Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond said the Commonwealth Games could be summed up as "gallus and glittering," according to the Scotland DAILY RECORD. Salmond added, "The overwhelming impression of Glasgow and Scotland's Games is of a job extremely well done." Organizers "paid tribute to everyone they said had made the Games a success -- from the athletes and volunteers to the people of Glasgow who welcomed the 71 nations and territories to their city." The competition saw more than 140 Commonwealth "and several world records broken." Sportscotland Chair Louise Martin said, "Scotland has proved itself as a truly world-class destination for sport and everyone at sportscotland is now looking forward to using this momentum to continue developing sport at all levels throughout the country" (DAILY RECORD, 8/3). The AFP reported Salmond "quelled expectations that the Games could provide a springboard for Scotland to host larger sporting events." He claimed that the Commonwealth Games were "great value" given the "relatively low level of public expenditure needed" in comparison to the World Cup or the Olympic Games (AFP, 8/3). The BBC reported "there had been concerns over whether such success would be forthcoming." All the events, however, "have been well attended and, for the most part, the weather has also been favourable, as a new generation of athletes have taken their chance to impact on the public consciousness." A look at the event by the numbers shows that:
- Almost 3.5 million people "passed through the city's Central Station."
- 1.2 million tickets were sold.
- 171,000 people attended the Rugby Sevens -- "a record for the sport."
- 15,000 Clydesiders volunteered.
Glasgow 2014 CEO David Grevemberg "believes the city has shown that it has a 'special way of hosting sport.'" Grevemberg: "I believe this is the beginning, not the end. The legacy of these Games will live on in the children it has inspired" (
BBC, 8/3).
NO REGRETS: FAIRFAX MEDIA reported Australian runner Genevieve LaCaze, who "stage bombed Kylie Minogue's Commonwealth Games closing ceremony performance," said that she has "no regrets." She "stole the show when she jumped on stage at Glasgow, waving a miniature flag alongside Minogue's dancers for almost a minute before being ushered away by security" (FAIRFAX MEDIA, 8/4).
GLASGOW COMES THROUGH: In Sydney, Phil Lutton wrote Glasgow "may well be looked upon as the city that saved a dying movement from itself, finding character in a competition that was hopelessly spinning its wheels in the modern sporting landscape" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 8/4).
NETBALL PLANS TO CASH IN: NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA's Jon Ralph reported Australia netball coach Lisa Alexander said that "netball has emerged as a mainstream sport as her players bask in the glow of Commonwealth Games gold." Australia’s women "reclaimed the mantle as the world's best nation but it only caps the huge ground made by netball in the last 12 months." Every indicator -- "broadcast audience, digital, game attendance -- shows Australia is slowly creeping up on others in the competition for traction in the competitive Australian marketplace" (NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA, 8/5).
