Glasgow trio prepare for Commonwealth Games flag handover

Three youngsters from Inverclyde have embarked on an intensive three-week bootcamp to train for their role in the official handover of the Commonwealth Flag from Delhi to Glasgow.

Rachel Bushfield, Lee Oribine and Louis Hoodless are among some 350 Scots preparing to perform a mass synchronised dance at the closing ceremony of the Delhi Commonwealth Games on October 14.

The flag handover ceremony will draw the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games to a close and will be the first public statement to the world that Glasgow will be the next host city in 2014.

Councillor Ronnie Ahlfeld said: “I am delighted that Rachel, Lee and Louis will be representing Inverclyde, performing in front of a capacity crowd of 60,000 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. We are all very excited about the challenge that lies ahead for them and I am sure they will make us all proud.”

Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive John Scott said: “After the handover ceremony, cast members will become ambassadors for the Games in their community, and will be involved with the Games for the next four years, leaving a positive and direct legacy that is Scotland-wide.”

Rachel said: “It is quite overwhelming to think that the performance will be beamed live across the Commonwealth to an estimated audience of 1 billion people. We are all bursting to see how the performance will take shape and find out exactly what we will be doing. We think bootcamp will be amazing.”

Councillor Iain McKenzie said: “The Games in Delhi are just a few weeks away now and I think it is fantastic that Inverclyde will play a part in the handover celebrations ahead of Glasgow 2014. We are also looking forward to playing our part in four years time with a refurbished Ravenscraig Stadium and other leisure facilities available for training to the Commonwealth’s top athletes.”

Glasgow invites dancers to perform at Delhi CWG

The organisers of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games are inviting trained dancers and athletes to perform in the handover ceremony at the Delhi 2010 games.

Last week, Glasgow 2014 announced funding for 96 Scots with no previous dance or drama experience to perform at the event. They will rehearse and perform alongside the trained dancers and athletes in India. Experienced performers are now invited to apply.

The handover ceremony between the two games will include an eight minute performance to showcase Glasgow and the rest of Scotland.

The performance, which will involve a mass choreographed dance routine, will take place in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The venue is expected to host a capacity crowd of 60,000 for the closing ceremony. It will be beamed live across the Commonwealth to an estimated television audience of 1billion people.

To be considered for the event, trained dancers and athletes will need a nomination from their coach or accredited organisation to support their application.

Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive John Scott said: "This will be a spectacular event, broadcast to an international audience and an amazing opportunity for dancers or athletes of all levels. We are looking for hundreds of people from dance and sport to come forward to be part of the cast.

"The Handover Ceremony is paving the way for Glasgow 2014, as we will be taking our cast members with us on our journey over the next four years as our ambassadors."

One of the groups already involved are the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Its principal, Professor John Wallace, said: "The RSAMD is delighted to be involved in the handover ceremony in Delhi. As Scotland's international conservatoire, we are keen that our students join with people from across the country and showcase the creativity and talent which abounds in Glasgow and Scotland."

Carrie-Jane Connor, a first year student of Music Theatre at the RSAMD, has already been nominated to perform in Delhi.

She added: "I am thrilled to bits and very proud to have the opportunity to perform at the Commonwealth Games in Dehli. This will be a great experience and exciting to work with a variety of people - it is an experience I will always treasure."

Glasgow Games logo sparks controversy

Similarities have emerged between new design and previous logo developed by branding company.

The new logo for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games has sparked a controversy after it emerged that the company that developed it created a similar logo three years ago.

Branding consultants Marque, the Glasgow-based company that designed the logo at a cost of £95,000 had also designed a logo for The Common Guild, an arts organisation based in the city in 2007.

Like the Glasgow logo, it too features a capital G surrounded by two partial circles within a complete circle.

The Glasgow 2014 logo that was unveiled in the city on Monday also features a capital G at the centre with partial circles around it.

With regard the Creative Guild logo, Marque described it on their website by saying: "We aimed to create an identifying mark, which could be stamped, etched or embossed. This would serve to 'authenticate' the diverse range of Common Guild activities: exhibitions and events, including gallery-based exhibitions, non-gallery projects, interventions and collaborations.

"The delicate line-work and application of the logo mark are a direct reference to a printers 'chop marks'."

The Common Guild logo differs from the Glasgow 2014 logo by having a vertical line through the middle and the lines are much finer. Unlike the Glasgow logo - which is primarily intended to be in colour, although with variants in single colours, the Common Guild logo is only ever used in a single colour.

The Common Guild logo is made from a stylised rendering of the letters 'T' 'C' and 'G', while the 2014 logo takes its inspiration from aspects of sport like running tracks, targets and stopwatches. It is also intended to be displayed with the Commonwealth Games Federation bar below it.

A Glasgow 2014 spokesperson said: "The Glasgow 2014 logo is an original piece of art work that is rooted in sport: time, data and measurement, with a "G" for Glasgow at the heart of the logo, as it is the heart of the Games.

"Whilst it does bear a similarity to The Common Guild logo - which is based around its initials, T, C and G - the Glasgow 2014 brand went through very rigorous testing against existing trademarks and brands. We believe there will be no issues arising from any similarity that people might see."

Marque were selected to develop the branding in October last year after 66 companies from around the world expressed an interest. A shortlist of six was selected before Marque was chosen unanimously by the selection panel that included Paul Stickley, the head of visual communication at the Glasgow School of Art, Commonwealth and Olympic athlete Shirley Webb, and two directors from the Glasgow 2014 organising committee.

Having a specific logo for the games is a requirement made by the the Commonwealth Games Federation as part of the contract to the city that wins the bid to host the games. A logo also allows organisers the opportunity to earn additional income from sponsorship and by selling the right to use the logo.

2014 Glasgow Games logo's significance

While there has been a lot of talk regarding logo of 2014 Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow, many people could not understand what the logo signifies. The logo's 4 colored components depict following:

The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games will be the 20th Games. This is a landmark number that adds to Glasgow’s pride in being its host. The outer ring, that encompasses the others, is a strong, vibrant red – the official “True Red” of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) palette.

There will be 17 sports on the programme at Glasgow 2014. The next ring of the brand identity, in “Triumph Yellow” from the CGF palette, represents the number of sports. It’s exactly 17/20ths of the full circle.

Glasgow 2014 will host 11 days of competition, which are represented in the third ring of the brand identity, rendered in the CGF’s “Heritage blue”, and making up 11/20ths of the circle.
At the heart of our brand identity is 1 Host City, represented by “G” for Glasgow, meaning “Dear Green Place” in Gaelic, and is in a suitably vibrant green.