Commonwealth Games more important than ever: London Olympics chief

NEW DELHI - The chairman of the London 2012 Olympics organising committee, Lord Coe, has said that the Commonwealth Games continue to have a significance far beyond the sporting arena.

Lord Coe said the Games are now possibly the only factor holding the disparate elements of the Commonwealth together.

“I think the Games are more important than ever. I think the Commonwealth is an important construct still - I may be slightly old-fashioned about these things - and (the Games are] probably the only cement common to all the Commonwealth countries.

“Sport is the one thing that makes that construction more relevant. The Commonwealth Games are really important,” The Scotsman quoted Lord Coe, as saying.

Asked if he thought the Glasgow Games might suffer by coming so soon after the larger-scale London Olympics, Lord Coe suggested there would be little chance of that.

“I don’t see it that way at all. I think people have in their minds a very clear narrative from London onwards, and they see almost a golden thread. I have talked to a number of people in the athletes’ village who have been talking about London 2012 and then Glasgow 2014. They do see a continuum,” he said.

Lord Coe was speaking at a meeting in the Scotland team’s Delhi headquarters, which was hosted by Glasgow 2014 chief executive John Scott. (ANI)