:00:00. > 3:59:59between a band of heavy and thundery showers and it will be notably
:00:00. > :00:07.fresher with Tonight the eyes of the world will
:00:08. > :00:10.be on Scotland as Glasgow prepares Tens of thousands of visitors
:00:11. > :00:27.are here for 11 days of sport. There is such a buzz about place.
:00:28. > :00:32.The weather is good and people are out and about. We are out and about.
:00:33. > :00:33.We're looking forward to watching the Opening Ceremony on the big
:00:34. > :00:34.screen. A potential TV audience
:00:35. > :00:37.of up to 1 billion people will be watching the Opening Ceremony,
:00:38. > :00:48.which begins here at Celtic Park I want my fastest race of the year
:00:49. > :00:51.to be on that track in Hamdan. Win-mac we want to put on a
:00:52. > :00:58.brilliant performance that will please the crowd.
:00:59. > :01:01.We'll hear from a man who knows what it's like
:01:02. > :01:07.But Team Scotland has some tough competition.
:01:08. > :01:14.They're up against some of the biggest names in sport.
:01:15. > :01:17.We'll be live across the city and hear from an East End girl who
:01:18. > :01:36.The place they called the second city of the Empire is the first
:01:37. > :01:45.Here, the summer evening sunshine has
:01:46. > :01:49.added to the warmth of the welcome that's greeted tens of thousands
:01:50. > :01:59.Good evening from Celtic Park, where, in
:02:00. > :02:02.a few hours' time, 40,000 spectators will watch the Games' Opening
:02:03. > :02:06.Ceremony, staged in front of the Queen and a potential TV audience
:02:07. > :02:13.Details of the Opening Ceremony are a closely guarded secret.
:02:14. > :02:18.We've been asked not to show too much of the pitch and its props, but
:02:19. > :02:24.the theme of the two-hour production is, I'm told, showcasing Glasgow
:02:25. > :02:32.It's the curtain-raiser to a Games that have come with a price tag
:02:33. > :02:39.The return on that investment, it is hoped, will come over the next
:02:40. > :02:43.Today, though, it was all about ensuring
:02:44. > :02:55.the games get off to a flying start, as Lisa Summers reports.
:02:56. > :03:03.It is all quiet. The streets or in Celtic Park calm in the morning sun.
:03:04. > :03:09.We will expected to be really busy. But it has been so quiet the
:03:10. > :03:14.quietest it has been. But tonight it is supposed to be really good.
:03:15. > :03:20.Outside, the athletes can relax. Since early doors teams have been in
:03:21. > :03:25.action inside the stadium making sure it is ready for tonight's big
:03:26. > :03:30.party. Much is still a secret but organisers are confident that it
:03:31. > :03:34.will be a success. I am so proud of Glasgow, the people of Glasgow I
:03:35. > :03:44.must thank for being behind these games. It has been magical. A
:03:45. > :03:48.contrast to the scene in in town. People queued for tickets but
:03:49. > :03:58.without too many grumbles. It's fine. It is all right because it is
:03:59. > :04:05.a nice day, but that is about it. There was a demonstration by Amnesty
:04:06. > :04:11.International, using the Games to how late human rights issues. Many
:04:12. > :04:14.of the Scottish team spent the afternoon in town soaking up the
:04:15. > :04:21.atmosphere before the competition begins. I am buzzing myself. It is
:04:22. > :04:28.in my home city. It will be amazing. We have got great weather for it as
:04:29. > :04:34.well. 60,000 people in Celtic Park, the atmosphere will be electric. The
:04:35. > :04:42.fans are arriving. It will soon be time for the party to start.
:04:43. > :04:45.The Queen will declare the Games open just before 11pm and reveal her
:04:46. > :04:47.message to the Commonwealth that has been tucked inside the baton.
