Team Scotland
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Both recently selected for Team Scotland for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, swimmers Duncan Scott and Kathleen Dawson are celebrating bringing in the New Year with the news that they are among those recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours for 2022.

Both are awarded an MBE, having struck gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer.

Duncan’s gold and three silver medals in Tokyo was a record for a British athlete at a single Olympics, building on a similar feat which saw him win a record six medals for Team Scotland at Gold Coast 2018.

Fellow University of Stirling swimmer Kathleen also took the top step of the podium in Tokyo, swimming the opening Backstroke leg for the world record breaking Team GB quartet in the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay.

Also awarded an MBE is Paralympic Games gold medallist Owen Miller, winner of the T20 1500m on his Games debut with a stunning sprint finish.

Commonwealth Games Scotland send their congratulations to all Scots recognised for their contribution to sport in the 2022 New Year Honours List.

Team Scotland’s ambitions in the pool are off to a flying start with Olympic gold medallists Duncan Scott and Kathleen Dawson named today as the first swimmers selected for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The pair had their preselection confirmed by Commonwealth Games Scotland and Scottish Swimming following their performances in Tokyo and both return to Team Scotland for a third Games, having made their debut as teenagers at Glasgow 2014.

At Gold Coast 2018 Duncan Scott hit the headlines, becoming the first Scottish swimmer ever to win the Men’s 100m Freestyle title and breaking the record for the most medals won by a Scot at a single Commonwealth Games, stepping onto the podium an incredible six times.

Having achieved a similar feat at the Tokyo Olympic Games, his gold and three silver medals a record for a British athlete at a single Olympics, he returns to Team Scotland hungry for more success. Duncan said: “I am delighted to be selected for a third Commonwealth Games.

“We don’t get the chance to compete under the Scotland banner too often, and being part of the wider group at the last couple of Games has been great.

“It’s such a close-knit team and everyone knows each other – a lot of us have enjoyed success together in the past and shared those experiences.

“I’ve been really pleased with how this year has gone, and hopefully it will be another big one in 2022.”

Fellow University of Stirling swimmer Kathleen Dawson also struck gold in Tokyo, swimming the opening Backstroke leg for the world record breaking Team GB quartet in the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay.

The first Scottish woman under the one-minute mark for the 100m Backstroke and European Champion in the event, she will have her sights set on a podium place in Birmingham after recording fourth, fifth and sixth place finishes at Glasgow and Gold Coast.

“It’s an honour to be part of Team Scotland again. “I was very young going into Glasgow in 2014, and even the Gold Coast feels a long time ago now.

“I’ve had injuries to overcome since then and obviously Covid disrupted everyone, but I’m stronger now than ever and looking forward to the Games next year.

“The summer was incredible, more than I could have hoped for, but with the Commonwealths following straight after it’s a chance to build on that success in Birmingham.”

Alan Lynn, National Coach, said: “Securing athletes of this caliber to the Aquatics team for next summer is the first stage of ensuring that we have the strongest possible group of swimmers and divers in Birmingham.

“I’m delighted to welcome them to spearhead our efforts.”

Elinor Middlemiss, Chef de Mission for Team Scotland, said: “Duncan and Kathleen are the latest additions to an already strong group.

“Duncan’s successes both with Team Scotland and Team GB over the last four years have been well documented – he’s been operating at a consistently high level for so long now.

“Kathleen continues to go from strength to strength too – she’s had a great 2021 and will hopefully keep progressing into next year.

“20 top-class athletes are now confirmed for Team Scotland, featuring Commonwealth, Olympic and World champions, and we look forward to welcoming more athletes onto the team in the build-up to Birmingham 2022.”

With 225 days to go until the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, a strong Lawn Bowls line-up has been selected to represent Team Scotland, including five medallists from the 2018 Games in Gold Coast.

The sport was a major contributor to Team Scotland’s record overseas medal haul at Gold Coast 2018, with the two gold, two silver and a bronze won also moving Scotland to the top of the table as the most successful nation of all-time in Lawn Bowls at the Commonwealth Games.

Five men and five women make up the Lawn Bowls team which will compete at Leamington Spa’s Victoria Park, a world-class venue which hosts the annual British Championships and top-level international events.

Alex ‘Tattie’ Marshall MBE will make his seventh Commonwealth Games appearance, looking to further cement his position as Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete of all-time. His tally of five gold and one silver puts him at the head of a list of Scottish sporting greats which also includes Paul Foster MBE at number three. Foster, who has four gold and a silver to his name, has shared many a podium with Marshall and is selected for his fifth Games.

