With the Commonwealth Games in Delhi only 70 days away, Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) and the Scottish Wrestling Association today announced the 10 wrestlers (three men and seven women) selected to represent Team Scotland at the Games in October. This is the first of 16 sports competing in Delhi to have its athlete selections confirmed.
One of the original six sports included in the first Games in 1930, wrestling is now an optional sport and was last in the Games at Manchester in 2002, and it will also be in Glasgow in 2014. Wrestling is a hugely popular sport in India and one in which the hosts have targeted significant medal success. Such is the level of interest in the sport that the Scots selected today can expect to compete in front of 5,000 capacity crowds at every session, which will take place at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex 5-10 October 2010.
Women’s wrestling will also be making its debut in Delhi and CGS is particularly delighted to have female entries in all seven weight categories a remarkable feat given that there was no women’s performance programme in Scotland until 18 months ago.
This has come about as a result of a sportscotland backed talent transfer initiative led by Scottish Wrestling, which saw judo athletes take up the sport. Five of the seven women selected today came from judo, having enjoyed considerable success in that sport, but with judo omitted from the Commonwealth Games programme in both Melbourne and Delhi, there was a clear incentive to switch. Twins, Donna and Fiona Robertson both have Commonwealth Games bronze medals in judo from the 1990 Games in Auckland and the 2002 Games in Manchester respectively.
The Scottish performance squad have mat sessions on six days each week at Palace of Art in Glasgow, overseen by national coach, Volodymyr Gladkov from Ukraine. This is complemented by three weekly strength and conditioning training sessions, provided as part of a support services package from the sportscotland institute of sport network.
The majority of the team visited Jalandahar in India in December last year to take part in the Commonwealth Championships, the official test event for the Commonwealth Games. They enjoyed their most successful ever Commonwealth Championships, winning five medals and hope this augurs well for Delhi in October.
Congratulating the team, Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome the 10 wrestlers to Team Scotland. They have truly earned their places on the team and I hope that they now can focus over these next two months on their final preparations that will put them in the best possible shape to excel at the Games.”
Jon Doig, Team Scotland Chef de Mission added: “All the wrestlers can feel rightly proud that they are our first athletes named in Team Scotland. This is the first step to achieving their goals in Delhi and all the support staff look forward to ensuring they have every opportunity to excel at the Games.”
On behalf of Scottish Wrestling, Team Leader John Keogh said: “I am extremely proud of the team selected for Delhi. It is a fabulous achievement to have ten wrestlers qualify and is testament to all their hard work. The women in particular, most of whom transferred from judo only 18 months ago to now compete at the highest level in another sport, must be commended, along with our head coach Volodymyr Gladkov.”
The majority of the wrestling team now head to Romania on Monday to benefit from further training and international competition, then on to Ukraine as they make their final preparations for the Commonwealth Games.
Athlete Category Age Lives
Craig McKenna 55kg Clydebank
Viorel Etko 60kg Aberdeen
Sean Keogh 74kg Glasgow
Fiona Robertson 48kg Hamilton
Donna Robertson 51kg Hamilton
Jayne Clason 55kg Falkirk
Kathryn Gallagher 59kg Glasgow
Tracey Connell 63kg Falkirk
Ashlea McManus 67kg Vancouver
Sarah Jones 72kg Glasgow
Wrestling Team Leader – John Keogh Glasgow
Head Coach - Volodymyr Gladkov Glasgow
Coach – Colin Mclaren Alloa
- The wrestling competition will be held in accordance with the rules of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA).
- There are a total of 21 gold medals to be contested for in wrestling at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The men’s competition will feature both Freestyle and Greco Roman disciplines with seven weight categories in each: 50-55kg, 60kg, 66kg, 74kg, 84kg, 96kg, 96-120kg. Scotland is only entering competitors in freestyle.
- The women’s competition will be freestyle only with seven weight categories:
44-48kg, 51kg, 55kg, 59kg, 63kg, 67kg, 67-72kg.
- Commonwealth Games Scotland is the lead body for Commonwealth sport in Scotland and is the organisation responsible for selecting, preparing and managing Scotland’s team at the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games.
- The Commonwealth Games is the only multi-sport event in which Scotland competes as Scotland.
- Scotland has competed in every Games since the first Empire Games in 1930 and has hosted the Games twice in Edinburgh 1970 and 1986. The Commonwealth Youth Games were also inaugurated in Edinburgh in 2000. Glasgow will be host city in 2014 when the Games return to Scotland for a third time.
- Working closely with Scotland’s national governing bodies of sport, Commonwealth Games Scotland aims to have the best prepared team possible at every Games, creating the right performance environment and giving athletes every opportunity to excel at the Games.
- The athletes representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games will be known as Team Scotland – 17 Sports, One Team.
- Commonwealth Games Scotland and Team Scotland are backed by excellent commercial partners in Clydesdale Bank and Emirates Airline and has strong public sector support from sportscotland the national agency for sport.
- The 19th Commonwealth Games will be held in Delhi 3-14 October 2010.
- The full team will be announced by 18 August 2010.