LONG before the notion of a Glasgow Commonwealth Games so much as twinkled in a politician's eye, Louise Martin was busily smoothing the path for its safe arrival. Nobody was more pivotal to the delivery to Glasgow of the 2014 sporting carnival - confirmed in a couple of heart-stopping seconds in November after a decisive vote in Sri Lanka, and celebrated with equal elan in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, and across Scotland.

The safekeeping of the 2014 games will be duly assigned to others but Martin, the midwife, will never be far away.

Seven years out, it could be argued that the incalculable diligence the Dunblane woman attached to the bidding campaign would justify a seven-year break, but it would be out of character for the 61-year-old volunteer to put herself before the vocation that has consumed her for more than a decade.

While serving two terms as chairman of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland (CGCS) - she passed on the reins last month to Michael Cavanagh - Martin was steadfast in her focus on a concept that most of the population forgets about for four years at a time.

In addition to being Scotland's trusted envoy in this quaint old diplomatic sphere, the former swimmer became in 1999 the first woman to head the Commonwealth Games Federation itself. Such was her insight into the priorities of the 71 national representatives who would determine the fate of the 2014 Games, she made sure every word of the Glasgow proposal was catered to the needs and whims of her various African, Asian and Caribbean associates. Relentless lobbying in Sri Lanka merely iced the cake.

Born in Dunfermline in 1946, Louise Livingstone Campbell's first association with the Commonwealth Games came when she travelled to Perth, Australia, in 1962 to compete for Scotland, reaching the swimming finals in the 100 metres and 200 metres backstroke.

After retiring from swimming at 21 she married Ian Martin, moved to Inverness and had two children, Kerry and Gordon. Kerry took an interest in gymnastics and her mother, by now a lecturer in sports nutrition, took her first major steps into administration by managing Scotland's gymnastics team at the 1994 Games. That led her naturally to the leadership of the CGCS, not to mention seats on the board at UK Sport and Sportscotland, the government funding agencies, and latterly, the Scottish Institute of Sport.

Ian Martin's successful furniture business allowed his wife to maintain this vast portfolio of unpaid service. She was named as UK Sports Administrator Of The Year in 2002 and received a CBEs a year later, before embracing energetically the task of selling Glasgow to the outside world.

After persuading Jack McConnell's Executive to fund a 2014 bid, Martin oversaw the preparation of the proposal and began lobbying for the Games to return to Scotland after a 28-year absence.

She visited more than 60 countries in nine months, often spending less than 24 hours in each and continuously checking in and out of hotels, making presentations and showing foreign friends how to dance the Dashing White Sergeant.