A TV audience of more than one billion is expected to tune in for the inaugural 2018 European Championships being held in Glasgow.

The multi-sport event will bring together the existing European Championships of athletics, aquatics, cycling, golf, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon.

Around 3025 athletes will come to Scotland as part of a total delegation of around 8500 including officials, media and others. A further 1500 athletes will compete in Berlin in the European Athletics Championships.

It is hoped the event will help attract more tourists to the city from key continental markets.

Funded jointly by the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council, the new event will allow Glasgow and Scotland to continue to build on the economic and sporting legacy achieved by staging the Commonwealth Games.

A cultural, tourism and sporting partnership is also planned with the key market of Berlin.

Almost 300,000 European leisure visitors spent £73 million in Glasgow in 2014, taking up 1.2m bed nights in the city. Of those, Germany was Glasgow’s leading European market, with 63,000 visitors spending £14m over 206,000 bed nights.

Sport now contributes more than £360m of added value to the Glasgow economy with tourism bringing £687m to the city in 2014.

City bosses say events of the calibre of the European Championships have become key to the city’s economic success with almost 30,000 people employed in tourism related activities in Glasgow, and sport supporting a further 10,000 jobs across the city.

Jamie Hepburn, Scottish Government Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said: “I’m delighted the Scottish Government has been able to support the 2018 European Championships.

"This is a totally new concept in European sport, so it’s tremendous we can be at the forefront of that, welcoming all these world class athletes to Glasgow and other venues across Scotland.

"We have a growing reputation when it comes to hosting major events like this and I’m sure the people of Scotland will embrace these championships as only they can.”

City council leader Frank McAveety said: “The fact the city will be hosting an event watched by more than one billion people across Europe is a golden opportunity for us to use the magical moments that the athletes, our fantastic home crowd and our many visitors will create to showcase everything we have to offer as a visitor destination.

“Major events have become a crucial part of Glasgow’s economy. Hosting these world class events projects Glasgow across the world as a fantastic tourist destination."