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Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
JONATHAN BROCKLEBANK: Glasgow hosted a glorious Games - but bringing them back now feels like a terrible mistake
A kind of magic typically descends on Scotland when it hosts world sporting events. I am a veteran of several Open championships at St Andrews and, at each one, I've fallen under the spell. Seve Ballesteros holing his 12ft putt on the 18th to clinch the title in1984? I was greenside, watching the ball hesitate on the lip of the cup and then finally drop, prompting ecstasy from the Spaniard. He later described it as happiest moment of his life. It was one of the most unforgettable in mine. Some moaned about the road closures but it's the magic I remember about the UCI Cycling World Championships when they hit Glasgow two summers ago. In the 160mile men's road race Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel hurtled into a crash barrier in the Merchant City after opening up a commanding lead. 'Someone call an ambulance' was my first thought. His first one was getting back on his damaged bike and hanging on for victory. Bewitching viewing. So were the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 11 years ago. I was among the 60,000 at the opening ceremony at Celtic Park – a delightfully bonkers spectacle of dancing tea cakes and Scottie dogs in tartan coats leading out the teams from each participating nation. The late Queen was there; the Red Arrows too. Rod Stewart and Amy Macdonald duetted on Rhythm of My Heart together. Susan Boyle, bless her, did Mull of Kintyre. I was too caught in the moment to consider how all this was playing elsewhere, but I gather a UK audience of nine million tuned in for the BBC's coverage, while the estimated worldwide audience was one billion. On the streets of Glasgow the games were inescapable. A volunteer army of more than 12,000 helpers – known as Clyde-siders – saw to that. Fine by me. In a few weeks it would be the independence referendum that was inescapable. Here was a welcome chance for the city to stand as one before facing the sorry task of dividing itself in two. I struggle to think of a single occasion in the past when Scotland has not been enriched by the arrival of elite sports men and women on its shores. Why then, does the return of the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow next summer feel like a terrible mistake? Why does it bring groans rather than tingles of anticipation? And why does the same sense of listlessness seem to afflict the BBC which, last time around, cleared its schedules for such unpromising spectacles as weightlifting from the Armadillo and bowling from Kelvingrove Park? A year out from the Games, the Beeb has not yet committed to showing anything at all. And, I'm sorry to say, I kind of get it. In 2014 the athletics were hosted by Hampden Park, our national stadium. Twelve years later they are heading for Scotstoun stadium which, even with added temporary seating, will have a quarter of Hampden's capacity. There will be just 10 core sports and a total of four venues. In 2014 there were 17 sports and 16 venues. Yes, these are a scaled down version of the Games, everyone involved has readily admitted ever since Glasgow contrived to find itself the only candidate for staging them – but they will still be magic. Really? They are beginning to sound like a school sports day. I wonder if attending them won't feel rather like showing up for a wake and swapping wistful memories of the deceased. Remember 2014 when the world's fastest man Usain Bolt stood in the rain in the east end and – allegedly – delivered the verdict that whole shebang was 'a bit sh*t'? How fervently we took issue at the time. Sure, it may have lacked the wallop of the Olympics or the World Cup Finals but it was a sporting feast nonetheless. Our stadiums were filled. Our hearts were full, our voices hoarse. This time around? I cannot imagine being in any position to disagree with the sprinter's original assessment. You may remember that the Australian state of Victoria was slated to host the 2026 Games until it pulled out in July 2023. State premier Daniel Andrews – a republican – said he was not prepared to spend up to £3.6 billion on a '12 day sporting event'. 'I've made a lot of difficult decisions in this job,' he added: 'This is not one of them.' The 2022 Games were held in Birmingham after Durban in South Africa – the only bidder for the event – was ruled out due to financial constraints. The 2030 Games? They were supposed to be heading for Alberta in Canada but, a month after Victoria ditched plans to host next year's games, Alberta got its cancellation in early for following edition. Are we getting a pattern here? Is every Commonwealth country but Britain waking up to the fact the games are past their sell-by date? I'm lukewarm at best about the return of the Games not only because, by financial necessity, they will be a pale imitation of the 2014 version. It's also the fact no-one else on the planet wanted them. Victoria was prepared to hand over £100 million to Glasgow just to be shot of them. How deafening the silence from potential hosts when Mr Andrews delivered his bombshell in 2023. All around, great Commonwealth nations sitting on their hands, avoiding gazes, waiting for some muggins UK city to blink. As a sports lover, it depresses me to say it, but I wish Glasgow had sat on its hands too. If these games are to survive – and I doubt they will – then the least they require is a level of desire among nations beyond our shores to host them. That's a big ask in the 21st century. Don't forget this is an event which began life in 1930 as the British Empire Games and did not drop the word 'empire' from its name until 1970. Queen Elizabeth II may not have seen it this way – she treasured the Commonwealth – but the competing nations in this quadrennial fixture owe their right to participate to history which not all of their populations now celebrate. It's because of this history that Canadian athletes compete but USA ones do not, that practically the whole of Europe is a no show. Here in the UK our attachment to the Games is, I suspect, of a different nature to that of other Commonwealth nations – and not simply because we are the daddy. We enjoy the fact that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland compete as separate nations rather than Team GB as they do in the Olympics. For those of a Nationalist, republican bent, it may be the one thing the Games have going for them. But I wonder if the time has come for us to worry less about keeping the Games on life support and focus more on their reputation outside the UK. Are they a thing of value or a diplomatic chore? Do top-flight athletes in Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Jamaica still see them as relevant to their careers or might they have come round to Mr Bolt's way of thinking? I don't say it should be the latter but, if it is, it's time to let go.
