it. I have mentioned a number of strategies that Glasgow has; it obviously has an economic strategy, but I would particularly like to emphasise the international strategy, which has a key number of strands to it, and all of that involves partnership working. As I said earlier, it is not just about the city councils; it is all stakeholders within the city who will make any of our strategies successful. Within the international strategy, there are five elements: economic, education, culture and events, which is where this would sit, networks—Glasgow is a member of a number of networks across the globe—and civic and communities. Something like the Commonwealth Games, or any major event, puts Glasgow on the world stage, and all eyes of the world will be on our city. You cannot quantify the benefit that that will bring in via tourism and business. Foreign direct investment is something that we have secured very successfully over the last few years. Within our international strategy, there are a number of target areas, including North America, western and central Europe and south Asia. Through our partnerships within the city, we would be looking to harness any potential that would come from the visibility of the Commonwealth Games, and indeed any event, and to strengthen the work that we do within our economic teams across the city council and the wider Glasgow city region. The ambition is for the city region to be a major player on the world stage. I do not know whether any of my colleagues have anything to add to that, but it is all very intangible at this point, until we make the connections and things start to move.

There is a part of Glasgow in my West Dunbartonshire constituency. What do I say to my constituents who live there? What tangible benefit will be they get from the Games?

Well, we are speaking for Glasgow.

For the people who live in Yoker in my West Dunbartonshire constituency, what benefit do they get from the Games?

I go back to a point that I made earlier about the legacy of events being a layering process, and part of that is always being clear not to put too much emphasis on one single event. Glasgow is in the event business, and we are in the event business because we recognise the contribution that events make to the mixed economy in the city. Generally speaking, we carry out economic evaluations of all our events. At one end of that spectrum, if you take the world cycling championships that was held in 2023—I think EY did the study for us—that generated £250 million-worth of economic benefit and 2,500 jobs. There is a very tangible set of economic benefits, including jobs created in the city—jobs for Glaswegians. If you look at previous major events, such as the Commonwealth Games in 2014, we have seen significant capital investments, which have led to significant changes to the city’s infrastructure. Glasgow has been transformed by events in a way that people might not quite understand—it has been completely transformed. Kelvingrove Art Gallery was constructed as part of an event, and Kelvin Hall was constructed as part of an event. Major railway stations, bridges and roads in this city, which are key parts of the city’s infrastructure that people take for granted, were constructed as part of events. This city has been transformed by events. They are part of this city’s DNA and, more importantly, they are part of this city’s economic fabric. In 2019, we were voted the world’s leading festival and event destination. If you talk to the chamber of commerce, it is absolutely clear that events are a key part of the economic future of this city, not just the past, because they generate jobs and investment. I know, because I have spoken to them, that some key companies in the financial services district have chosen to locate in Glasgow because of the vibrancy of the city’s event and cultural offer. I saw an interview in The Herald by the UK director of Uniqlo, who, when asked why they have located their second store in Scotland in Glasgow, mentioned the event portfolio that happens in this city. The fact that these kinds of events are hosted attracts investment. Whether it is in Yoker, Dennistoun or Castlemilk, Glaswegians are benefiting from the economic benefit that is accruing as a result of us bringing these events, and the GVA that is generated.

Finally on that point, we mentioned council budgets earlier. Their challenges are well documented. Do you expect the Games to generate money that can be reinstated in council services in future years, or will the Games be a cost to the council taxpayer and my constituents?

I can certainly be clear that the Games will not be a cost—

Cost-neutral?

I can confirm that the basis of the financial arrangement between Glasgow and the OC is full cost recovery. There is no subsidy on the part of Glasgow as a city—there is no subsidy going into this event. It is full cost recovery, so there is no cost being borne by the city and therefore your constituents.

To add to what Billy said, the layering of these events going back 30 to 40 years and the £1.3 billion, I think, that the city has invested in culture and sport infrastructure over that period have increased our tourism and our attraction to tourists across the globe. The numbers are just out for last year’s tourist visitors: the tourist visitor spend over 2024 was £2.39 billion in the city. That also sustains approximately 37,000 full-time-equivalent jobs. I imagine that some of your constituents may benefit from that. There is also a ripple effect outside Glasgow, because people who visit will travel elsewhere—they will not always stay in the city centre. There is a ripple effect well beyond the city centre.