:04:48. > :04:49.She will be joined by dignitaries from
:04:50. > :04:53.Earlier the Prime Minister and the First Minister expressed
:04:54. > :04:58.The atmosphere in Glasgow was so extraordinary. Everybody is going
:04:59. > :05:05.about with happy smiles on their face, anticipation. The next 11 days
:05:06. > :05:10.will be the greatest festival of sport and culture that Scotland has
:05:11. > :05:14.ever seen and we know that the city of Glasgow will do Scotland and the
:05:15. > :05:20.Commonwealth prayed. For 11 days Glasgow will be in the world's
:05:21. > :05:24.spotlight and it is a great opportunity to talk about the
:05:25. > :05:27.brilliance of Gaskell, Scotland, the United Kingdom. The opportunities
:05:28. > :05:32.for investment. The sporting events are great opportunity to show off
:05:33. > :05:36.the best side of the country. The journey to this Opening Ceremony
:05:37. > :05:39.began ten years ago when Glasgow beat Edinburgh to be named
:05:40. > :05:41.as Scotland's candidate city Here's a quick recap
:05:42. > :05:52.of how we got here. The Commonwealth Games were coming
:05:53. > :06:03.to Glasgow. Hosting it would be a fantastic opportunity for a Glasgow
:06:04. > :06:20.and all of Scotland. She's done it! Dozed for the 2014 Commonwealth
:06:21. > :06:24.Games will be Glasgow -- host. I call upon the sports men and
:06:25. > :06:26.sportswomen of the Commonwealth to assemble in four years's tame in
:06:27. > :07:03.Glasgow, Scotland. A woman who played a huge role
:07:04. > :07:07.in bringing the Games to Glasgow is Louise
:07:08. > :07:09.Martin, who's vice-chair of the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee,
:07:10. > :07:21.and who is either hugely excited or Very excited and a little bit
:07:22. > :07:26.stressed, but the excitement is taking over at the moment. So this
:07:27. > :07:34.is all your fault! Tell us how you got the idea? On a rainy day in
:07:35. > :07:38.Manchester we watched the triple balls playing and they won a gold
:07:39. > :07:49.medal. I then had a meeting with Jack McConnell and he said, are you
:07:50. > :07:53.thinking what I'm thinking. I said if it is the same as you then the
:07:54. > :07:57.answer is yes. He said that you have years to prove that you will not
:07:58. > :08:03.bankrupt the country. It took us two years to do that but it was worth
:08:04. > :08:11.its weight in gold. What have been the biggest challenges along the
:08:12. > :08:15.way? It is really difficult. Everything that we have plans,
:08:16. > :08:20.during the bid fees, we planned meticulously. The plans were already
:08:21. > :08:25.there, it was just about tweaking the bits that we had already
:08:26. > :08:29.organised. There were the challenges of making everybody worked together,
:08:30. > :08:32.but you always have that. We are still altogether, still smiling,
:08:33. > :08:39.still singing from the same hymn sheet. What is your view, there is
:08:40. > :08:45.this talk of legacy, what you think that Scotland will from this? We
:08:46. > :08:49.have already started the legacy. We have new housing and the people who
:08:50. > :08:56.used to live Iraq coming back. Have this high-performance system for our
:08:57. > :09:01.elite athletes. And at grassroots level, coming through the school
:09:02. > :09:06.system, it is terrific. The biggest thing now is the 150 community
:09:07. > :09:09.sports hubs that are up and running, but more importantly they are
:09:10. > :09:13.sustainable. We have built these things and as long as they keep
:09:14. > :09:20.going, which they have to do, I would like to see that there is
:09:21. > :09:26.sustainability rather than legacy. Thank you for joining us.
:09:27. > :09:28.Let us leave the build-up year for the moment and cross back to the
:09:29. > :09:31.studio for a news update. A family of four has been killed
:09:32. > :09:34.in a head-on collision between a car and a lorry
:09:35. > :09:37.in the Falkirk area this afternoon. A man, woman and their young son
:09:38. > :09:40.and daughter were killed when their Morag Kinniburgh is
:09:41. > :09:55.near the crash site now. The accident happened here on the
:09:56. > :10:03.main road connecting Falkirk and Bathgate here at about 2:20pm. The
:10:04. > :10:10.father, mother, little boy and girl, were all killed. The police say that
:10:11. > :10:16.the family is from West Lothian and that next of kin are being informed.
:10:17. > :10:22.The lorry driver is a local man working foreign aggregates
:10:23. > :10:25.business. He was uninjured and will be helping the police with their
:10:26. > :10:29.investigations into course. The police have been clearing the
:10:30. > :10:37.wreckage. They have appealed for witnesses to contact them. Locals
:10:38. > :10:43.say that this is a bit of an accident blackspot. Sometimes when
:10:44. > :10:47.cars pool eight they can be had in from traffic travelling up and down
:10:48. > :10:52.this main road -- when cars come out. There have been accidents year
:10:53. > :10:54.before but never anything as awful as this one.
:10:55. > :10:57.Police have named a ten-year-old boy who died after getting into
:10:58. > :11:01.Arran Cooper was rescued by a passerby from the water
:11:02. > :11:04.near Bridge of Orchy and flown to hospital in Glasgow for
:11:05. > :11:07.Construction workers at the Shetland Gas Plant downed tools
:11:08. > :11:13.Around 900 welders, pipe fitters and riggers staged a sit-in at the site
:11:14. > :11:18.Today's action was unofficial, but Petrofac,
:11:19. > :11:21.which runs the facility, has told the workers they can keep their jobs
:11:22. > :11:28.They say they'll now pursue the issue through a legal ballot.
