 I'm going to move straight on so that we don't waste time because time is tight. The next item of business is a debate on motion 11967, in the name of Aileen Campbell, on success with the Commonwealth Games. I can ask those members who wish to speak in the debate to press the request-to-speak buttons down a call on Aileen Campbell to speak to and move the motion. Minister, eight minutes please. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I'm delighted to bring this debate to the chamber this afternoon because, while across this chamber, we often have disagreements on this topic, celebrating the achievements of Team Scotland during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, we are, I'm sure, absolutely united. On Tuesday 17 April, Team Scotland returned home, following their best ever away games, bringing back with them a total of 44 medals, surpassing the previous record of 29 sets at the 2006 games in Melbourne. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the athletes who represented Team Scotland, along with the coaches, the managers, the nutritionists, the physiotherapists, the doctors, the family, the friends and the volunteers who travelled to the Gold Coast to support them. I would also like to put on record my thanks to the chair and chief executive Paul Bush and John Doig and all their colleagues at Team Scotland for the phenomenal effort that it took to get every competitor to the start line and in peak condition. The logistical operation alone to arrange flights, accommodation and kit for some 400 Scots is hugely complex, requiring great skill and dedication. All this work behind the scenes enabled the athletes to concentrate on their performance and perform they did. The team was ably led into the Carrara stadium by Ailee Doyle, the first female flag bearer to do so, and a fitting tribute to her achievements as an athlete, as an ambassador, an inspiring figure for so many and for her hugely professional conduct over so many years. Mark Austin won Scotland's first medal in the triathlon, getting Team Scotland on the medal table, but the medals did not stop coming and nor did the happy memories or the stories of resilience and endurance. Duncan Scott won in six medals, the most ever achieved by a Scottish athlete at a single games, John and Katie Archibald's sibling double act and medal winning performances in the velodrome. Alex Marshall now Scotland's most decorated Commonwealth athlete after winning medals in the pairs and the fours. However, it was not just the medal winners who also achieved greatness. The women's netball team matched their performances from Glasgow and were close to improving on that. Both beach volleyball pairs achieved great results, with the women in particular beating terms of higher ranking. However, I do not think that the folk out in Australia really truly appreciated the difference in climate when they realised that the beach volleyball team in Scotland trained and got frozen. I think that that was something far from the minds of those in Australia. In basketball, the men finished an amazing fourth, going unbeatig into the semifinals. Finally, diver James Heatley won bronze in the one meter springboard, which was Scotland's first diving medal in 60 years. The previous winner, of course, being James's grandad. The list goes on with phenomenal performances from the likes of Sammy Kinghorne or our first female boxers, who all worked so hard and so proudly for Team Scotland. Of course, we are all pleased to know that Calum Hawkins is on the road back to fitness after we all witnessed his heroic battle at the marathon. I had the privilege and opportunities to join Team Scotland in recognition of the special role that Scotland had as previous hosts and the learning that has been shared between our two nations to enable the Gold Coast to carry on the bottom from where our games left off. The games coincided with a report that detailed the legacy of the Glasgow 2014 games, which included cementing Glasgow and Scotland's reputation for hosting world-class events, contributing 740 million to the Scottish economy, enabling Glasgow to host the European Championships later this year, and delivering 192 community sports hubs. Gold Coast is equally embedded legacy into their games, and the nations of the Commonwealth remain hugely interested in Glasgow and Scotland's efforts. A key theme of the Glasgow games was equalities, and that was also something that was promoted at the Gold Coast games. Similar to Glasgow, the Paris sports were part of the main sporting programme, a legacy from Glasgow 2014, which was the first major sporting event to have a joint programme. A pride house in the Gold Coast was directly influenced from what was in place in Glasgow, and it is a necessary presence at the Commonwealth games because it reminds us of the journey to go to ensure equality for LGBTI across the Commonwealth. However, the Gold Coast was also able to champion a first of their own, because those games had an equal amount of medals for both men and women, which is something that I know that we probably all hope for for the Birmingham event in 2022. The success of Team Scotland did not happen by accident, and as the motion outlines, it is due to the hard work of countless athletes, governing bodies, volunteers and the world-class system that Sports Scotland has in place to enable opportunities at grass routes right up to performance level. The timely publication yesterday from Sports Scotland of independent research demonstrates that the programme that it supports is having a positive impact on those taking part. Both adults and children are reporting that they are more physically active since joining a sports club or participating in the active schools programme, helping to create a healthier lifestyle as well as integrating into their local community. This research, along with the recent research by Scottish Athletics, is vital in helping us gain a better understanding of the demographic and motivations of people who are regularly taking part in sport and physical exercise, along with highlighting those who need more assistance in achieving a more active lifestyle. It enables all of us to tell the positive and transformative impact of