Golden girl
Watched by more than one billion people from across the world, SANDRA DICK explains why Glasgow’s £91m gamble to co-host the 2018 European Championships has paid off
OF course, it rained. And, naturally, Glasgow’s roads were gridlocked.
But as the 2018 European Championships drew to a wet and blustery close and Scotland’s golden girl Laura
Muir raced her heart out to make 1,500m history on the track in Berlin, nothing could dampen 11 days of sporting thrills and – for yesterday’s road cyclists – spills.
The championships might have been a £91 million gamble – the cost to the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council of co-hosting a sports event which saw the big crowd-pulling athletics played out not here, but in Berlin.
However, by close of play last night, with crowds packing George Square for a vibrant Celtic Connections-themed party and Great Britain in second place on the medal table behind Russia, it seemed clear that Glasgow and Scotland were the big winners.
For almost two weeks Scotland’s largest city held the focus of European sporting attention, host to the final “hurrah” in a summer packed with nail-biting action and a welcome reminder of 2014, when Glasgow put on a Commonwealth Games party and firmly placed itself on the international stage as a venue for top-class sport.
As Muir switched up a gear at the 900m mark to cruise ahead of the pack in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, pony tail whipping behind her, George Square bounced to Ross Ainslie and Jarlath Henderson’s bagpipes and folk band Shooglenifty.
Muir celebrated her success draped in a Union Flag – she crossed the line to become the first British woman to win the 1,500m outdoor European title – while Eilish Mccolgan limbered up to take silver in the 5,000m.
Meanwhile, George Square danced, and the event organisers totted up its success.
In all, more than 360,000 fans attended the championships, with around 140,000 tickets sold, and 220,000 people taking part in free sport and the event’s live sites at George Square and Glasgow Green.
While locals put up with traffic chaos courtesy of road closures to accommodate cyclists, international eyes were on Scotland.
More than 40 “free to air” broadcasters, including the BBC, covered the games, beaming around 4,000 hours of free coverage to 43 countries and an anticipated 1.03 billion viewers.
It was a win-win for tourism chiefs. At home, the BBC recorded 1.6 million viewers tuning in to watch Scottish swimmer Duncan Scott snatch silver in the 100m freestyle at Tollcross pool.
Philip Bernie, head of TV Sport, said: “We are very happy with how the first European Championships have worked. The combination of sports in one event certainly helped raise the championships’ profile, and the viewing figures have also been pleasingly encouraging.”
Culture and Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop added: “This has been an exciting sporting celebration, delivering seven sports in two cities across two nations, uniting sporting federations in a way that has never been done before, and builds on our success in hosting major events.
“We have again shown that we can use sport and cultural opportunities to showcase our nation.
“Our incredible volunteers deserve special thanks as they have been the heart and soul of the championships.”
The multi-sport event had brought together the existing European Championships of athletics with aquatics, cycling, golf, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon.
Around 3,025 athletes came to Scotland as part of a total delegation of around 8,500, including officials, media and others. A further 1,500 athletes competed in Berlin.
Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said: “The atmosphere in Glasgow during the championships has been tremendous – and the welcome that people all over the city have given to athletes and visitors alike has been typically friendly and enthusiastic.
“Although it comes as absolutely no surprise, I couldn’t be more proud of the way the city has embraced our friends and neighbours from across Europe and made these inaugural championships such a success.”
According to Paul Bush, director of events at Visit Scotland, the championships could be the start of Scotland taking a leading role in the international sporting calendar, perhaps as host to the first world mixed golf championships or – far more radical – as an Olympic venue.
He said: “In world sporting terms, this event has been a real disruptor. It’s not owned by an umbrella body like the IOC or Commonwealth Games Association, it’s been a coalition of the willing.
“Look at the Olympics really struggling to get hosts for the 2026 Winter Olympics. People will laugh, but we could do summer and winter sports in Glasgow.
“We could have cross-country skiing through the streets. Snow is really easy to make now, big air, and combine it with summer sports. From a spectator and viewing perspective, that’s really exciting.
“If people sat and thought about it for a few minutes, it’s really not that daft.”
We could have crosscountry skiing through the streets. Snow is really easy to make now