:11:29. > :11:42.Let's go back to Jackie at Celtic Park.
:11:43. > :11:51.Welcome back. At the end of it alternate we will meet the most
:11:52. > :11:56.It's the biggest team Scotland has ever fielded, with 310 athletes.
:11:57. > :11:59.Their target is to beat their previous record of 33 medals.
:12:00. > :12:01.Of course, being the host nation adds pressure,
:12:02. > :12:23.The eyes of the world have fallen on Scotland. And we will be ready.
:12:24. > :12:31.Because this is our moment. I want to go there and my fastest race of
:12:32. > :12:42.the year to be on that track. We have sacrificed. We are looking for
:12:43. > :12:45.a gold medal. But we want to put down a fantastic performance that
:12:46. > :12:55.will hope fully we use the crowed. We have suffered. I have had a
:12:56. > :13:00.number of silver medals and close shaves now. I think that that is the
:13:01. > :13:04.main thing that has changed for me since London, that means set and the
:13:05. > :13:11.belief that I can challenge for titles now. I am pretty good at
:13:12. > :13:18.being calm and collected when I need to be. My mother won her first medal
:13:19. > :13:25.in 1994 so I was three years old. Now it is more about personal pride
:13:26. > :13:31.and family pride. Successors are mortal. I think that it takes the
:13:32. > :13:38.pressure off because it is a home games. Be the difference. Power.
:13:39. > :13:50.Passion. Scotland. Rhona is here, some big names there,
:13:51. > :14:00.how early could we see some success? Very soon, in fact tomorrow
:14:01. > :14:04.at the pool - local boy Michael Jamieson who we heard from there,
:14:05. > :14:08.is looking for not just gold in the 200m breaststroke, but he's also
:14:09. > :14:16.looking to beat the world record. He says he has done the work and the
:14:17. > :14:20.conditions will never beat better Hannah Miley and Robbie Renwick also
:14:21. > :14:45.determined to defend what sports harbour our best
:14:46. > :14:51.chances? There are four sports where they are looking for five medals.
:14:52. > :14:56.Those are swimming, shooting, gymnastics and judo. We can never
:14:57. > :15:02.discount the bowlers, they always perform well at the Commonwealth
:15:03. > :15:13.Games. This idea of a home advantage, it is a real one, isn't
:15:14. > :15:19.it? If you look back, the last time is that the Commonwealth Games had
:15:20. > :15:35.been in Scotland, in 1970, Team Scotland won 25 medals and four
:15:36. > :15:46.years before that they only won nine medals. In 1986, they won 33
:15:47. > :15:48.medals. That still stands. Seven games have come and gone and that
:15:49. > :15:51.record still stands. This is the most invested in team. They are out
:15:52. > :15:53.to beat that and we are hoping that at least a dozen of them will be
:15:54. > :15:53.gold. This arena is beginning to fill, but
:15:54. > :15:53.not so far away Glasgow's oldest park has a new role as the venue
:15:54. > :15:56.for a special Commonwealth concert. Let's cross to Glasgow Green where
:15:57. > :16:12.the crowds have been soaking up You can hear that the party is
:16:13. > :16:15.underway. This is the Glasgow Green opening ceremony party which started
:16:16. > :16:21.just after six o'clock. There are a host of artists performing right up
:16:22. > :16:24.until the opening ceremony which will be put on big screens here.
:16:25. > :16:33.More than 10,000 people will be here. A lot of people are here
:16:34. > :16:37.already. On that bill, right at the top is Lulu and a few minutes ago, I
:16:38. > :16:43.caught up with her and asked her how she was feeling about this huge
:16:44. > :16:51.concert in her hometown. The whole atmosphere in Glasgow is so amazing.
