Review of 2014: Sport puts Scotland centre stage

Stephen McGinty continues his look at the momentous year that is ending by turning his attention to July and August

The Commonwealth Games events were preceded by a colourful opening ceremony at Celtic Park. Picture: Ian Rutherford

JULY

WHEN Glasgow was awarded the Commonwealth Games no-one would have imagined the city basking in a brief heatwave when the event came around.

Then again no-one could have envisioned an opening ceremony of giant dancing Tunnock’s Tea Cakes, of pirouetting Irn-Bru cans and a surprise gay kiss that beamed out an image of tolerance to the world.

No-one could have imagined Team England, who were quietly prepared for boos, receiving the largest cheer of the night, after Team Scotland, or Susan Boyle forgetting the words to Mull of Kintyre or Prince Imran of Malaysia cutting his hand while trying to open the Queen’s Baton.

As the opening ceremony with all its kitsch references, inflatable Nessies and images of the Forth road bridge played out, some were embarrassed and may have welcomed the detonation of the Red Road flats, as originally planned, but by the end as Nicola Benedetti played Loch Lomond others felt the event had successfully captured what would become the great, gallus games. Best bit? The Scottie dogs.

Over the course of 12 days the 2014 Commonwealth Games demonstrated Glasgow at its best and Scottish athletes to be international forces with which to be reckoned. Ross Murdoch and Hannah Miley both won gold at swimming and Murdoch broke a million mother’s hearts as he struggled to hold back the tears on the winner’s podium.

When Daniel Wallace also won gold he shouted: “Freedom” from the podium and prompted the odd tut-tut from what was deemed to be a politics-free event.

Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter, blotted his copy book by dismissing the games as “a bit s***” compared to the London Olympics, but later insisted he had said no such thing and was embraced by the spectators when he finally appeared in the relay at Hampden Park, where he danced to the Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) and helped Jamaica win gold.

Local heroes included the bowler Alex Marshall who introduced the polite world of lawn bowls to the Scots gesture loosely translated as “get it up ye” while the weary, but elated boxer and part-time postman Charlie Flynn became a Youtube sensation with his post victory interview in which he declared; “the postie always delivers.”

Erraid Davies, a 13-year-old from Shetland became Scotland’s youngest Commonwealth games medal winner when she won bronze in the 100m breaststroke para final.

In a first for a major sporting event, the Glasgow Games organisers insisted that the para-games run in tandem so that all sportsmen and women were united instead of one event being viewed more prominently than the other.

The games were also popular with the Royals with both Prince William, his wife Kate and brother Prince Harry all attending a variety of events. Security was so tight that Sir Chris Hoy was, at first, refused entry to the velodrome that bears his name.

In a feat of sporting tenacity Lynsey Sharp won silver in the 800m despite being so sick the previous night that she had to be taken to hospital and put on a drip. By the end Scotland had won 53 medals, 19 gold, 15 silver and 19 bronze and came fourth in the final medal table.

The closing ceremony featured singer Kylie Minogue representing the Gold Coast of Australia which will host the 2018 Games but for many Deacon Blue’s rendition of Dignity captured an amazing event. As the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation Prince Imran said in words that will be long remembered: “You really have delivered in every aspect, the best games ever.”

Other nations were less successful with their sporting events. Brazil, the host of the World Cup, was beaten 7-1 by Germany, (who would go on to win the tournament) triggering an atmosphere akin to national mourning.

Israel launched Operation Protective Edge on the Palestinian Gaza Strip with missile strikes followed by a ground invasion that resulted in the deaths of 2,100 Palestinians and 71 Israelis. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (a Boeing 777) is shot down by a missile, believed to be fired by Pro-Russian separatists, while flying over Ukraine, killing 298 people including 15 crew.

Labour parliamentary candidate Kathy Wiles stepped down after tweeting an image of Hitler Youth in response to the publication of a photograph of children at a pro-independence demonstration outside BBC Scotland’s headquarters.

Scotland’s Central Belt is sitting on billions of barrels of shale oil and trillions of cubic feet of gas, enough to power the nation for 50 years, according to the British Geological Survey. David Cameron accused the Scottish Government of using “threats and warnings” to discourage business leaders from declaring their support for the UK. At Question Time he urged the “silent majority” to make their views “ring out across the land”. The following day he announced a £500m funding boost for Glasgow for infrastructure and job creation and the long-awaited rail link from the city to the airport.

