KEY decision makers from European Athletics arrived in the city today on a fact finding missing.

The delegation will spend two days visiting cities bidding for the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships.

Glasgow is one of four cities vying to host the event and if successful, would be the first Scottish destination for a European athletics event in 15 years.

As well as holding talks with bid partners, including the Scottish Government, EventScotland, Glasgow City Council, Scottish Athletics and British Athletics, the group will tour the Emirates Arena to witness first-hand its capability for hosting the world’s most prestigious sporting events.

The visit also includes a trip to Scotstoun Sports Campus, which has been identified as a training venue for competitors, while Glasgow’s accommodation will also be assessed with a view to hosting hundreds of athletes and thousands of tourists from around Europe.

A decision on the host city is expected in April, following a final presentation made on behalf of Scottish partners to European Athletics in Amsterdam.

Sports Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “Glasgow has a growing reputation as a world-class venue for athletics, putting the city in a strong position to secure the bid.

"There are very few indoor venues as good as the Emirates Arena and we have some of the most enthusiastic fans.

“I am looking forward to the up and coming Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix, which will be an ideal opportunity to showcase how well we can stage events like this in Scotland and hope we will see the European Athletics Indoor Championships at this fabulous venue in 2019.”

Glasgow Life chairman Archie Graham said: “In recent years Glasgow has established itself as one of the world’s top sporting cities thanks to our investment in new facilities and our international sporting events programme.

“Athletics has been at the very heart of our rise as a world-leading sporting city. This weekend’s Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix will take the sport to a new level and we hope to build on that success with the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships, which would see Europe’s top athletes return to the Emirates Arena. Our aim is to deliver a world-class event with athletes and spectators at its very heart.”

Niels de Vos, chief executive of British Athletics, said the 2016 Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix sold out months in advance, demonstrating the huge support for elite athletics among the Scottish public.

He added: “I am delighted Glasgow and EventScotland decided to build on the success of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and previous British Athletics events held in the city by bidding to host European Athletics’ flagship indoor event at the Emirates Arena in 2019.

“We know, if successful, Glasgow would establish a new standard for the European Athletics Indoor Championships against which all future editions would be measured, and we hope the delegation have a successful visit.”