:16:52. > :16:54.Everyone is so happy, deservedly so, and as a Glaswegian, I am proud that
:16:55. > :17:02.the Commonwealth Games are here and I am proud to be here. You grew up
:17:03. > :17:07.five minutes from here will stop perhaps ten! You know this area, it
:17:08. > :17:14.must be special. I used to come here, with my brother, for the
:17:15. > :17:20.funfair. This is the week of the fair. I might have been in Blackpool
:17:21. > :17:26.at this time of the year! This is my food! You have been away from
:17:27. > :17:35.Glasgow were long-time, but you talk about how it made you. It is very
:17:36. > :17:40.poignant, because I am in my 60s and somehow everything tastes sweeter,
:17:41. > :17:47.because I am returning... When I come here, I have a desire to return
:17:48. > :18:01.more to my roots. I want to be with my tribe. I feel emotional and
:18:02. > :18:18.flows. The atmosphere is infectious. Here everyone is settling in for the
:18:19. > :18:21.spectacle in front of them. Another focal point for visitors is George
:18:22. > :18:23.Square. The city council corridors of power
:18:24. > :18:26.lie in George Square which has become a focal point for visitors,
:18:27. > :18:29.not least because that's where many Catriona Renton is there,
:18:30. > :18:37.I gather there were It has been busy here and no body is
:18:38. > :18:43.denying that. People have had to stand into use for up to two hours,
:18:44. > :18:47.most of them are in good humour, there are still a few people there
:18:48. > :18:51.waiting to pick up their tickets for the opening ceremony tonight, but
:18:52. > :18:58.the organisers told us they have had to do the most unusual thing, hand
:18:59. > :19:02.out suncream and water to people as they wait in queues. It is not just
:19:03. > :19:09.people going to be opening ceremony, it is busy anyway for transport. Let
:19:10. > :19:13.me give you an idea of how it is coupling, Network Rail say figures
:19:14. > :19:17.are up by 40%, but everything is going well. That is the picture
:19:18. > :19:23.across the rest of the travel network. It is very busy, but people
:19:24. > :19:30.are managing and things are going smoothly so far. If you get here
:19:31. > :19:34.quickly or to Celtic Park, there are a few tickets left for tonight. They
:19:35. > :19:39.are expensive and a few are coming to pick up tickets or buy tickets
:19:40. > :19:43.tomorrow, come down between nine o'clock in the morning and nine
:19:44. > :19:55.o'clock at night. Here at Celtic Park,
:19:56. > :19:57.and despite numerous rehearsals, the content of opening ceremony is
:19:58. > :19:59.still largely under wraps. Its artistic director is
:20:00. > :20:17.David Zolker, who has described it It is a very busy time. Spill the
:20:18. > :20:24.beans, what is in store tonight? I cannot, I am playing the by -- the
:20:25. > :20:30.violin. It is a hugely from the concert hall to doing something like
:20:31. > :20:36.this. How do you judge your performance from something intimate
:20:37. > :20:42.to such a massive crowd? It is disorientating, for me especially,
:20:43. > :20:47.because I am used to the most deafening silence in classical music
:20:48. > :20:53.performance, so this is a huge step away. The kinds of things I have had
:20:54. > :20:57.to adjust to, using monitors, the amount of microphones, I have not
:20:58. > :21:07.experienced it, but the excitement is bringing everyone through this.
:21:08. > :21:12.It is so exciting. I know you are touring a lot and do not watch a lot
:21:13. > :21:16.of sport, what will you be going to any events or watching it on
:21:17. > :21:22.television? I will be doing a few things around Glasgow. I will be
:21:23. > :21:30.following closely. After that, I will be away, but I will be watching
:21:31. > :21:33.all of the games. We look forward to your performance.
:21:34. > :21:36.I'm sure Nicola won't mind, but the show is really the warm-up
:21:37. > :21:39.for the appearance of the stars of the next 11 days - the athletes.
:21:40. > :21:42.They are currently in the village putting the final
:21:43. > :21:44.touches to their outfits - which have not been without controversy.
:21:45. > :21:48.A little earlier Jane Lewis got a flavour of the atmosphere there.
:21:49. > :21:55.There has been a real buzz of activity here and it is only going
:21:56. > :22:02.to intensify over the next couple of hours. Streams of Scottish athletes
:22:03. > :22:07.making their way over two Celtic Park for the opening ceremony. In a
:22:08. > :22:11.moment, we will speak to this lady who is looking forward to competing
:22:12. > :22:17.in her fifth Commonwealth Games. Let me bring you a taster of what has
:22:18. > :22:23.been happening as Team Scotland put on a unique spin on the baton relay.