sport in order to ensure that we endeavour to enable more people to get the chance to take part and to be active. That is why we have protected the Sports Scotland budget this year and to help to mitigate the impact of continued reductions in Sports Scotland's income from the national lottery. We are providing Sports Scotland with a further £3.4 million. We will continue to invest in PE and schools, as well as our active schools programme, providing the opportunities for generations to try different sport at an early age and create pathways so that we continue to enjoy participating in sport throughout life and to progress and inspire, no doubt, by the new heroes that were created in Australia just a few weeks ago. During my time at the Gold Coast Games, I also met the chair of UK sport, Dame Catherine Granger. I mentioned that because of the constructive amendment from the Conservatives. Over the next few months, we will continue to be working with UK sport, as we continue to plan for the 2018 European Championships. To coincide with the European Championships, Scotland will be hosting the next UK sports cabinet. The UK sports cabinet provides the opportunity for sports ministers from the four home nations to discuss issues of common sporting and physical activity interests, effect in the UK and provides for a collective discussion of the most strategic priorities of UK-wide importance. It is an important gathering that I hope will see more medal successes both here and in Glasgow and, of course, in Berlin. Although Glasgow will serve as the official host city of the championships in Scotland, many of the exciting events will be spread out across the country, again underlining Scotland's ability to host great events that are enabled by our first-class facilities. That is why we have invested heavily over the past 10 years in the sport infrastructure in Scotland. It is important to note that, since 2007, Sport Scotland has invested 168 million supporting councils, sporting governing bodies and other organisations to deliver a wide range of new and upgraded sports facilities to continue supporting our performance athletes alongside ensuring crucial access to communities and those who want to be helped towards their active lifestyles. I again like to offer my warmest congratulations to all of our athletes and everyone involved with Team Scotland for achieving their best away games and for making the entire nation extremely proud to have them as our sporting ambassadors. I look forward to hearing from others across the chamber this afternoon. Can I move the motion in my name? Thank you. I call on Brian Whittle to speak to move amendment 11967.2, a straight six minutes, please, Mr Whittle. I know that you are good at timekeeping. Thank you, everybody, Presiding Officer. I am delighted to open this debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. The Commonwealth Games is a special event in the sporting calendar, and it is the second-biggest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games. As a competitor and as a spectator, it holds a special place in my heart. It is generally the highest level in those participating sports that competitors can wear the Scottish vest and also gives competitors the chance to step into the arena against their Ernstworld teammates from the other home nations, which, like me tell you, gives these competitions a certain edge and feel. Bragging rights live long in the memory. For example, the Scotland's four-by-four hundred-metre teams defeat the old enemy in 1990 Commonwealth Games. It is still mentioned at every opportunity when in certain company, and I am delighted to take this opportunity once again. The Commonwealth Games is special in so many ways, not just because it is the friendly games and the home nations get to compete in home colours. It also gives the opportunity for the younger inexperienced participants to get a taste of a multi-sport event. That is not to say that winning medals is necessarily any easier than any other major championships because in certain events, Commonwealth Finals are akin to Olympic Finals. That is important because experiencing how other sports are timetabled, how a busy athlete's village operates and how some sports are finished before others and others are changing that behavioural pattern. For example, the swimmers tend to be finished before the athlete's events have even started. The history of the games goes back all the way to the 1930s and the Hamilton and Otario, where the Empire Games started. Some 165 medals were available to 11 participating countries in six sports. Since then, the future of the Commonwealth Games has been brought into question many times, whether it is viable or required. However, if we fast forward to 2014, where some 5,000 athletes from 71 countries descend here in Glasgow competing in 261 events in 17 sports with 824 medals on offer, there has been a recent significant rise in the numbers with the inclusion and subsequent expansion of disability sport events, which has enhanced the spectre of the games no end. Women, as has been mentioned, have given parity in the 80s at the games. It continues to give opportunity to an increasing number of athletes pulled from a third of the world's population. That brings me to the Commonwealth Games, which has just finished on the Gold Coast. The remarkable record and the achievements of our athletes, 44 medals in total, as has been mentioned, and those of us who followed the games with the subsequent sleep deprivation, cannot help but be drawn into the spectacle and the daily success of our sportsmen and women. I have to highlight the remarkable Alex Marshall again, winning his fifth Commonwealth gold medal in Lawns Bowls. I watched that men's force final. I also wanted to highlight Ailey Doyle's continued success in the international stage, winning a silver medal in the 400 hurdles. She is now the most decorated Scottish female track and field athlete of all time. I want to sneak in a mention from Mark Dry, winning his bronze medal in the hammer, having overcome significant injuries between Glasgow and the Gold Coast. Jake Whiteman's bronze medal in the 1500, I believe, hurdles is the start of a very exciting career. Callum Hawkins