Background
5.The Commonwealth Games is one of the largest multi-sport events in the world and has been held every four years since 1930, with a short intermission between 1938 and 1950. It involves elite athletes from around the Commonwealth drawn from the 71 different nations and territories who are members of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
6.The Commonwealth Games is the only multi-sport event in which Scotland competes in its own right and responsibility for organising our participation rests with the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland.
7.On 16 August 2005, Glasgow launched its bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The bid had three main partners, the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland, who together established a Bid Team to take forward the bid on their behalf.
8.On 9 May 2007 the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland submitted proposals to the Commonwealth Games Federation for a Glasgow Games. This was referred to as the Candidate City File and contained detailed information on a number of areas including sports, venues, security, finance and transport.
9.On 9 November 2007, Glasgow was elected as the Host City for the 2014 Commonwealth Games at the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Immediately after the announcement the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland and the Organising Committee signed the Host City Contract as required by the Commonwealth Games Federation. This contract sets out the obligations of the parties to that contract, which include fulfilling all commitments made in the bidding process, and Commonwealth Games Federation requirements relating to the Games. The majority of these requirements are set out in the Commonwealth Games Federation Technical Manuals.
10.The Host City Contract requires the Scottish Government to introduce legislation necessary to prohibit ambush marketing, eliminate street vending and control advertising space during the period of the Games, no later than 30 June 2010. The Technical Manuals - which form part of the Host City Contract - also contain measures which require a legislative response, for example, that “appropriate regulations should be put in place to prevent ticket scalping”. The Scottish Government has also provided guarantees to the Commonwealth Games Federation that all the commitments given in the Candidate City File will be met. Some of these commitments will require new powers for the Scottish Ministers and councils to ensure they can be delivered as described by 2014. For example, new council powers are needed to allow the creation of a functional Games Route Network.
11.As part of the process towards meeting these requirements, the Scottish Government published the “Draft Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill: Consultation Document” on 28 June 2007. This set out draft legislative plans addressing these issues. This draft Bill was developed with particular regard to the London Olympic Games & Paralympic Games Act 2006 which was brought forward in response to International Olympic Committee requirements very similar to those of the Commonwealth Games Federation. For example, it also requires controls to be placed on advertising, street trading and ticket touting. Offences in relation to these activities now exist in relation to the 2012 London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. These measures were extended to Scotland during the previous parliamentary session through a Legislative Consent motion.