They will be joined by fellow Gold Coast gold medallist and 2014 Singles champion Darren Burnett, as well as four-time World Indoor champion Stewart Anderson and 2016 World Championship medallist Iain McLean, who will both make their Games debuts in Birmingham.

Caroline Brown returns for a fourth Games, having been part of a historic first Scottish medal in the Women’s Triples in Gold Coast, as does Claire Johnston, who took bronze in the Pairs. Lauren Baillie Whyte makes her second Games appearance and will be aiming for a medal eight years after taking fourth place in the Fours on her debut at Glasgow 2014.

The squad is completed by two athletes; Dee Hoggan and Hannah Smith who will represent Team Scotland for the first time. Smith is new to Team Scotland but not to the Commonwealth Games, having previously won bronze for Wales at Delhi 2010, while Hoggan has both Scottish and British Isles Women’s Singles titles to her name.

“I was quite emotional after I had got the call to say I was selected for the
Commonwealth Games and to say I’m over the moon is an understatement,” said Hoggan.

“It’s every sportsperson’s aspiration to represent their country at the highest level of their sport and you can’t get a bigger stage than the Commonwealth Games in the world of bowls.

“Getting the opportunity to represent Scotland in this means the world to myself and also my family who have always supported my bowling for the last 24 years.”

Elinor Middlemiss, Team Scotland Chef de Mission, said: “We are delighted to welcome such a strong squad of bowlers to Team Scotland 2022. Lawn bowls is one of Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games sports and the ten athletes selected are well placed to add to that success.

“It’s a sport in which England has also historically done very well, so we can count on a fantastic atmosphere and tough competition in Birmingham.

“Congratulations to all athletes selected and we look forward Team Scotland 2022 and we wish them well in their preparations over the coming months.”

Lawn Bowls Team Manager Billy Mellors said: “Full credit to our 18 strong squad who all successfully met the testing selection criteria and made it exceptionally difficult for the panel to select the final 10 athletes.

“I am very pleased with our immensely talented team announced today and I wish them every success on the greens at Leamington Spa in July and August next year.

“The athletes will now enter a period of preparation for Birmingham 2022 involving squad days, venue specific training and test matches to ensure they peak at the right time and deliver medals for Team Scotland.

“Personally, I’m looking forward to working with the athletes and the support staff and I’m certain Birmingham 2022 will be another triumphant Commonwealth Games for our Lawn Bowls team.”

Allocation of players to specific events, as well as selections in Para-Bowls, will be made in 2022.

Beth Potter is the latest star to be selected for Team Scotland’s Birmingham 2022 squad.

On Monday James Heatly was announced as part of the team, adding to the six athletics members selected in October.

Potter’s successful nomination follows a strong 2021 season, meeting the selection standards with two top-eight finishes in World Triathlon Series.

She hit the headlines in April this year, running an unofficial world-record beating 5k time of 14:41 at an event in Lancashire, and enjoyed a strong end to the year with consecutive victories in the 2021 World Triathlon Cup events in South Korea.

This will be a third Commonwealth Games appearance for the 29-year-old, having competed in Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018.

She made history last time out, becoming the first Team Scotland athlete to compete across two sports in the same Games, running the 10,000m in Athletics after completing the Triathlon individual event and team relay.

Triathlon is now her priority and having recently been announced on the UK Sport Lottery Funded World Class Performance Programme for 2022, she has her sights on a successful year.

Beth said: “I am delighted to be selected for Team Scotland.

“It will be great to represent the nation for a third Commonwealth Games, and there will be an extra buzz about having another one on UK soil.

“I was relatively new to triathlon coming into the Gold Coast, but it’s been my main focus since then and I’ve been enjoying my training in Leeds.

“It’s not been easy but I’ve kept moving forward and learning at each stage – I’ve needed to be patient but am happy with how things are progressing.

“I’m back in training now after a couple of weeks’ downtime, and it’s good to have selection put to bed so I can focus on preparation without that to worry about.”

Fiona Lothian, Head of Performance at Triathlon Scotland said “I am delighted for Beth that she has been selected at this stage for Team Scotland. It is testimony to her focus and commitment since Gold Coast in 2018 and her successful 2021 season is evidence of this.

“We hope to see further athletes added to the triathlon team in May 2022.”

Image with thanks to Two26 Photography

Gold Coast 2018 medallist James Heatly has been named as the first diver selected to compete for Team Scotland at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, on the back of an impressive performance at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

He is selected in the 3m Springboard event after a superb series of dives in Tokyo took him to the final, where he eventually finished ninth. He joins the six track and field athletes named in October, as Team Scotland begins to take shape ahead of next summer’s showcase event.

