You would expect athletes taking part in the Commonwealth Games to take their preparations seriously.

But the equipment used by Euan Burton in recent weeks baffled his friends and family.

The veteran judo star borrowed weighted poles from his gym and spent a puzzling amount of time watching old YouTube videos of the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

The reason for the extra conditioning and online research was revealed yesterday when Burton was named as the flag bearer who will lead Team Scotland out at the Games' launch tomorrow night.

The fact he was chosen by his peers in the Scotland team makes the honour a particularly pleasing one for Burton. It is well deserved, and the judoka received the Team Scotland flag from Sir Chris Hoy, the subject of those videos, who performed a similar role at the 2012 Olympics for Team GB.

Hoy handed the flag over to Burton, who will follow in his footsteps in opening the Games at Celtic Park tomorrow night. If he can emulate the all-conquering cyclist's inspirational sporting performance too, it will be a great Games indeed for the hosts.