Celebrating exactly two years since Beach Volleyball made its Commonwealth Games debut at Gold Coast 2018, we spoke to Team Scotland pair Robin Miedzybrodzki and Seain Cook who had the honour of being the first Scots (just one hour ahead of women’s pair Lynne Beattie and Mel Coutts) to take to the sand and record a historic opening day win.

What did it mean to you and the sport to be included at Gold Coast 2018?

Seain: For the sport it continued to show that Beach Volleyball, although not nationally a large sport, internationally it is very popular. More personally it meant that I was able to compete at a high level again at Beach Volleyball and represent Scotland alongside one of the best players in Britain ever.

What are your memories of the Games?

Robin: I have so many incredible memories from the build up to the Games, the holding camp and also the Games themselves. The Games were the culmination of over a decade of focused work from Seain and I, both personally and as a team. I remember vividly the build up to the first game against Sri Lanka. There was a brilliant atmosphere at Coolangatta. The long walk to the court, standing in the holding pen with nerves reaching boiling point and then walking out onto the court with Seain and feeling immense pride and excitement for the match. Seain and I delivered an excellent performance in that match and we brought home the win for Team Scotland, which is a moment we will never forget.

How did it feel to step out onto court for the first time?

Seain: It felt right. We had waited a long time to be there, after winning our zonal qualifier in Cyprus we had a pretty gruelling preparation with some crazy hours for Robin and I. It felt amazing. I remember very specific moments leading up to being introduced onto court, being ready to compete with Robin and feeling very ready to start.

What was it like being part of Team Scotland?

Robin: This was a dream come true. The pride in the team was something I will never forget. The commitment to excellence and performance was superb across the sports and there was support throughout the team that was given to every single athlete, in every game, in every training session, from the moment we stepped on the plane to when we got home at the end of the Games.

Looking back two years on, what has the experience given you?

Seain: This is a tougher one. It has given me a bond with the team we had around us, we were very tight knit. I think above all it has given me a real hunger to compete again internationally and win tournaments and medals and show that volleyball in Scotland and Britain shouldn’t be looked at as just a grass roots sport, but as a high performance sport, so that younger athletes can have the inspiration to continue through the sport.

What have you been doing since Gold Coast?

Robin: Seain has been continuing his professional indoor career out in Holland and has been part of a very strong team out there who were on course to win many of the National competitions this year. However, due to the COVID-19 situation the season has been suspended and he has flown home and is currently staying in shape with home and garden workouts. Seain has a big plan to move over to the USA and play Beach Volleyball in America in the coming years with a continued drive to compete internationally for Scotland and Great Britain in the future.

I have taken a step back from the sport over the past two years following participation at Gold Coast to focus on my family and career. My 3rd daughter arrived in August 2019 so Sienna, Isabella and Indiana have been keeping me very busy. I have recently started a new role with Arcadis as Technical Director and remain committed to staying in shape and competing in various challenges like Spartan Beast and hopefully the upcoming Edinburgh Marathon. What the last 2 years has confirmed is that my soul needs the competitive outlet, and I do miss Seain, so we will see what the future holds.

Beach Volleyball is back on the programme for Birmingham 2022, is this in your plans?

Seain: Robin and I are both unsure, we haven’t been told how funding, if any, will be decided and shared across the high performance squads. I have continued to train and play at high levels while Robin, who is the fitter of us both, has been in training for a marathon and has been training with top teams in Scotland. So we are both prepared but waiting to see what the future holds.

What does it mean for the sport to have back to back appearances at the Games?

Robin: I am delighted to see Beach Volleyball in the Games for the second time and I hope that the support for the sport continues into the future. As with the Olympics, Beach Volleyball was one of the most popular sports at Gold Coast and it gave the sport the platform to showcase the athleticism, fitness, skill and tactics involved in such a dynamic sport. We all hope that this is the spring board for the sport to grow and also receive continued and improved funding support for performance and facilities that will help to improve the level of the game in Scotland. A medal in the Games is within reach on the back of the correct programme, which is an exciting prospect for the future.

As part of our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ theme, each month, Team Scotland is putting one or two sports in the Sport Focus spotlight, which will feature all 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Look out for all things Beach Volleyball on Team Scotland’s website and social channels over the next couple of weeks and join us as we delve into the archives to uncover tales of past success and look ahead to the rising stars of Scottish sport.

Beach Volleyball at the Commonwealth Games

Beach Volleyball is an optional sport in the Commonwealth Games and made its debut at the Gold Coast 2018 Games in Australia. It made its Youth Games debut eight months earlier at 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas. Beach Volleyball is back on the programme for the next Youth Games in Trinidad & Tobago and also at Birmingham 2022 where it will take place in a city centre location, bringing the sport to a new audience.

For Beach Volleyball’s debut at Gold Coast 2018, 12 team tournaments were held and Scotland qualified to compete in both men’s and women’s competitions, with four athletes selected for the Games.

