THIS WILL BE HUGE, SAYS SIR CHRIS

LET the games begin. The starting pistol on the 2018 European Championships will not be fired until Thursday, setting in motion an 11-day festival of sport. But Sir Chris Hoy yesterday gently lifted the curtain on what he believes will be a spectacular event across the city and beyond. For the first time, the European Championships of cycling, gymnastics, rowing, swimming, triathlon and athletics are being brought together in one event. The athletics will be hosted by Berlin but all the other events will be held in Scotland. There is also a new mixed-gender team golf competition, which will take place at Gleneagles in Perthshire. Big names expected to compete include swimmers Adam Peaty, Hannah Miley, Ross Murdoch and Duncan Scott; cyclists Jack Carlin, John Archibald, Katie Archibald, Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny; gymnasts Max Whitlock and Becky Downie; British golfers Richie Ramsay, Catriona Matthew and Lee Slattery. Hoy, our greatest Olympian with six gold medals and a silver, believes Scotland will host ‘a mini Commonwealth Games’. He said: ‘A lot of the athletes will be surprised at how big this is and how the public will get behind it. ‘It’s on their doorstep and will be massive.’ Hoy, who met 200 Games volunteers at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, is particularly enthused about the quality in his sport. ‘The biggest names in the world of cycling are coming,’ he added. ‘It’s the first qualifying event for the Olympics, so that’s an added bonus. The British team is the strongest I have seen since Rio. ‘To have all the sports together gives it a broader appeal.’