James will be looking to add to his family’s diving legacy at his third Games in Birmingham, his Olympic debut in Japan coming 73 years after his grandfather Sir Peter Heatly competed at his first Olympics. Sir Peter won five Commonwealth Games medals including three gold in consecutive Games in the 1950s and James’s bronze in the 1m Springboard event at Gold Coast 2018 was Scotland’s first diving medal since his grandfather won gold in the 10m Platform in 1958.

Twice a European Championships medallist, James hasn’t slowed down since his Olympic experience in Tokyo, showing fine form at the 2021 Scottish National Diving Championships in Edinburgh earlier this month. He took victory in the 1m Springboard with a personal best score of 407.45, before pairing with Ross Beattie to record a 385.89 for gold in the 3m Synchro final. Both scores meet the consideration scores for next year’s Commonwealth Games, with selection in both events to be made at a later date.

Delighted to have his selection confirmed, James said: “To be preselected is just amazing and I can’t actually believe that this will be my third Games. It’s nice to have that box ticked, it’s like a weight has lifted off my shoulders and I can relax and just let the other performances happen.

“I was lucky enough to do Glasgow 2014 where the diving was in Edinburgh, so that was a home, home Games. My mum is from Birmingham, so I’m half Brummie. It will be nice to get my mum’s side of the family involved and able to come and watch, so I’m really excited that it’s in Birmingham.

In the lead into Tokyo, it was all about getting to the various championships – Commonwealths, Europeans, Worlds and Olympics. Now that I’ve competed at them all, it’s time to look at upgrading some of those medals and results.”

Elinor Middlemiss, Team Scotland Chef de Mission, said: “We are very pleased to have James confirmed on the team for Birmingham 2022.

“He has been an important member of the group at the last two Commonwealth Games, and has shown his quality on both the domestic and international stage this year.

Team Scotland’s preparations for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games continue with the appointment of Doug MacDonald as Beach Volleyball Team Manager.

Doug is currently Coach and Pathway Developer at the Scottish Canoe Association, leading the development of Pathway & Performance Coaches in the Olympic disciplines of Canoeing.

A former international age-group triathlete, his passion for sport has also seen him work with a wide range of different sports across the Scottish and UK Sporting Systems, which will stand him in good stead for the multi-sport environment.

Doug said: “I am thrilled to take up this role for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, working collaboratively with Team Scotland and Scottish Volleyball.

“There is a fantastic team at both Scottish Volleyball and Team Scotland, and I look forward to working together in order to create the best possible environment for our Beach Volleyball athletes to thrive at the Commonwealth Games next year.”

Margaret Ann Fleming MBE, CEO of Scottish Volleyball, said: “In partnership with Commonwealth Games Scotland, we are absolutely delighted to welcome Doug into our team at Scottish Volleyball.

“Doug comes to us with a wealth experience, ability and knowledge in multi-disciplinary sport and shall be a key driver and motivator for our athletes and coaches working towards the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.”

Elinor Middlemiss, Team Scotland Chef de Mission for Birmingham 2022 said: “I’m delighted to welcome Doug to Team Scotland, and I look forward to working with him as we progress towards the Birmingham Games.

“He joins a high-calibre cohort of sport team managers who will play a vital role in bringing the sports together as one Team Scotland and creating the best possible environment for athletes and staff to excel at the Games.”

The Commonwealth Sport Pride Network has today been launched to positively champion and enable LGBTQ+ inclusion at the Commonwealth Games and across the Commonwealth Sport Movement.

Team Scotland is proud to support the Commonwealth Sport Pride Network, a voluntary network and coordination group, that looks to bring together athletes, coaches, Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs), Games organisers, stakeholders, partners and allies. It is open to all.

Team Scotland has been actively involved in an international working group of athletes, CGAs and stakeholders which has set out four key areas of focus – community, education, visibility and influence – enabling the network to:

  • Create a safe space for LGBTQ+ people and allies to meet, support and coordinate activities as a community
  • Increase visibility and awareness of LGBTQ+ inclusion and participation in Commonwealth sport and positively promote equality, role models, best practice and support Pride House at the Games
  • Support allies, CGAs, Games organisers and other stakeholders through information-sharing, training and education
  • Provide a collective platform to influence and drive positive change for LGBTQ+ acceptance and equality across Commonwealth Sport and the wider Commonwealth.

