2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow See Surge In Interest From Fans And Sponsors

Organizers of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow have seen "an upsurge of interest from fans and sponsors on the back of Britain's success in hosting the Olympics this summer," according to Keith Weir of REUTERS. Glasgow 2014 CEO David Grevemberg said, "Already, we've had an increase in the interest, not just on a Scotland-wide bases but on a U.K.-wide basis. People want more of this. It's created a buzz." U.S. computer manufacturer Dell recently became the seventh company to sign up as a sponsor and more are expected to follow in coming weeks. Glasgow is seeking to raise £100M ($159M), or around 20% of the Games budget, from commercial activities including sponsorships, TV deals and ticket sales. Grevemberg said that Glasgow was working hard to make sure the top names made it part of their program to go to Scotland in '14. He said that the British government "had given overseas athletes tax exemption on earnings during the Games," removing one potential hurdle, and added that many of them had a strong U.K. brand to burnish (REUTERS, 9/5).