This weekend's World Indoor Athletics Championships are providing Jamie Bowie with a rare opportunity to perform on the big stage, but the Inverness-born 400 metre runner cannot wait to head back into the great outdoors.

On the face of it he is in a rather strange position, chosen by the British selectors to compete in such a prestigious event but still among those whose places have yet to be confirmed in the Scotland team for this year's Commonwealth Games.

Chosen to go to Poland this weekend as part of the 4x400m team - just as he was for last year's outdoor World Championships in Moscow - he is keen to compete at Hampden on an individual basis and he knows he has work to do.

"We've got an opportunity for a Scottish 4x400m team but it's a tough qualifying standard for the individual, even higher than the standard for the European Championships," he noted. "I've got a wee bit of work to do because it's still a fair bit off. My best at the moment is 0.4 seconds off [the 45.65sec qualifying time].

"I did 46.06 last year then went to the World Championships in Moscow, ran in the relay and did my leg in 44.62. It's obviously different to an individual 400m and it was a confidence boost but I felt that had I not been given the opportunity to go to Moscow I probably could have run under 46 in an individual last year."

Bowie admits to some surprise at both his selection for the team that went to Moscow and receiving world class performance funding thereafter. While he observes that "it shows that my progress is heading in the right direction", it has perhaps also helped give him the courage to speak out as he recently has about the lack of facilities for elite athletes in Scotland.

His comments about the difficulty of gaining access to the indoor track at the Emirates Arena drew a defensive response from Glasgow Life who claimed they were working with scottishathletics to do all they can to make it available to athletes "across all levels in the city and beyond".

Yet Bowie is unrepentant, given the reminder that this weekend's trip provides of the contrast with those elsewhere. "My coach is from Poland so we've been there a couple of times for training camps and they have dedicated training centres that are open and available to elite and performance athletes for 365 days a year," said the 24-year-old, who works as an athletics development officer in East Lothian.

"The worry is what's going to happen after Glasgow, not in terms of this 'legacy' word, but when there's hundreds of kids who want to emulate what they've seen. Will the clubs be able to accommodate them? Are there enough facilities?

"We really need some dedicated training facilities. In England they've got the likes of Loughborough and Bath there, they seem to have a great deal with the university. I believe there's maybe an opportunity in Aberdeen at the new sports village.

"Last year, when the Emirates was available more, we were through there quite a bit in November, December and January, training twice or three times a week. I've checked my training diary and this time we've only been through around seven times since October. I probably sound like a moaning athlete, but all I want is the best chance for our sport and to be able to do the best I can do."

That last remark is made with a good-natured laugh, while in the short term overcoming those obstacles should only add to the satisfaction if he and others manage to represent Scotland creditably at the home Games later this year.

Bowie certainly believes he can do that. "Ever since it was announced in 2007 I wanted to be a part of the Commonwealth Games, but now it's not just about being a part of it," he said. "I've shown from performing in Moscow that I can do it in good company when high performance is demanded."

However, for all that the Games are still five months away, he has little leeway. On return from Poland he will head to Florida for a near month-long camp where, if all goes well in training, there also may be a competitive opportunity before returning. He will then head back to the USA in April with the British team preparing for the newly introduced World Relay Championships.

That leaves relatively little time to work on his performance in the individual event outdoors. "It's a case of hoping to get the opportunities where the quality of fields and track and weather conditions are right because you need the right combination of those," said Bowie.

"There's not an awful lot of time because you are also trying to find the balance between pushing for the qualifying time but making sure you don't empty yourself and have enough in the bank for the Games because I don't just want to be there for the kit."