The launch at Rosyth dockyard of the largest warship ever built in the UK was steeped in symbolism. Launched by the Queen with a bottle of whisky, the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir George Zambellas said the HMS Queen Elizabeth would help keep the “Great in Great Britain and the Royal in Royal Navy”.

Figures reveal that the No Campaign has received £4.1m in the previous six months. The Economist ran a cover story of a Scot in a See You Jimmy hat with a saltire painted on his face and the headline: “Don’t leave us this way” and argued a “break-up” would “benefit nobody”. However, Scots fearful that Britain will leave the EU following Cameron’s “in-out” referendum are revealed to be flocking to the Yes campaign.

AUGUST

The heads of the Commonwealth nations exchanged track suits for sombre suits as they joined the Queen in attending a church service at Glasgow Cathedral to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War.

The United States began an air campaign in northern Iraq to stem the advance of ISIS.

Nicola Sturgeon said the success of the Games would propel the country to back independence. She declared then: “I think the momentum is with us. I think, as we come out of the Commonwealth Games at the weekend, that is us in the final straight of the campaign and you will see the momentum quite visibly.”

On 5 August, the then-First Minister Alex Salmond and former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Labour MP Alastair Darling went head to head in the first TV debate of the campaign, with a snap poll afterwards declaring the leader of Better Together having won. The demand from a worldwide audience was so great that STV’s server could not cope. During the debate Mr Salmond refused to spell out a Plan B in the event of a failure to secure a currency union. He later admitted he should have done better on answering concerns about currency.

Mick Jagger, Dame Judi Dench and Stephen Hawking are among 200 celebrities who wrote urging Scots to remain in the UK. Brian Cox, the actor who supports independence, said he would nevertheless not wish to see the BBC broken up – a key Scottish government policy. He also dismissed claims the BBC has been biased in its coverage.

The then-Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont warned the average family could face an extra £1,600 a year on their mortgage repayments as rates rise following the failure to secure a currency union. However, Mr Swinney argued that full employment is possible under an independent Scotland. The Treasury then released a statement claiming that one in ten jobs would be jeopardised in the event of a Yes result.

The Governor of the Bank of England drew up emergency plans to deal with the consequences of a run on Scottish banks in the event of a Yes vote.

Canon Kenyon Wright, who chaired the Constitutional Convention that paved the way for the Scottish Parliament, says he previously argued for devo max but now believed independence would be “the only way left open to give Scotland powers over her own affairs that is both complete and secure.”

Mr Salmond visited Arbroath Abbey to unveil his own Declaration of Arbroath seeking to “invoke the spirit of Robert the Bruce” as he urged Scots to vote Yes. He said: “The Arbroath Declaration didn’t simply help to ensure Scotland’s survival as an independent nation. It said that the wider community of Scotland could choose a government to protect their interests.” He later said he would quit as First Minister if it helped to secure a Yes vote.

Mr Darling became the first to embrace the “ice bucket challenge” but Mr Salmond followed two days later and challenged the Prime Minister. Mr Cameron kindly demurred. On 25 August, the final TV debate between Mr Darling and Mr Salmond saw the First Minister emerge triumphant with 71 per cent of the voters compared to 29 per cent for Mr Darling in a snap poll by ICM/Guardian.

Alistair Carmichael, the Scottish Secretary, said he would resign following a Yes vote and join Mr Salmond’s “Team Scotland” to assist in the negotiations for the terms of independence. Council staff across Scotland were banned from putting Yes or No stickers on their own cars. Labour MP Jim Murphy was forced to stop his “100 streets in 100 days” tour of Scotland on police advice after being struck by an egg by a Yes supporter in Kirkcaldy. He believes that he is the victim of a “campaign of intimidation”. Yes announced that they have secured their millionth signature.

Peter Capaldi made his series debut as Dr Who. He arrived after being hiccuped out of the mouth of a dinosaur into Victorian London.

Edinburgh Zoo revealed that Sweeite is pregnant, except, of course, she isn’t. Or wasn’t. Or certainly isn’t now. Or ever will be?