Seain Cook, a professional volleyball player based in Holland and Robin Miedzybrodzki, a former British Champion successfully qualified for the men’s 12-team competition with an impressive win at the official European qualifying tournament in Cyprus. They were later joined by Edinburgh duo, Lynne Beattie and Melissa Coutts for the women.

Lynne had major Games experience having captained Team GB’s indoor volleyball team to ninth place at London 2012, whilst beach volleyball veteran Melissa Coutts was part of the first ever Scottish team to play and win on the World Tour and a three times British Champion.

The competition got underway on day two of the Games with the venue built on the stunning Coolangatta Beachfront, a stone’s throw away from Team Scotland’s ‘Schools Connect’ programme school, Coolangatta Primary. Both Scotland’s pairs acquitted themselves well, reaching the quarter finals.

Playing in Pool B, the men clocked up two early victories against Sri Lanka and Sierra Leone before losing to silver medallists Canada and eventually going out in the quarter finals against England. The women beat Grenada, but lost to both Cyprus and Australia in Pool A and also went out in the quarter finals, losing to eventual gold medal winners Canada.

Four nations won Beach Volleyball medals at Gold Coast 2018 with Australia and Canada taking one gold and one silver each, while New Zealand’s men and Vanuatu’s women took bronze.

Find out more about Beach Volleyball at the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Beach Volleyball page.

Youth Games Success

Team Scotland’s first ever Beach Volleyball pair were Emma Waldie and Jennifer Lee, selected for the Bahamas 2017  Commonwealth Youth Games. Topping their pool with wins over Vanuatu and Jamaica, Emma and Jennifer breezed past hosts Bahamas in the quarter-finals before just losing out in a close tussle with New Zealand in the semi-finals.

They started well in the bronze medal match, looking comfortable and taking the first set 21-15. A close second set left the strong Scottish fan-base on tenterhooks with the lead changing multiple times. Scotland had the opportunity to serve for the match, and the medal, but were unable to seal the deal. Rwanda capitalised and were able to take the second set 24-26.

With the decider looming, Scotland continued to battle on in the soaring heat but it was Rwanda who coped better under pressure to take the final set 15-10. Beach Volleyball is once again included at the 2021 Youth Games in Trinidad & Tobago.

Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is the only occasion where Scotland gets to compete in a multi-sport event as a nation in its own right and is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since their inception in Hamilton in 1930. Represented by 15 athletes participating in six sports at those first Games, and winning a very creditable 10 medals, Scotland have gone on to win medals at every Games since.

Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986 and also became the first city to host the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland hosted the Games for a third time when Glasgow welcomed athletes and officials to the XXth Commonwealth Games from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. That year, team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals. The team then went on to record their highest ever overseas medal tally at Gold Coast in 2018.

A Commonwealth Games sport since 1978, Gymnastics has been a regular contributor to the Team Scotland medal tally, particularly in recent years. To round off our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport:

1. Gymnastics has existed for more than 2,000 years and was included in the Ancient Olympic Games until the abandonment of the Games in AD 393. The sport has evolved over time and some of the disciplines included under this ancient definition of gymnastics later became separate sports such as athletics, wrestling, and boxing.

2. Before the Scottish Gymnastics Association was founded on 24 May 1890, gymnastics in Scotland had a link with the British military, specifically the Army Physical Training Corps, to build strength in soldiers while increasing levels of agility and flexibility. In 1872, in discussions over the British Education Act, it was decided that an amendment should be made to include: “The introduction and teaching of physical drill and gymnastics”.

3. In contrast to the sport’s early male participation, as Scottish Gymnastics celebrates its 130^th anniversary in 2020, 85% of the Scottish governing body’s members are female and 78% are female under the age of 18.

4. The modern sport began in Germany in the late 1700s and the Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) was established in 1881. Current disciplines recognised by the FIG are Artistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampolining, Tumbling, Acrobatic Gymnastics and Aerobic Gymnastics (formerly Sports Aerobics).

5. The first truly international gymnastics competition was the 1896 Olympic Games. Events were only for men and included some of the apparatus we are familiar with today alongside events such as rope climbing. Events were not standardised until 1928 with five of the six apparatus contested today. A Floor event was added in 1932. Rhythmic Gymnastics was added to the Olympic programme in 1984 and Trampolining in 2000.

6. The first Olympic Games to feature women’s gymnastics was Amsterdam 1928 where the only event was the Team Competition consisting of scores for drill, apparatus and vault.

7. Gymnastics made its Commonwealth Games debut at the 1978 Games in Edmonton, Canada. After a two Games gap, it has featured in every games since Auckland 1990. Team Scotland has won a total of 12 medals in Gymnastics: 3 gold, 2 silver and 7 bronze.