Part of my question has already been asked, regarding the strategic ambitions that we would see for the Games—you have already alluded to that, Annette. How are you planning to make the most of the opportunity that the Games present to showcase Glasgow and Scotland’s ability to host global events, and to boost the city’s visitor economy?

I am sure that it will be a very successful event, and hopefully another notch in Glasgow’s belt. Looking forward beyond that, we are already in the planning stages for Euro ’28, and there is much more in the pipeline. The team, supported by the events board, bid for a number of major sporting and cultural events. It is about looking beyond to that next stage and where we are aiming for next, while always keeping the people of Glasgow at the heart of everything we do. It is for them—everything that we do must sustain and support them so that they can participate in, access and benefit from any event that happens in this city. That is at the core of all the work that we do.

Is there anything more that the UK Government or Scottish Government could be doing to help you take advantage of these opportunities?

I am glad you have asked that question. As has been mentioned many times, all local authorities and Governments face financial challenges. We speak about legacy; obviously, there will be a legacy of sorts—that is the day-to-day business of what we do in Glasgow. In fact, we have launched another fund—the Get Active Glasgow fund—working together with the city council, Glasgow Life, sportscotland and the London Marathon Foundation. That was launched just last week to support individuals and local organisations in the community to get people active, fit and into sport. Yes, we would like to do more for the legacy and the benefit of people in this city, particularly to enjoy sport, participate and just get involved. The team at Glasgow Life are drawing up some information as we speak. With the Committee’s support, we would like to take that to the UK Government to look for a legacy to which the Government can also put their name.

Well, I’m not sure that I recognise any failures.

It is a really good question. I suspect that I covered some of it in my very long-winded answer earlier—apologies for that. From my point of view, it is about being clear that this Games, in a really positive and exciting way, is a very different Games. It is about being careful with the comparisons to 2014. That is about not somehow diluting the success of 2014, which was incredibly successful; it is about being clear how and why this event is very different, because the world is very different. We have had two very successful Commonwealth Games since Glasgow. It is about learning lessons from all three Commonwealth Games that have been hosted, and from the fact that the Birmingham Games was not awarded to Birmingham—it was awarded to Durban in South Africa and then moved to Birmingham. What was happening there and what was that about? There are a number of things to take into account, as well as the way in which the world has changed since 2014. What we have now is a Games that is really values-led, as you heard from Jon, Phil and Louisa earlier. This is a Games led by a set of values and principles. That is really important—that, in itself, is a legacy. That is a key message for me. It is about thinking about the ways in which the event sector has changed. Our audiences, the way that they think about things and their ethics have changed. The world has changed. We need to think about how to reflect and incorporate those values into what a major event looks and feels like now. That is happening in this iteration of the Commonwealth Games, in a really exciting way. The significant reduction in the personalised transport overlay is really exciting, as is having electric shuttle buses as opposed to the tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 transport that you see at major events. That is really important. There is a whole series of other things: the significance of Para sports; the compact, tight geographical layout; the mixing of athletes in hotels in the city centre; and then that festivalisation. We—Commonwealth Sports, Commonwealth Games Scotland, the Scottish Government, the council, Glasgow Life and all the other agencies involved—are all collectively developing insight into what a Commonwealth Games could look like for the next 100 years.

