A little bumpy but on the right road...
It’s a positive verdict as Glasgow once again proves itself a world-class host
WE should do this again. Soon. That has to be the over-riding feeling at the conclusion of these European Championships, a brand new concept brought to life in Berlin and — more pertinently, from a Scottish point of view — Glasgow.
It hasn’t all been perfect. Far from it. But worth the effort? Definitely.
World champions vying with Olympic champions, breaking world records amid standout performances from a support cast of global superstars…that takes some beating.
And, potholes, slow-moving police outriders and the odd spot of drizzle notwithstanding, Scotland has delivered. As everyone knew it would.
In an age where the exertion of ‘soft power’ is only likely to become ever more important, a reputation for reliability, adaptability and enthusiasm isn’t to be sniffed at.
So, yes, let’s celebrate a job well done. Maybe even an idea whose time has come?
There are no guarantees that the European Championships will survive and thrive in an increasingly packed calendar of elite events.
Quite apart from the established multi-sport competitions occupying the high ground, it seems as if barely a week goes by without another new contender staking a claim on the public’s attention.
The European Games have their spot marked out. And, although the Athletics World Cup launched in London a few weeks ago may not be off to the most auspicious start, it’s hard to predict just which way the public will swing.
There will be a struggle, then, to keep — give or take one or two — athletics, cycling, swimming, diving, gymnastics, triathlon and rowing all under the one umbrella. And then sell that brolly to the public.
So, in order to help these Championships gain a foothold, why not regularly bring them back to a place increasingly famous for the warmth of its welcome and the sporting fanaticism of its people?
Wait a few years, obviously. Mix things up a bit, too, by putting Edinburgh — which has staged the diving again — forward as host city. Just not at Festival time, obviously.
The track cycling can still take place in Glasgow, with the rest over in the capital.
And, by ‘the rest’, we don’t just mean the non-athletics elements of a championships currently envisaged as being split between two cities.
Ask for the track and field, too. Because you know that, like Hampden, Murrayfield would be a brilliant modern athletics venue.
There would be objections to such an ambitious plan, obviously. But no longer do arguments against bidding for major events include even a hint of a suggestion that we or
do a good job. These past few years, sport really has done a lot for Scotland. Yes, even if it does feel as if our most popular national teams specialise only in agony and misery. The 2014 Commonwealth Games banished our collective cringe, convincing the nay-sayers that we can play mein host with the best of them. Four years on from that golden summer, the best action has undoubtedly been back at a venue transformed for those Games.
Tollcross International Swimming Centre, for example, has witnessed some truly astonishing performances, most — but not all — involving Adam Peaty. The swimming has, as ever, provided the best competitive action.
Track cycling comes a close second, though, with only a surprising lack of domination by Team GB — just the four golds — taking the shine off.
Building the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome continues to look like a smart investment.
The diving over in Edinburgh was a delight, now that we’ve all become such experts, while the triathlon showed off Strathclyde Country Park nicely — and footage from the open water swimming on Loch Lomond should feature in every Visit Scotland tourism video for a while yet.
Gymnastics remains popular here, more so than rowing anyway. Only the golf can be described as a total bust and, even then, crowds picked up over the weekend.
The golf actually served a purpose of sorts, despite the poverty of the field, putting Gleneagles back on the map ahead of next autumn’s Solheim Cup at the PGA Centenary Course.
The 2014 Ryder Cup venue — jeez, we really did bite off quite a lot that year, didn’t we? — deserves to be in the spotlight as often as possible.
Glasgow remains at the forefront of Scotland’s sporting renaissance, with next year’s European Indoor Championships bringing more athletics to town — and Hampden staging Euro 2020 fixtures.
When you look at the portfolio of events put on in Scotland’s largest city over recent years, including World Championships in a number of sports, there’s no reason to think that this tourismboosting, profile-enhancing policy of bidding for major sport will stop any time soon.
The law of averages suggests that they’ll end up bidding for these Euros at some point down the line, then.
The basic idea behind these combined Championships, the belief that all sports benefit from increased exposure by coming together under a single banner, is hard to dispute.
In a conversation with Sir Chris Hoy earlier this week, he stated quite bluntly that the European Track Cycling Championships normally pass ‘in the blink of an eye’ without the media or the public even noticing.
The same goes for swimming. And when was the last time you saw triathlon live on terrestrial television?
If they can just build on the momentum generated here and in Germany, then, this experiment in co-operation has a chance.
Even if Scotland doesn’t get this particular celebration of sport back any time soon, meanwhile, that doesn’t mean we should give up on trying to land every big event on offer.
Because there can be no argument over whether competing at home gives ‘our’ athletes a better chance of glory.
If you happen to believe that medals motivate the next generation to push themselves, whether that involves breaking records or merely breaking couch-potato habits, it just makes sense to keep pitching.
Think of it as a virtuous circle. Build it and they will come. Compete and the public will carry you to glory. Host it and your children will be inspired.
Why stop now?