8. Artistic Gymnastics is a core sport, meaning that it must be included in every Commonwealth Games. Rhythmic Gymnastics was first introduced in the 1990 Auckland Games and is an optional discipline, meaning that the host country can chose to add it into the programme if they wish.

9. Scotland’s first Commonwealth Games Gymnastics medal was won by Jo Walker, who won bronze in the Hoop at Victoria 1994. This remains Scotland’s only Rhythmic Gymnastics medal at the Games to date.

10. Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games gymnast is Daniel Keatings. At Glasgow 2014, Daniel won gold on Pommel Horse, and two silver medals – one for the Individual All-Around, and one in the Men’s Team Event. Daniel also won bronze at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo 2004 in the Men’s Team Event.

11. Scotland currently sits 6^th on the All-Time Medal Table for Gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games, with a total of 12 medals. Canada is currently at the top, winning an impressive 143 medals in total. Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games in Gymnastics was in Glasgow 2014. The team came away with 5 medals in total, including two gold.

12. In 2006 a new scoring system was introduced with separate scores for the difficulty of the routine and how well it is executed. These are added together to give the final score which is usually in the mid-teens, rather than the traditional ‘perfect 10’.

Since Artistic Gymnastics was first introduced into the Commonwealth Games programme in 1978 and Rhythmic in 1990, Scotland’s gymnasts have gone on to win 12 medals.  From record medal tallies to historic firsts, here are just some of the highlights from 40 years years of Team Scotland success.

Glasgow 2014 – The Best Games Ever

In the stunning setting of the SSE Hydro, Gymnastics won their first gold medals since Manchester 2002 and had their most successful Commonwealth Games ever winning two gold, two silver and a bronze. Things got off to the perfect start with the Men’s Team of Liam Davie, Adam Cox, Daniel Keatings, Daniel Purvis and Frank Baines claiming a historic silver, Scotland’s first ever team medal in gymnastics at a Commonwealth Games.

For the rest of the week it was the story of the two Daniels, with Keatings and Purvis each winning a further two medals. Keatings became Commonwealth Games Champion on the Pommel Horse as well as winning silver in the Individual All-Around, whilst teammate Daniel Purvis was the only athlete to collect a full set of medals with gold on Parallel Bars and bronze on Rings to add to his Team silver.

Manchester 2002 – Frew Wins First Gold

Steve Frew came out of retirement to win gold on the rings in his fourth Games, Scotland’s first Artistic medal and first gold in any Gymnastics discipline. Scoring 9.462, he shared the top step of the podium with Herodotos Giorgallas from Cyprus who was given exactly the same score. His win spurred on fellow gymnast Barry Collie, who took bronze in the Vault and also took 4th on Parallel Bars and 6th on High Bar. The Men’s Team of Frew, Collie, Jon Mutch, Ryan McReadie and Adam Cox took 4th place.

The Women’s Team of Gayle Campbell, Helen Galashan and Lynne Donaghy finished 6th. Galashan was the top individual performer taking 9th place in the Individual All-Around, 5th on Beam and 8th in an Asymmetric Bars final won by England’s Beth Tweddle. Campbell was also an apparatus finalist, finishing 7th on Floor.

Victoria 1994 – Rhythmic Leads the Way

Joanne Walker won Scotland’s first ever Gymnastics medal with a bronze in the Rhythmic Hoop event, calling on  her experience from three World and two European Championships. The sensation of the Rhythmic events was 14 year old Kasumi Takahashi from Australia who won all five individual gold medals on offer plus a silver in the Team Event.

The Scottish team of Walker, Gayle Godson and Lyndsey Johnston finished sixth, with Walker and Johnston qualifying for the Individual All-Around where they finished sixth and 12th respectively. Walker was also a finalist in Ribbon (7th), Ball (6th) and Clubs (5th). After the Games she moved to Namibia to take up the post of national coach.

In the Artistic events, Steve Frew, competing in his second Commonwealth Games, took fifth place on High Bar and eighth on Pommel Horse.

Gold Coast 2018 – Men’s Team Medal Again

A full squad of 10 artistic gymnasts (five men and five women) were selected for Team Scotland at Gold Coast 2018. Three gymnasts had competed at Glasgow 2014 including three-time Games medallist Daniel Purvis and Men’s Team silver medallist, Frank Baines. Having won their first ever Team Event medal at Glasgow 2014, Scotland’s men followed up with their second at the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre, winning bronze on the opening day.

Scotland started on the Pommel Horse, and despite Kelvin Cham subsequently being ruled out through injury after a short landing on the Rings, the men rallied and carried out excellent performances on the Vault, Parallel Bars, and High Bar, before finishing with four impressive Floor routines. After completing all six pieces of apparatus, men had an overall score of 240.975, putting them in third place behind England on 258.95 and Canada on 248.65.

Frank Baines and Hamish Carter both qualified for the Men’s Individual All-Around Final, where they finished fourth and sixth respectively. In the men’s Individual Apparatus Finals there was further success for Team Scotland. Dan Purvis claimed bronze on the Floor, nudging team mate Hamish Carter into fourth and there was a bronze also for Frank Baines on Parallel Bars.

