European Championships were ‘incredible success’

Half a million people got involved in events which were linked to the inaugural European Championships in Glasgow, organisers have claimed.

Glasgow 2018 saw the city host aquatics, cycling, gymnastics, golf, rowing and triathlon over 11 days of competition this month, while Berlin staged the athletics.

It was the biggest sporting event hosted in Glasgow since the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Organisers of the championships, which drew to a close on Sunday, said more than 500,000 people – double the projected number – attended a sports session or one of the associated cultural events.

Some 138,000 tickets were issued to spectators for sporting events such as the swimming at Tollcross, track cycling at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome or diving at Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Pool.

An estimated 57,000 people turned out to watch free events such as the men’s and women’s road races and cycling time trial events, mountain biking at Cathkin Braes and open water swimming at Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, organisers revealed.

Meanwhile, George Square was said to have attracted tens of thousands of people with events such as a mass ceilidh, a mass karaoke and an orchestral concert.

Thousands of people were also said to have attended the daily Go Live! events at Glasgow Green and street events in the Merchant City.

Championships director Colin Hartley thanked all those involved in the event.

He said: “A major marker of success will be the final broadcast numbers – we know the vast potential there is to showcase Scotland across Europe and beyond.

“However, the levels of competition, cheering and celebrating are all immediate indicators of the inaugural European Championships being an incredible success.”