THE organisers of Glasgow 2014 have fired the starting pistol for the three-year countdown to the Commonwealth Games with assurances plans are on time and on budget.
Drawing a line under the most controversial month faced by the organising committee since securing the Games in 2007, Glasgow 2014 marked the milestone by opening up the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, which is rapidly taking shape in the shadows of Celtic Park in Glasgow’s east end.
Government ministers, local politicians and senior figures in the organising committee were keen to trumpet progress beyond the bricks and mortar to highlight early social “legacies”.
Jenny Davis, a Scottish track cyclist, became the first to take a bike into Scotland’s only indoor velodrome -- due to be completed next year and scheduled for its first competition a full year before the Games start.
The velodrome was named in honour of Scotland’s most successful gold medal-winning Olympian and Commonwealth Games cycling champion, Sir Chris Hoy, and its 250-metre track was designed by Ralph Schumann, one of the world’s foremost track designers.
Although Glasgow’s victory over Nigerian capital Abuja in securing the event was in part due to having existing venues and infrastructure largely in place, the progress of the velodrome is reflected in the other key new-build and refurbished arenas.
But while the city appears at this early stage to be on track to avoiding the last-minute construction panic of many cities hosting major sporting events, there is some turbulence beneath the smooth surface.
Foundations have been laid and work is under way at the £120 million Hydro Arena on the banks of the Clyde, next to the SECC, and it is well on schedule to host the gymnastics in 2014.
However, it was only saved from potential financial collapse when Glasgow City Council bailed the project out with a £50m loan earlier this year, causing something of a rift between the SECC board and the local authority.
The velodrome and neighbouring National Indoor Sports Arena, in many ways the showcase venues for 2014, are within their current budgets of about £100m -- but this has rocketed from the publicly declared costs of £30m when the project was first approved in 2006.
Across the road at Celtic Park, due to host the opening ceremony, there appears to be little progress on the “Celtic Triangle” plans -- an attempt to improve the attractiveness of the location, including landscaping the area, creating a plaza space and walkways and refurbishing surrounding derelict buildings.
The adjoining East End Regeneration Route, connecting the new M74 extension with the M8, is gathering apace and has largely overcome the expected hurdles of compulsory purchase orders and local upheaval.
It has a completion date of next spring, while the recent turf-cutting ceremony at the athletes’ village in Dalmarnock suggests more spades will be in the ground in the near future. Funding is in place for the refurbishment of Dalmarnock railway station.
Work is also under way at the Tollcross Aquatic Centre and the Kelvingrove bowls centre. Construction staff will be on site at the hockey centre on Glasgow Green and squash courts at Scotstoun next year, while the training venue at Scotstoun stadium is already completed.
Glasgow 2014 chairman Lord Smith of Kelvin said: “Glasgow 2014 is no longer a distant prospect. The venues and infrastructures are rising from the ground, and all across Scotland people are starting to feel the excitement the Games will bring in three years’ time.
“We have had some fantastic achievements over the last year, new landmarks such as the athletes’ village, the national indoor sports arena and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome are taking shape, and the continued regeneration of the east end will be just one of the tangible signs of this historic time for Glasgow.”
Shona Robison, Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, said: “The velodrome is progressing well and is the latest reminder these Games remain on time, on budget and on track to be a great success.
“Now, more than ever in the countdown to 2014, it’s important we involve local people and communities from across Scotland in the excitement of the Games.”
Archie Graham, the city council’s 2014 head, added: “The countdown is really on. There is already a tremendous legacy left by the preparations for 2014, and we look forward to a memorable Commonwealth Games for everyone that continues the regeneration of Glasgow.”
Last month the 2014 chief executive John Scott resigned after failing to declare thousands of pounds worth of advice from a potential contractor, while two years ago the overall budget rose by £85m amid concerns over broadcasting rights.
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