Team Scotland’s women placed fifth in the Women’s Team event, scoring 142.95 points. Both Cara Kennedy and Shannon Archer qualified for the Women’s Individual All-Around Final where they finished ninth and 10th respectively and the Vault Final where Shannon was fifth and Cara seventh.

Melbourne 2006 – Cox Claims Bronze

The magnificent Rod Laver Arena was packed to the rafters as the Gymnastics competition got underway with the Team competitions. Scotland’s men (Adam Cox, Andrew Mackie, Barry Koursarys, Daniel Keatings and Steve Frew) put in a very credible performance to finish fourth overall. The highlight in the individual apparatus finals came from Adam Cox on High Bar, posting a score early in the competition to take bronze.

The women’s team also produced a solid performance in the Team event to finish fifth. In what was a superb effort from a relatively inexperienced team, three gymnasts qualified for the Individual All-Around competition, and four for apparatus finals. In the Floor final it was so near and yet so far for 14-year-old Jennifer Hannah, the youngest member of the Scottish Team, coming agonisingly close to a medal, edged into 4th place by the final competitor.  

As Scotland’s top gymnasts prepare for the National Artistic Championships in Perth at the end of this month, Gymnastics is next into our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus spotlight, as we continue to feature each of the 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Frank Baines and Cara Kennedy lifted the Men’s and Women’s All-Around titles in 2019, with the Championships bringing together the country’s top artistic gymnasts to compete for coveted national titles. For 2020 the event returns to Perth’s Bell’s Sports Centre on 28 and 29 March.

Look out for all things Gymnastics on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this month as we delve into the archives for tales of past success and also look ahead to the rising stars of the sport who could be representing Team Scotland at Birmingham 2022.

Gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games

Find out more about Gymnastics in the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Gymnastics page.

Scotland’s Commonwealth Games Medallists

Scotland sent gymnasts to both the 1978 and 1990 Commonwealth Games, a 6th place in the Women’s Team Event the top performance, but it was not until Victoria 1994 that Joanne Walker won Scotland’s first ever Gymnastics medal with a bronze in the Rhythmic Hoop event. She was also a finalist in Ribbon, Ball and Clubs and combined with Gayle Godsen and Lynsey Johnston to finish 6th in the Team Event.

The first Artistic Gymnastics medals came in 2002 as Steve Frew came out of retirement to win gold on the rings in his fourth Games, Scotland’s first ever Gymnastics gold. His win spurred on fellow gymnast Barry Collie, who took bronze in the vault and also took 4th on Parallel Bars and 6th on High Bar. Both men’s and women’s teams performed well in the Team event with the men taking 4th place and the women 6th. Adam Cox was the sole Gymnastics medallist at Melbourne 2006 with High Bar bronze just two years on from an outstanding five medal haul at the Commonwealth Youth Games, also held in Australia. At Delhi 2010 the top performance came from Amy Reagan who just missed the medals with a fourth place on Floor and combined forces with Jordan Lipton and Tori Simpson to take fifth in the Women’s Team Event.

And so on to Glasgow 2014 where, in the stunning setting of the SSE Hydro, Gymnastics won their first gold medals since Manchester 2002 and had their most successful Commonwealth Games ever winning two gold, two silver and a bronze. Things got off to the perfect start with the Men’s Team of Liam Davie, Adam Cox, Daniel Keatings, Daniel Purvis and Frank Baines claiming a historic silver, Scotland’s first ever team medal in gymnastics at a Commonwealth Games. For the rest of the week it was the story of the two Daniels, with Keatings and Purvis each winning a further two medals. Keatings became Commonwealth Games Champion on the Pommel Horse as well as winning silver in the Individual All-Around, whilst teammate Daniel Purvis was the only athlete to collect a full set of medals with gold on Parallel Bars and bronze on Rings to add to his Team silver.

Having won their first ever Team Event medal at Glasgow 2014, Scotland’s men followed up with their second at Gold Coast 2018 winning bronze on the opening day. Despite Kelvin Cham being ruled out through injury after a short landing on the Rings, the men rallied in the final four apparatus to finish third behind England and Canada. Frank Baines and Hamish Carter both qualified for the Men’s Individual All-Around Final, where they finished fourth and sixth respectively. There was further success for Team Scotland as Dan Purvis claimed bronze on the Floor, nudging team mate Hamish Carter into fourth and there was a bronze also for Frank Baines on Parallel Bars. Team Scotland’s women placed fifth in the Team event, both Cara Kennedy and Shannon Archer qualified for the Women’s Individual All-Around Final where they finished ninth and 10th respectively and the Vault Final where Shannon was fifth and Cara seventh.

