The XX Commonwealth Games are so close now.

It is just 100 days until the opening ceremony, which will be held at Celtic Park on July 23, and a reception at Kelvingrove Art Gallery on Monday afternoon will mark the '100 Days to Go' landmark.

One of the most iconic objects of any Commonwealth Games are the medals and those which will be awarded at Glasgow 2014 will be unveiled this afternoon at the gallery to coincide with the celebrations. The medals for this summer's Games have been designed by the award-winning Scottish artist Jonathan Mathew Boyd.

The 29-year-old is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art and is now a lecturer at the GSA, and having these coveted artefacts made by someone who lives in the city is in keeping with everything that Glasgow 2014 is trying to signify.

Boyd has said that he wanted to "reflect Glasgow's industrial past, capture something of the city that it's become and most importantly, capture that uniqueness that Glasgow has", in his design.

It is no insignificant task to make the medals for the Games - over 1380 medals will be awarded over 11 days of competition in Glasgow this summer.

For me, the most striking medals of recent Commonwealth Games have been those awarded at Melbourne 2006: instead of a traditional ribbon, the 2006 medals had a gold, silver or bronze chain which made them instantly recognisable.

My bronze medal from those Games is, without doubt, one of my most prized possessions. The unique design of the Glasgow 2014 medals will ensure that these medals will be similarly identifiable and cherished in years to come.

Almost every venue which will be used during Glasgow 2014 is complete. The unveiling of Hampden Park last month, complete with its temporary platform which raises the field of play by 1.9 metres, is a pioneering solution which precludes the need for a bespoke athletics stadium.

Today, aerial photographs of Hampden Park are released, complete with a giant '100' painted on to the grass infield to mark the '100 Days to Go' milestone.

Hampden may be the centrepiece of the Games, but each and every venue will cultivate an incredible atmosphere, especially for the home athletes. Seeing Hampden's transformation almost complete illustrates just how close we are to Games time.

Team Scotland is predicted to be the largest ever at Glasgow 2014 this summer.

To date, the biggest Scottish team at a Commonwealth Games was in 2002 for the Games in Manchester, with 202 athletes selected.

It is predicted that the team for Glasgow will surpass this total, however. Team Scotland already has selected 53 athletes, the most recent being three squash players and three rhythmic gymnasts who had their selection announced last week.

Team Scotland may still have around 150 spots to fill but the athlete nominations are coming thick and fast from now until the selection deadline in June. There will be at least one team announcement each week for the next couple of months.

The experience of being part of a multi-sport team is unique for every athlete; to be in a team consisting of over 200 athletes rather than a dozen-or-so is a spectacularly different experience.

Sportspeople are accustomed to travelling with a small group of athletes from their own sport, whereas during a Commonwealth Games you become team-mates with people from sports you rarely, if ever, come into contact with.