I was involved quite heavily in a lot of the evaluation after the 2014 Commonwealth Games. There were a lot of different measures. This is just me, but I am very clear that there was a very strong legacy in terms of participation in physical activity after the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The stat that you mentioned was produced at a national level by a national survey that is conducted over the telephone with a very low sample level. But I am very clear that in Glasgow there was a very strong legacy, and there has been ever since, in terms of the success that Glasgow sports clubs and so on have enjoyed since then. Every year in Drumchapel there is a thing called the Drumwealth Games, which are themselves a legacy of the Commonwealth Games. On one day, all the kids from school are out walking around Drumchapel, visiting all the leisure facilities and sports clubs, engaging in sport and physical activity in a way that they would not have done before. That is a legacy of the Commonwealth Games. We sometimes get lost in the minutiae of evaluation. I am absolutely clear that the Commonwealth Games in 2014 transformed the city. I would even go as far as to say, as another example, that the golden age of Scottish athletics that we are now enjoying started in 2014. It started with that investment in infrastructure. An indoor athletics facility in the east end of Glasgow led to success in 2014, and so on and so on. I am always a little concerned about one particular stat.

I think it was last year that, through COSLA, a special interest group on sport was formed, of which I am a member. There are common challenges across the country, but there are key demographics in any of our cities or towns. Certain people in the community just find that there are barriers, or a reason why they are not as active or do not get involved.

There is affordability. For women and girls, there is a huge barrier. For young girls particularly, as soon as they enter high school, there is a drop off in their participation in sport. There are barriers for people with disabilities and—you are right—for people living in deprived areas. In Glasgow, when it comes to funding and opportunities for funding, we specifically target those who face a barrier to access. We do a lot of work behind the scenes, in the incredible teams in Glasgow Life, to support those people who find it a wee bit more difficult, or who may just need a wee bit of a push or encouragement or for it to be made more of a social activity. That is another element of it: a lot of people do not want to walk into a gym if they have not exercised in years. It is about encouraging all areas and forms of access for people to get involved. It is something that we focus on particularly well. Billy had a very hands-on experience with the last Commonwealth Games. I do not know the final number of community sports clubs that that were set up in Glasgow because of the Commonwealth Games, but they have been maintained and continue. Every year in this city, we honour those who are involved in sport and physical activity. We hold Glasgow’s sport awards in December every year, both for the elite level and the community level—all abilities. We recognise the contributions that our volunteers in particular make to support people in our community.

I was reflecting on an answer that you gave, Bailie Christie, to my colleague Maureen Burke. You mentioned that something might be achievable with the support of this Committee, in terms of the UK Government, but you were not specific about what that might be. In order that we can be as helpful to you as possible, could you be more specific?

Yes. It is a funding ask, really. The teams at Glasgow Life are working up the festival programme and how that can be delivered, particularly with the legacy and what more we can do. There has obviously been a commitment of no public funding for the Games themselves, but it is about how the people, not only in Glasgow but beyond, can be supported in their legacy. Billy might have a wee bit more to say on that.

For the Games festival programme, we are working very closely with our colleagues in the OC. We are developing our budget in a bit more detail, but we have developed a fundraising target, and we would like to explore opportunities with the UK and Scottish Governments as to how that fundraising target could be met. It is quite an exciting opportunity for a partnership between the city and the UK and Scottish Governments in augmenting, enhancing and amplifying what the Games festival programme could deliver.

I am very conscious that the Commonwealth Games always have a festival programme. Can you tell us what is different about this one, so that we can make the case for it?

Bailie Christie is the chair of Glasgow Life, and she expects me to be absolutely laser-focused on Glasgow and nowhere else. I make no apology for that, but obviously we have politicians around the table from slightly further afield. It could be about additionality, as opposed to how it is different conceptually. The festival will be about major commissions and major spectaculars. We are including a grant fund programme to fund small-scale community organisations, sports clubs and cultural organisations to work on their own capacity regarding their own projects, but you can imagine ways in which, with some additional support, that could be extended either conceptually or geographically. It is about exploring those opportunities with both the Scottish Government and the UK Government and about listening to any feedback or ideas that you may have about how that could be augmented or enhanced.

That is helpful to know. Obviously we cannot promise anything—we do not have a pot of money, unfortunately—but we have certainly heard what you have to say. May I thank all three of you for your contributions this morning? It has been very interesting. We are all looking forward with great excitement and anticipation to our next Commonwealth Games; I hope to see some of you there, if not before. I thank all our panellists this morning for their time.