Team Scotland Gymnastics Medallists

Youth Games Success

Gymnastics has featured at the Commonwealth Youth Game on three occasions: Edinburgh 2000, Bendigo 2004 and Isle of Man 2011. at the inaugural Games in Edinburgh Scotland’s four women and two men excelled, bringing home two gold, one silver and four bronze medals as the team’s most successful sport of the Games. Craig Barry was also Scotland’s most successful athlete of the Games as he won gold on Vault and silver on Floor. Gayle Campbell made it a clean sweep on Vault for the Scots by winning the women’s event while Michelle Denholm collected four bronze medals in the Rhythmic events.

Bendigo 2004 saw more Scottish success as both men and women won medals in the Team Event for the first time. Two of the men’s team, Adam Cox and Daniel Keatings, went on to be part of another first for the sport – Team Scotland’s first Gymnastics Team medal at the Commonwealth Games – a silver at Glasgow 2014. Adam Cox was in outstanding form in Bendigo winning two gold and three bronze medals. Isle of Man 2011 saw Scotland’s six gymnasts line up in the Team Event on the opening day with the women finishing fourth and the men fifth. This qualified each of the gymnasts for individual events over the weekend with Douglas Ross excelling in the Men’s Vault final to win gold.

Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is the only occasion where Scotland gets to compete in a multi-sport event as a nation in its own right and is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since their inception in Hamilton in 1930. Represented by 15 athletes participating in six sports at those first Games, winning a very creditable 10 medals, Scotland have gone on to win medals at every Games since.

Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986 and also became the first city to host the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland hosted the Games for a third time when Glasgow welcomed athletes and officials to the XXth Commonwealth Games which was held from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. Team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals and went on to record their highest overseas medal tally ever at Gold Coast 2018.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games and Team Scotland’s past success in our Past Games section.

While Rugby 7’s has only been a Commonwealth Games sport since Kuala Lumpur 1998, Scotland has contributed massively to the growth of the format and has been a key component in the World Sevens Series since its inception in 1999. To round off our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ Sport Focus, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport:

1. The game of Rugby 7s was originally conceived in Melrose in the Scottish Borders in 1883 by two butchers, Ned Haig and David Sanderson. Melrose, a fine historic rugby club was experiencing serious financial difficulties and proposed a sports gala to raise funds. Worried about the financial outlay of a 15-a-side Tournament, Haig and Sanderson proposed the format of halving the teams and shortening the length of playing time. The tournament proved to be a great success, and little did they know how popular their creation would prove to be.

2. Rugby 7s made its Commonwealth Games debut at Kuala Lumpur 1998 with a men’s tournament, but it wasn’t until 20 years later that Women’s 7s was first introduced at Gold Coast 2018.

3. The New Zealand men’s team have claimed five of six Commonwealth Games gold medals available since 1998, their only blemish being at Glasgow 2014 when they were defeated 17 – 12 in the final by South Africa. New Zealand’s Women’s 7s team continued the nation’s trend of dominance by winning the inaugural tournament at Gold Coast 2018, defeating Australia 17 – 12.

4. Rugby 7s was adopted into the Olympic Games programme for the first time at Rio 2016, Rugby’s first inclusion in the Games since Rugby Union was dropped from the programme after 1924. Fiji won the men’s competition, demolishing Team GB 43 – 7 to win their first ever Olympic Medal. The women’s competition was won by Australia who beat New Zealand 24 – 17 in the final.

5. The first Rugby World Cup 7s was held in Scotland in 1993 when England were victorious. A women’s tournament was added in 2009. The winners of the men’s tournament are awarded the Melrose Cup, in honour of the town where the first Rugby 7s game was played.

6. In Rugby 7s the ball is in play for 53% of the time according to statistics produced by World Rugby, the highest percentage of any form of Rugby Union. That’s equivalent to 7 minutes and 24 seconds per standard 14-minute match.

7. England Back-rower Lawrence Dallaglio is the only player to have played in World Cup finals in both formats of Rugby Union. He was a key member of the England 7s side who defeated Australia 21- 17 to win the first ever World Cup 7s Title in Edinburgh. He was also an important player when England’s test team defeated the same opponents 20 – 17 in the 2003 World Cup Final in Sydney.

8. Traditionally, 15-a-side rugby benefits from the cream of the crop and the biggest stars. However, legends and rising stars of the game alike have used 7s as an experience to progress and expand their careers. Jonah Lomu, Stuart Hogg, David Campese, Sonny Bill Williams, Shane Williams, Chester Williams and Cheslin Kolbe, to name just a few, are superstars to have played both formats.

9. The sport has typically been dominated by Southern hemisphere teams at the Commonwealth Games with 18 of the 21 medals available being won by four southern-hemisphere nations: New Zealand (7), Fiji (4), Australia (4), and South Africa (3). England are the only non-Southern hemisphere nation to ever claim a Commonwealth medal with their notable haul of three.