:22:24. > :22:29.The Scotland team were on a mission after missing out on an official
:22:30. > :22:35.visit from the baton relay, Fiji were about to receive an unofficial
:22:36. > :22:44.visit. It was unfortunate that some of our teams could not make it, but
:22:45. > :22:52.it gives England a chance. Move in on, the baton provided a break in
:22:53. > :22:57.training for some. It is appropriate that this is a last port of call for
:22:58. > :23:01.the baton relay. This has been the symbol during the games, but from
:23:02. > :23:08.tomorrow, the attention goes from this, to these guys -- Games. This
:23:09. > :23:15.is a bit of fun before the opening ceremony, how is it? It is exciting
:23:16. > :23:22.to see it in the flesh. It has been a fantastic atmosphere. There has
:23:23. > :23:28.been a lot of buzz about the place and everyone is having fun. After a
:23:29. > :23:37.day in the build, the next up for the baton is Celtic Park. Joining me
:23:38. > :23:43.now is Margaret, how much are you looking forward to this evening? Not
:23:44. > :23:47.long to go and all the athletes are looking forward to it. There is a
:23:48. > :23:52.great balance, great excitement in we cannot wait. What are you
:23:53. > :23:58.expecting from the opening ceremony? I think it will be a
:23:59. > :24:05.fantastic event to show off Glasgow and Scotland. I think the atmosphere
:24:06. > :24:17.is going to be at end this occasion for everyone to enjoy. -- a
:24:18. > :24:21.fantastic occasion. You have to go away and get your parade uniform on,
:24:22. > :24:30.what is it like when you are doing that? It will be a bit nervous. We
:24:31. > :24:36.will have to be dressed early to get our photographs taken but once we
:24:37. > :24:40.are addressed and everything is set, we will be ready to march to
:24:41. > :24:52.Parkhead and take part in the celebrations. Good luck for the
:24:53. > :24:57.games. -- the Games. Team Scotland athletes will be leaving here about
:24:58. > :24:59.nine o'clock this evening. We will see them marching over ready to join
:25:00. > :25:03.in the opening ceremony. Someone who knows exactly how the
:25:04. > :25:06.athletes are feeling at this moment is Allan Wells - a Commonwealth
:25:07. > :25:16.and Olympic gold medalist. How will they be feeling? They will
:25:17. > :25:20.be frustrated. They will want to get into the Games. This is a
:25:21. > :25:25.roller-coaster situation, they are at the top of the roller-coaster
:25:26. > :25:32.ready to come down. They are looking forward to it. You must have fond
:25:33. > :25:37.memories of the Games? A lot of gold memories. It is a privilege to run
:25:38. > :25:44.for Scotland. Not end as bigger stadium as this, but it is still a
:25:45. > :25:50.big stadium -- not in as big a stadium as this. Feeling this
:25:51. > :25:55.atmosphere, it always got me up and gave me a little edge. A lot of
:25:56. > :26:00.people will not be like that here. A lot of athletes will be under
:26:01. > :26:07.pressure, but who cannot be up in this atmosphere? We heard about the
:26:08. > :26:13.home support, it helps, but it adds pressure. It does add pressure,
:26:14. > :26:19.public pressure is going to be on the Apple leads a lot, but they will
:26:20. > :26:31.overcome this. The athlete will perform well -- the athletes. We
:26:32. > :26:39.will let you enjoy the ceremony. A glorious evening, will it continue?
:26:40. > :26:46.27 degrees in the North West. It was cooler on the east, but this
:26:47. > :26:51.evening, plenty of warm evening sunshine and that will be good news
:26:52. > :26:57.for the organisers of the event tonight. Let us look at the map and
:26:58. > :27:05.this evening, sunshine returns on the East Coast. It will be a warm
:27:06. > :27:13.night, temperatures in urban areas up to -- into the mid-teens. A
:27:14. > :27:17.cloudy start tomorrow, it will burn back quickly, sunshine and by
:27:18. > :27:25.mid-afternoon, temperatures up to the mid-20s. Moving up the West
:27:26. > :27:31.Coast, temperatures in the highlands of 29 degrees. Cooler on the coast,
:27:32. > :27:38.Orkney will see a better day, down the East, it should be a better day.
:27:39. > :27:42.For the rest of the afternoon into the evening, conditions much like
:27:43. > :27:47.tonight and as we head into Thursday and Friday, it stays the same, more
:27:48. > :27:55.sunshine and temperatures around the mid teens.
:27:56. > :28:00.They are basking in the sunshine and looking forward to tonight.
:28:01. > :28:07.The much awaited opening ceremony will be kicking off
:28:08. > :28:10.You can see it on BBC1 Scotland and if you're on the move I'm
:28:11. > :28:17.off to join my colleagues on Radio Scotland for their coverage.
:28:18. > :28:20.Tomorrow night I hope you can join me at Tollcross Swimming pool where
:28:21. > :28:22.we hope to have a glint of Scottish gold.
:28:23. > :28:27.From all of us here at Celtic Park, as a certain singer might say,