GLASGOW, September 20 – Just when you thought you’d had seen the last of Games mascots with ‘Wenlock’ and ‘Mandeville’ heading off into the sunset, the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee has unveiled ‘Clyde’ – the official mascot for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Clyde – based on a Scottish thistle and named after Glasgow’s famous river – was created by 12-year-old Beth Gilmour from Cumbernauld. Beth won a UK-wide competition, from over 4000 entries, to design the Glasgow 2014 mascot.
Beth won four tickets to the Glasgow 2014 Opening Ceremony as part of her prize. She said: “I still can’t believe that my entry is now the Glasgow 2014 mascot – it’s amazing to see Clyde come to life and I’m so happy that my design and idea will now be seen by everyone across the world.”
The idea of using a thistle was a strong favourite of the judging panel and Glasgow 2014.
Clyde is a significant departure from all previous Commonwealth Games mascots. This is the first time the official mascot has not been an animal – a trend that has continued ever since the first Commonwealth Games mascot for Edmonton in 1978 was a bear called ‘Keyano’.
The mascot will be a significant personality in the run up to and during Games-time. He embarks on a national tour of Scotland straight after the launch and will play a major role in many landmark moments on the journey to the Games, motivating young people in particular to make the most of Scotland’s largest ever sporting and cultural event.