10. New Zealand, Australia, England, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Wales and Sri Lanka are the only nations to participate in Rugby 7s in every Commonwealth Games.

11. Scotland’s most capped 7s player is Scott Riddell with an astonishing 333 caps. Scotland’s top scorer in World 7s Series history is former stalwart and captain Colin Gregor with 1345 points.

12. Scotland men’s best ever finish at the Commonwealth Games was 6th place at both Delhi 2010 and Gold Coast 2018. Scotland’s women are yet to make an appearance at the Games but will hope to make their debut at Birmingham 2022.

Our Sport Focus on Rugby 7s continues as Scotland’s men head to Los Angeles and Vancouver for the next two events in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

A 13-man Scotland squad has been named for both tournaments, led by leading points scorer and captain Robbie Fergusson, with Kyle Rowe returning to the team having missed the past two events with a shoulder injury. He is joined by Jamie Farndale who replaces Dougie Fife.

This weekend (29 Feb – 1 Mar) the series heads to Dignity Health Sports Park on the outskirts of Los Angeles, home to Major League Soccer team LA Galaxy and NFL side LA Chargers. It is the first time for the series at this venue with the USA leg having previously been held in Las Vegas.

Sitting in 12^th place overall in the series standings, Scotland face a tough draw in Pool C against USA, Australia and Samoa. They face Australia and USA on Saturday before their final Pool game against Samoa on Sunday. The hosts will be looking to win their third straight title on home soil after victories in the finals at both the 2018 and 2019 events in Las Vegas, while Australia were bronze medallists in Hamilton, NZ in January.

From Los Angeles the series moves to Vancouver from 7-8 March with the draw for this event yet to be completed.

Scotland Head Coach Ciaran Beattie said: “We are delighted to get back into live action and the events are structured in a way that excites us.

“It was extremely difficult to name a final squad for these tournaments which is testament to how well the boys have trained since Sydney.

“We know USA and Australia well from recent encounters and will have to be at our best to compete with those sides, as well as a very good Samoan squad.”

Scotland 7s squad to compete in the Los Angeles and Vancouver legs of the 2019/20 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series:

1. Paddy Kelly
2. Ally Miller
3. Alec Coombes
4. Robbie Fergusson (Captain)
5. Harvey Elms
6. Kyle Rowe
7. Jamie Farndale
8. Nyle Godsmark
9. Sam Pecqueur
10.  Gavin Lowe
11. Max McFarland
12. Ross McCann
13. Tom Brown

As part of our ‘Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future’ theme, each month, Team Scotland is putting one or two sports in the Sport Focus spotlight, which will feature all 25 sports in which Scotland has competed at the Commonwealth Games.

Look out for all things Rugby Sevens on Team Scotland’s website and social channels this month and join us as we delve into the archives to uncover tales of past success and look ahead to the rising stars of Scottish sport.

Rugby Sevens on the Global Stage

Rugby Sevens is a variant of Rugby Union in which only seven players per team, rather than the standard 15, are on the pitch an any given time. The fundamentals of Rugby – such as running, passing and tough tackling – are still central components in Rugby Sevens. However, due to the pitch size being the same as a standard Rugby Union pitch, competitors are tasked with covering a lot of ground. Due to this, Rugby Sevens players need to be extremely mobile, full of pace and power, and have plenty of skill and stamina to meet the demands of the game.

The popularity of Rugby Sevens has grown enormously over time, as demonstrated by the impressive growth of the International Rugby Board (IRB) Rugby Sevens Worlds Series, an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby in 10 countries across the globe, as well as the game’s inclusion in both the Commonwealth Games from 1998 and more recently at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016. That Olympic debut in Rio saw Team GB so nearly top the podium before losing the gold medal match to Fiji. Team GB still secured a silver medal however, with Scotsmen Mark Bennett and Mark Robertson, both part of Team Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, playing a pivotal part.

Rugby Sevens at the Commonwealth Games

Rugby Sevens made its Commonwealth Games debut at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur as a core sport and has been a fixture at every Games since. The sport has typically been dominated by Southern hemisphere teams with 18 of the 21 medals available being won by four southern nations: New Zealand (7), Fiji (4), Australia (4), and South Africa (3). England are the only non-Southern hemisphere nation to ever claim a Commonwealth Games medal with their notable haul of three. The Gold Coast 2018 Games were the first to feature a Women’s Sevens tournament with Birmingham 2022 set to follow suit.

Scotland’s men made their Games debut at Manchester 2002 where they finished in 7th position after beating Tonga 40 – 26 in the Bowl Final. This great debut performance by Scotland has only been matched once in 2014 – when roared on by the boisterous, ferocious support of the home crowd in Glasgow – and only bettered twice in Delhi 2010 and most recently at Gold Coast 2018. Scotland’s Women’s Sevens have yet to make an appearance at the Games and, after missing out on the 2018 event, will hope make their debut in Birmingham in 2022.