 

Athletes, coaches, stakeholders and team members can sign up at www.thecgf.com/pride to become part of the network and get involved supporting activities at Birmingham 2022 and across the Movement.

The launch of the network coincides with Rainbow Laces Day 2021, which celebrates the impact that sport has on LGBTQ+ people and the impact that LGBTQ+ people have on sport.

Commonwealth Games Federation President Dame Louise Martin DBE said: “We are launching today the Commonwealth Sport Pride Network to champion and enable LGBTQ+ inclusion at the Games and across our Movement.

We hope the network will be a safe space to connect, support, learn, understand and celebrate. This is not a political movement, but an opportunity to champion inclusion and tell stories in a positive way.

In launching this voluntary network, we are mindful of Commonwealth-wide realities. Our cultural and religious diversity defines our family, and it is important for the CGF to continue to lead by example, embracing our shared passion for sport and living our values of Humanity, Equality and Destiny.

As “The Games for Everyone” we all hope Birmingham 2022 will provide an inspiring and important opportunity to engage, champion and benefit many diverse communities, and I am proud that this will now include support and initiatives for the LGBTQ+ sporting community.”

To visit the Commonwealth Sport Pride Network website and sign up to be part of it, click here

The Scottish Thistles impressed in their first home international test matches in over two years, with victories over Barbados Bajan Gems at the Emirates Arena, Glasgow.

In front of large home crowds the Thistles dominated from the start in both matches, building early leads and not relenting to win 74-32 and 74-35 on Thursday and Friday respectively.

It was the first chance to see the Thistles under Head Coach Tamsin Greenway, who would have been pleased with the quality of performance and strength in depth, with debuts to four players including Caitlin Pringle, a feature of the Team Scotland badminton squad at Glasgow 2014.

Full match reports can be found on the Netball Scotland website, with both matches available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Scotland are currently ranked 8th in the world rankings with Barbados 13th – a top 12 ranking position should be enough to take the Thistles to Birmingham 2022.

Images: James Williamson

Katie Archibald capped an incredible year at the weekend by claiming the women’s endurance title in the inaugural UCI Track Champions League.

The Scot went into the weekend’s finale in London in top spot after success in Mallorca and Panevėžys, and sealed victory with a second place in the scratch race and victory in the elimination race.

The title adds to the 27-year-old’s successful 2021, which includes Olympic Madison gold, the world omnium title and three European crowns, as well as Olympic silver in the team pursuit.

Katie will be hoping to build on that success at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, with the potential to add to her previous medal successes at Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018.

It was a successful weekend at the Scottish National & Open Diving Championships, including performances hitting Birmingham 2022 consideration scores.

James Heatly took victory in the 1m springboard with a personal best score of 407.45, before pairing with Ross Beattie to record a 385.89 in the 3m synchro final. Both scores meet the consideration scores for next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Heatly told Scottish Swimming: “It is really nice to be back. For the past year and a half, the focus has all been on the three metre so it’s nice to get back down on the one metre board. I’ve a lot of love for the one metre, I do really enjoy it. I’ve not done those dives in competition for a while so I’m feeling happy.

“It is Commonwealth Games year so the goal is to hit all those qualifying standards. It is good to have the one metre box ticked and that was actually a PB for me as well. First competition back, a PB, it’s a really great starting point for the year ahead.”

Beattie, who has put his University studies on hold to focus on Birmingham 2022, narrowly missed out on consideration standards in the individual event, but was delighted to meet the standard in the synchro.

He said: “Now a weight has been lifted off our shoulders and we know we have one in the bag, we can now move forward into the other events at the beginning of 2022, and not have to worry too much about the scores. I don’t need to think about that as much. It’s about what individually can I do on the day, and the scores will hopefully come just from that.

“It would mean everything to be on Team Scotland. Just to be recognised for everything I’ve trained for over the past nine or ten years. To be able to compete on the world stage with people I have become very good friends with would be incredible.”

Grace Reid, who won Scotland’s first ever medal for women’s diving at a Commonwealth Games in 2018, sealed victory in the 3m springboard event, taking the lead with her penultimate dive and finishing with a final score of 297.60, also meeting the consideration standard for Birmingham 2022.

She said: “The qualifying standard does play on my mind. I knew I had to dive well but I think for me the scores were going to be a bonus this weekend. I was more interested in coming back, enjoying my sport and being able to just compete. That’s something I’d lost for a while, but I felt like myself this weekend so that’s in some ways better than any score. But the fact I got the score is the cherry on top of the icing.”

A full round-up of the event can be found on the Scottish Swimming website.

 

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