SNP seeks Catalan help for Glasgow Games

Published on Saturday 25 October 2008 19:27

THE organisers of the Barcelona Olympics are to be recruited to help deliver Glasgow's Commonwealth Games, under plans to be unveiled by SNP ministers next month.

Ministers are preparing a visit to the city where they are expected to sign a deal under which the expertise of those behind the 1992 Games will be borrowed. The team will also be asked to develop ideas on how to create a legacy for Glasgow's games, due to be held in 2014.

However, sports industry sources have raised eyebrows at the move, claiming ministers have singled out Catalonian partners to emphasise both their nationalist aspirations.

It is understood little or no contact has been made with successful organisers of the last Commonwealth Games, in Melbourne. Nevertheless, the Barcelona games were widely held to be a huge success, offering a platform to the area, but also leaving a lasting impact on the city.

Organisers of the Glasgow games hope that a similar ripple effect will be felt across Scotland before and after the games here.

A Government spokesman said: "There is an existing protocol of cooperation between us and with Catalonia, and the Scottish Government values the relationships that we have with our friends and neighbours in Europe."

He added: "We are looking at arrangements for a visit to Catalonia towards the end of the year. Studying the experience of the fantastic 1992 Barcelona Olympics in terms of the legacy benefits, as we prepare our own legacy plans for Glasgow 2014, is one area of common interest that we will certainly wish to discuss with the Catalan authorities."