Scotland’s highest capped players at the Commonwealth Games are winger Lee Jones and prop Scott Riddell (Riddell is also the most capped Scottish player in Rugby 7s history). They are the only Scottish players to represent their nation at three different Games: Delhi 2010, Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018. Only a select few players have played for Scotland in both formats of Rugby Union (7s and Test) including Sean Lamont who appeared at Manchester 2002 and Glasgow 2014 as well as being the second most capped Scot in International Rugby Union history with 105 caps. Test Captain Stuart Hogg also played for the national 7s team when he played at Glasgow 2014 when he was just 22 years old.

The Road to Birmingham 2022

With just over two years until the 2022 Games get underway, Rugby fans around the world have two World Series campaigns and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo to look forward to before the action begins in Birmingham. One player to keep an eye on in the build up is Femi Sofolarin, a US-born, former Scotland youth international who represented Team GB in the qualifying for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. A winger by trade, with all the pace and power demanded by that position, he has been touted as one to watch and one of the future stars of Scottish Rugby. Having played for both England and Scotland in previous IRB World Sevens Series he has now pledged his allegiance to Scotland.

The fortunes of the Women’s 7s side have been on the rise, promoted into the top flight of Rugby Europe Grand Prix Series after winning the Trophy division in 2017. They have more than held their own in the top division with 4th place in 2018 and 5th in 2019. They also narrowly missed out on promotion into the World Series in 2019 and were granted a wildcard invite to the final World Series event of the 2019 season in Biarritz, France where they finished 11th. Six Scotland players have also been selected to be part of the extended GB 7s squad who will compete for a place in the final squad for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Megan Gaffney, Rhona Lloyd, Helen Nelson, Chloe Rollie, Hannah Smith and Lisa Thomson are named as part of the 24-strong squad which will be narrowed to 13 players just ahead of the Olympic Games in July.

Find out more about Rugby Sevens at the Commonwealth Games on our dedicated Rugby 7s page.

Youth Games Success

Rugby Sevens has been included in the Commonwealth Youth Games on four occasions: 2004, 2011, 2015 and 2017 with a women’s tournament introduced for the first time in 2015. With participation by invitation from the Commonwealth Games Federation, Scotland fielded a men’s team in 2004 and 2011 and have yet to field a women’s team. Scotland’s best finish was at the 2011 Youth Games in the Isle of Man where they narrowly missed out on a medal by finishing in 4th place. Following defeat to eventual gold medal winners England in the quarter-finals, Scotland faced Australia in the bronze medal match where, in an agonisingly close game, Australia came out on top 15-12. Captain of that Youth Games team, Jamie Farndale, went on to represent Scotland at Gold Coast 2018 along with 2011 team mate Robbie Fergusson.

Scotland at the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is the only occasion where Scotland gets to compete in a multi-sport event as a nation in its own right and is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since their inception in Hamilton in 1930. Represented by 15 athletes participating in six sports at those first Games, and winning a very creditable 10 medals, Scotland have gone on to win medals at every Games since.

Edinburgh became the first city to hold the Games twice in 1970 and 1986 and also became the first city to host the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Scotland hosted the Games for a third time when Glasgow welcomed athletes and officials to the XXth Commonwealth Games from 23rd July – 3rd August 2014. That year, team Scotland celebrated their most successful Games in history, winning a total of 53 medals. The team then went on to record their highest ever overseas medal tally at Gold Coast in 2018.

In the 70 years since Weightlifting was first added to the Commonwealth Games programme, Scottish athletes have been regular visitors to the podium. As our Sport Focus comes to a close, here are 12 things you might not know about the sport and its history at the Games:

1. Weightlifting was first introduced to the Commonwealth Games at the Auckland 1950 Games and has featured ever since. In 2006, Weightlifting became a core sport, meaning it is one of a number of sports that must be included at each Games.

2. Para-Sport Powerlifting made its Commonwealth Games debut at the 2002 Games in Manchester. This was also the year that Weightlifting events for women were first included.

3. Early Olympic competition had ‘one handed’ and ‘two handed’ lift categories. The one handed events were dropped in 1928.

4. Scotland has won a total of 16 medals to date in Weightlifting across all Commonwealth Games; two gold, five silver and nine bronze.

5. Scotland’s most successful weightlifter is Philip Caira, who won gold at both the Cardiff 1958 Games, and Perth 1962 Games. He became the first weightlifter from any nation to successfully defend a Commonwealth Games title and remains Scotland’s only gold medallist in the sport.

6. The number of lifts was originally three (the Press, the Snatch, and the Clean and Jerk), before being reduced to two (the Snatch, and the Clean and Jerk) in 1974. Each competitor is allowed a maximum of three attempts at each of the different lifts; if they fail to register a valid lift in one of the categories, they are eliminated. In Para-Powerlifting, only one lift, the Bench Press, is contested and each athlete has three attempts to life the largest weight possible.

