Scotland will have 23-strong athletics team at Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

Scottish Athletics has announced its selection policy for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Eilidh Doyle celebrates winning silver for Scotland in the 400 metres hurdles at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018. Picture: Michael Steele/Getty Images

The sport will take 23 competitors to the Midlands, one of the largest athletics teams for a Games taking place outside of Scotland in recent decades.

The allocated quota includes relay runners but not para athletes.

The qualifying period opens on January 1 next year for marathon and March 1 for track and field.

Those periods will remain open through to the end of February 2022 for marathon and June 15, 2022 for track and field.

“Those latter months hopefully [will] provide selection opportunities if events have been significantly disrupted by Covid-19 in 2021,” said Scottish Athletics in a statement.

Scotland claimed five athletics medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast thanks to Mark Dry, Robbie Simpson, Maria Lyle, Eilidh Doyle and Jake Wightman.

Scottish Athletics will lobby for additional places in Team Scotland and the statement added: “It’s clear that with athletics in Scotland in a strong position at the moment there will be intense competition for the allocated places within the overall Team Scotland – which is itself beholden to restricted numbers from the Commonwealth Games Federation, the event organisers.

“We are firmly resolved to continue lobbying throughout the qualifying period for additional places and, of course, there could be many factors yet at play with regard to the scale of the overall Birmingham 2022 event.

“Qualifying marks are outlined and have to be achieved once. But it should be stressed that one qualifying standard does not mean automatic selection.

“The marks are predicated on potential top six place finish in Birmingham – top three for Para athletes – so reaching the final really will be the goal for every athlete selection.”

Stephen Maguire, Scottish Athletics’ director of performance and coaching, added: “Medal potential and top six placing is right at the top of the list in terms of the goals for Team Scotland and I think we’ve a pretty big number of Scottish athletes who can realistically be thinking that way about the Commonwealths.

“Competition for the 23 places (allocated by Commonwealth Games Scotland) will be very intense – there is no doubt about that. But I think we want to see that because that will help drive better performances and raise the bar further.”

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