PM pledges Games will bring jobs to Glasgow

David Cameron visited the Emirates Arena and met athletes training to make the Scotland squad for the Games next year and saw the construction work going on to build the nearby athletes village.

While the Games is being delivered by Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government, with Commonwealth Games Scotland through Glasgow 2014 Ltd, the Prime Minister said he wanted his UK Government to help with bringing lasting economic benefits to the host city.

He said using the London Olympics to showcase the country provided billions of pounds worth of trade for London and the UK and a similar effort would be concentrated on Glasgow next year.

Mr Cameron praised the preparations for the Games and said he liked what he saw as he toured the new facility in the East End of the city.

He said the UK ministers had responsibility over security, ensuring there was no terror threat and helped with tax breaks related to the games, but he wanted to go further.

He said: "I am impressed. The venues are going well with less than one year to go. I wanted to come to Glasgow to demonstrate we are all working together to deliver a successful and safe games.

"One of the great opportunities is to build legacy.

"In terms of sport but also, crucially in terms of inward investment.It is a great showcase, a great window of opportunity.

"I will be helping to host an inward investment conference in Scotland and most probably here in Glasgow, getting international businesses to come to see the Games and also to invest in the city.

"In London we attracted billions of pounds of investment."

Mr Cameron also said he was bringing the UK Cabinet to Scotland before the end of the year.

Analysis of the London Olympics economic legacy after one year has shown that it has brought in billions of pounds and helped UK firms win contracts abroad for other major international sporting events.

The study shows the 2012 Games brought £9.9 billion of economic benefit and 31,000 new jobs from Olympic-related activities.

There has been an estimated £2.5bn boost to inward investment and £120m worth of deals for UK companies from the football World Cup and the next Olympics being held in Brazil next year and 2016, respectively.

Like the Games itself the trade effort in Glasgow will not be on the same scale as London but the 2012 Games showed the level of opportunity.

Four thousand business leaders attended British Business Embassy events during the Olympics and Paralympics, including more than half of the FTSE 100 companies, and hundreds of international buyers, investors and policy makers were at an 18-day programme of Global Business Summits.

A programme of 75 business seminars around the UK was also held to ensure businesses around the UK were able to use the Olympics to promote their products and exploit the opportunities for inward investment.

Mr Cameron witnessed light training sessions inside the Emirates Indoor Arena and chatted to some of Scotland's Commonwealth Games hopefuls.

He chatted to members of the Netball squad, but resisted an offer from one of the team to show off his own ball skills on the court.

Team member Lynsey Gallacher put the ball through the net and offered the Prime Minister the ball to have a go.

Mr Cameron said the hoop looked smaller than in basketball and asked if it was more difficult.

WHEN Ms Gallacher said it was, as there is also no backboard to bounce the ball off, the Prime Minister shied away from the challenge.

He said: "President Obama tried to show me how to play basketball, but I wasn't very good at that.

"So I'm not going to make a fool of myself. I think I'll leave it to the professionals."

The Prime Minister was joined on his visit to the Emirates Arena by Commonwealth Games Minister, Shona Robison and Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson.

Mr Matheson echoed the importance of ensuring the Commonwealth Games provided an economic legacy for Glasgow.

He said: "It is important we get the economic benefits. We can be confident we will deliver the best Commonwealth games there's ever been, but my priority is lasting benefits."

Mr Matheson said he was delighted with the news of a trade and investment conference in the city, stating it was the kind of support the UK Government could provide.

He said: "We need to use all the links across the world, the UK government has to ensure success."

David Grevemberg, Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive, welcomed the Prime Minister to the arena.

His Glasgow 2014 team are currently preparing for the expected ticket scramble for the events taking place next year.

Mr Grevemberg said: "Tickets for next year's Commonwealth Games go on sale next week, so it's great the Prime Minister has chosen this time to visit Glasgow to see how preparations are going and to meet some of the young athletes who aspire to compete.

"Glasgow 2014 will be the next big celebration of sport in the UK and we look forward to welcoming athletes and visitors from across the UK and the Commonwealth to a world-class sporting festival in a great sporting city next year."