Daily Mirror
20 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
LIV Golf star shows true colours as he speaks about crowd reaction to Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy may have had to settle for finishing tied for seventh at The Open, but the wave of support for the Masters-winning superstar was unlike anything Tom McKibbin has ever seen LIV Golf star Tom McKibbin has claimed he has never witnessed anything quite like the reception given to Rory McIlroy at The 153rd Open Championship. McIlroy was unable to claim his sixth major at Royal Portrush, as he and his fellow competitors could only look on whilst Scottie Scheffler cruised to victory to take the Claret Jug. Nevertheless, the 36-year-old received a hero's welcome when he stepped onto the course, with locals desperate to catch sight of the Masters champion. The highly-regarded McKibbin, who endured a disappointing Open Championship after missing the cut on day two, has now praised the Portrush spectators for their steadfast backing of McIlroy, who eventually secured a T7 finish. The youngster's comments display that, even though the support was largely reserved for McIlroy, whose pleas he famoulsy ignored to sign up to LIV Golf this year, he was still ecstatic to see his compatriot be given such a reception. "Yeah, no, I didn't see the stuff on Sunday. I obviously seen it the first couple days, on the Friday," the 22-year-old said when questioned about the crowd's response to the Holywood-born star. "I think he was finishing up when we were on the 12th or 13th, so you could obviously see them from very far away, and the crowds were incredible last week. It was something I hadn't seen before, and it was really good, the support that they showed everyone." With speculation that future Open tournaments could return to Portrush – or Portmarnock – McKibbin was questioned about what teeing off at those venues for a major would mean to him, reports Belfast Live. "I think Portmarnock is a great links course, probably one of the best in the country, and again, it's a very sort of special, special place, special golf club with a lot of history," the Northern Irishman said. "It's a very pure form of golf. As all the rumors are, the Open there would be pretty cool, and to sort of have two Open venues on the island would be pretty cool." McKibbin has suffered from inconsistent form in the Saudi Arabian-backed circuit this year and blamed "silly" errors for his Open Championship woes. "It's been a frustrating last two days. I've played some really nice golf," McKibbin told BBC Sport. "I think it's the best I've played in the four majors I've played in. There was just a few silly mistakes. It's very frustrating with the way I think I've been playing. "I birdied the first and made some really nice chances, and to drop those shots that I didn't think were too poor of a shot, they were more of a mistake, that's what more frustrating than anything." McKibbin's switch to LIV notably grabbed McIlroy's attention, with the Northern Irishman urging him against joining the breakaway circuit. Nevertheless, McKibbin opted to proceed anyway and has since revealed he harbours no regrets about rejecting the PGA Tour, whilst also explaining how competing alongside stars such as Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau has sharpened his skills. "No, very happy," he told the Irish Independent in May when asked about any regrets over his move. "I've had a great time. Yeah, I'm very happy. I've been very fortunate to tee up alongside several stellar players who have shone in the majors and battle it out with them."
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Incredible Scottie Scheffler omen behind first career Grand Slam shot
World No.1 will have his opening opportunity to become the seventh man to win the lot and it'll come on a special day Landmark-racking Scottie Scheffler will have an incredible omen at his back when he has his first shot at the career Grand Slam. The World No.1 collected the third of the cherished set of four Major titles when winning The Open at Royal Portrush last weekend. Scheffler's success added to the two Masters successes and the PGA Championship triumph clinched at Quail Hollow this year. At the age of 29, he is three-quarters of the way to becoming the seventh golfer in history to win all of the biggest events. Rory McIlroy became the sixth in April when his victory at Augusta complete his career Grand Slam at the age of 36. Now Scheffler is one away and his first opportunity comes next June when the US Open, the only one missing from his CV, is staged at Shinnecock Hills. That tournament takes place on 2026 dates from Thursday June 18 until the concluding fourth day of the championship on Sunday June 21. Incredibly, June 21 is also Scheffler's birthday and he could have the chance to seal he prestigious landmark on the day he turns 30. In the aftermath of his Open win, Scheffler was asked if he had thought about the prospect of making it the clean sweep in the future, but he responded: 'I mean, no, I just got off the golf course a few minutes ago. 'That's one of those funny things that I think, since Rory accomplished that this year, it's on the front of everybody's mind, just because it is such an historic accomplishment in the game of golf. 'What a tremendous thing for Rory to be able to accomplish. To win all four major championships is pretty dang special. It's for sure a career achievement. 'I don't focus too much on that stuff. When this season ends after the Ryder Cup for me, I'll get home,and I'll assess kind of where my game's at and things I can improve on and then kind of go from there. I just look at the body of work I have and just think about ways to improve.' Scheffler beat countryman Harris English by four in Northern Ireland to chalk up a fourth Major of his career. Intriguingly, the gap between Tiger Woods' first major win and his fourth was 1197 days and the current golf king matched at Portrush. that in Northern Ireland. Compatriot Xander Schauffele stated Scheffler is now taking over Tiger's throne of dominance, while McIlroy admitted only two or three players in the history of the game are on a run like the Open king is on at the moment. But the man himself pushed away growing comparisons with Woods as he said: 'I still think they're a bit silly. Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. 'I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was.'