7. The gold medal is awarded to the athlete who lifts the heaviest weight. However, if two athletes lift the same weight successfully, then the winner will be the athlete with the lighter body weight.

8. At the Kuala Lumpur 1998 Games, twin brothers Stuart and Tommy Yule found themselves on opposing teams due to a quirk of residency rules. Stuart competed for Scotland while Tommy competed for England. They were finally reunited in wearing Scotland colours at Manchester 2002, with Tommy winning bronze in the Snatch. Tommy went on to also win bronze in 2006. Their father represented Scotland in Weightlifting at the 1974 Games and their mother in the Shot Putt at Edinburgh 1970. Stuart is now Head Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Scotland National Rugby Team while Tommy is Director of Performance Support at British Athletics.

9. Micky Yule became the first Scottish athlete to compete in Para-Sport Powerlifting at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, where he finished 4^th. He returned for Gold Coast 2018, just missing out on a medal again, coming 4^th for his second consecutive Games.

10. Between 1990 and 2002, separate medals were awarded for the Snatch, the Clean and Jerk, and for the combined total. However this was stopped in 2006, and since then, medals have only been awarded for combined total.

11. Peter Kirkbride has won medals in weightlifting at both the Commonwealth Youth Games and the Commonwealth Games. He won gold at the 2004 Youth Games in Bendigo, before just missing out on gold by a single kilogram at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

12. Until the 1966 Games in Kingston, Jamaica the weights lifted were measured in pounds rather than kilos.

Weightlifting has a proud history at the Commonwealth Games, on the programme since 1950 it was made a core sport in 2006, meaning that it must now be included at every Games. From its first inclusion when Scotland sent just one weightlifter to Auckland 1950, the first gold medal eight years later and Scotland’s most recent medallist Peter Kirkbride at Delhi 2010 here are just some of the Scottish highlights in 70 years of Commonwealth Games Weightlifting.

Perth 1962 – Golden Double for Caira

Scotland sent only two weightlifter to the Perth 1962 Commonwealth Games but both returned with a medal. Phil Caira had won Scotland’s first Weightlifting medal and first gold at Cardiff 1958 and had subsequently retired due to a knee injury. Four years later he was back out of retirement to defend his title and he did so in style, winning by 4.5kg and becoming the first weightlifter ever to defend a Commonwealth Games title. Following his double triumph, he was Team Scotland’s flag bearer at the 1966 Games in Kingston, Jamaica. He won Scottish and British senior titles while still a pupil at Kirkcaldy High School, earning him the nickname ‘Scotland’s Wonder Boy’. His 5th place at the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games remains the best ever weightlifting result by a Scottish athlete to date.

There was also Lightweight bronze for Jimmy Moir who lifted the same weight as silver medallist Alan Oshyer of Australia with the Australian awarded silver due to his lighter body weight. Moir finished 7th at both Cardiff 1958 and Kingston 1966. He emigrated from Scotland to Canada and competed for the Canadian National team, winning silver at the World Powerlifting Championships in 1977.

Edmonton 1978 – Revolta Leads Best Result for 16 Years

Edmonton 1978 saw Charles Revolta win Flyweight silver at his third Commonwealth Games. Revolta’s impressive career saw him finish in the top six at each of his five Commonwealth Games, including a second silver in 1986. He also won 15 Scottish and eight British titles. His 1978 triumph was a third successive medal for Scotland at this weight category following bronze for John McNiven in both 1970 and 1974. Unfortunately McNiven himself couldn’t add to his medal tally, finishing with no total. In the Super Heavyweight category there was bronze for John Hynd who had finished fifth at Heavyweight at Edinburgh 1970. With one silver and one bronze this was Scotland’s best medal performance since 1962.

It was not just the medallists that impressed in Edmonton however. There were fourth place finishes for both John Craig at Featherweight and Robert Kennedy at Lightweight while John Rush was sixth in the Middleweight event.

Delhi 2010 – Kirkbride Comes Good on Youthful Promise

Scotland’s most recent weightlifting medal came as Peter Kirkbride took silver at Delhi 2010. He had shown his talent from a young age, winning gold for Team Scotland at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo, Australia and now stepped up to senior level in style. Fourteen men contested the 94kg category and Kilmarnock’s Kirkbride who jumped for joy when he was awarded the silver medal, breaking two records on the way.

Lying second going into the Clean & Jerk discipline, he went for 189kg in his final attempt and made it look easy as he took the lead. But when gold looked all but his, Faavae Faauliuli of Samoa, in the last lift of the competition, successfully lifted 192kg to grab the gold by a single kilogram. Elsewhere there was a sixth place for 2002 and 2006 bronze medallist Tommy Yule in the 105kg event, finishing 5kg out of the medals, while Graeme Kane was 9th in the 77kg category. Kirkbride went on to finish 9th at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Click to see Team Scotland’s full Weightlifting medal record at the Commonwealth Games.