collapsed so close to the finish of the marathon, while painful to watch, highlights his potential on a world stage. I wanted to mention a young athlete, Zoe Clark, coached by a good friend of mine, Eddie McKenna, up in Aberdeen. She is an athlete definitely on their eyes, and I have had the privilege of watching her develop and grow when the first time I met her while coaching the Scottish under-17 sprint team. There is a reason for mentioning Zoe, because I wanted to highlight the environment and support that is required to take an athlete to the highest level. The model that has been established in Aberdeen has reaped rewards for that area. I was there at the launch a number of years ago with Arlen Wells, and the Aberdeen sports village is an impressive facility that is developed in collaboration with Aberdeen University, the council in sport Scotland. Eddie McKenna then helped to develop the Hydro Sun Athletics Academy, which invested in the development of talented athletes in conjunction with their coaches. It can be an expensive business for athlete and coach, especially early in an athlete's international career. That early support mechanism is so important if an athlete is to reach the levels that they aspire to and their own talent allows. Often while studying at college or university, Arlen Wells made the hard decision to miss the Commonwealth Games to sit her final veteran exams at Glasgow University. The role of coaches, clubs and national governing bodies cannot be underestimated. Again, it has been my privilege to watch and work with some of the most dedicated coaches that you will ever wish to see. That pathway to excellence is a tough one. Talent is not enough, as I have alluded to. The different levels of support that are required to each athlete's progress. Many of the athletes that we witnessed in Glasgow and in more recent games in the Gold Coast have received local support to start with, inevitably with their parents and family, and that will have gone on to local councils in allio support. If national support moves through sport Scotland, with them funding elite sport to a tune of £11.89 million, and if that hard work and dedication leads to them to even higher level UK sport finances, the elite end of the sport to a tune of £12.35 million, many receiving a wage access to the best facilities around the world, as well as medical backup to the very highest standard. I should also mention that Scotland is punching way above its weight with 30 per cent of athletes on UK world-class programmes coming from Scotland compared to a population of 8.4 per cent of the UK. That is what it takes these days to reach peak performance. If we were to look at elite sport, we would note that not many train in these shores prepared to our funding to leave their homes and families to train abroad, reaching for that extra percentage. That means the difference between podium and also run. It is a tough game. Success at this level is a complicated game, Deputy Presiding Officer, and requires years of planning on top of consistent and determined effort on the training grounds. The success of our sports, Scottish sportsmen and women will stand them in good stead as they strive for future goals and even more amazing performances. I move the amendment to my name. I am well done to timekeeping, Mr Whittle. You are a star. I now call David Stewart to speak to move amendment 11967.15. I thank the minister for bringing this debate to the chamber. Our Scottish athletes have excelled themselves in the Gold Coast, as we have heard. It is right that we take this time to recognise and celebrate their achievements. Scotland has sent athletes to compete in the Commonwealth Games since they first began in 1930. Since then, the event is involved. At the 1998 Games, team sports ratted for the first time. In the 2002 Games in Manchester, medal events for athletes with disability were integrated into the programme. The most recent Games in the Gold Coast, the 21st Commonwealth Games, were no different with a focus on gender equality. For the first time, as we have heard from the minister, there was a gender parity in the number of medal events for men and women, and at certain events over 50 per cent of the technical officials were also women. The celebration of those achievements showed that beyond mere competition and world-class sport, the Commonwealth Games have a bigger aim. The aim is to unite 71 diverse nations and territories from across the world. Their vision is a family of nations under the core values of humanity, equality and diversity, and it is a vision to which Scotland has wholeheartedly committed. The welcome given to visitors at the 1970 Edinburgh Games, which I shall remember, gave the event its identity as the friendly Games, and the partnership between the Games and UNICEF was then launched at the 2014 Glasgow Games. That partnership sought to harness the pirate sport to transform children's lives and has reached more than 11.7 million children in 52 countries. Scotland has much to be proud of on the field. As the motion states, the Gold Coast Games marked Scotland's most successful overseas Commonwealth Games to date with 44 medal hall. It was clear in the interviews that Scottish Last Glades gave ahead of the Games that they were there to do business, and they certainly delivered. There were many memorable moments, as we heard from our two speakers earlier. Neil Factory winning the second double gold in the blind and visually impaired sprint and time trials. Mark Austin securing a surprise bronze medal in the triathlon, and at our third games at the age of only 21, Grace Reid scooping an amazing gold medal in the diving. One of the benefits of the Commonwealth Games is that it gives Scottish athletes a place to shine, which restrictions and Olympic places in team GP do not always allow. Matchers rightly made of Duncan Scott in the pool, storming to victory in the 100m freestyle and winning a total of six medals. Yet the strength and ability of Scottish athletes was to play across a range of events, including but not limited to cycling, bowls, swimming and gymnastics. All the members of Team Scotland, the athletes, coaches and wider staff deserve congratulations for this incredible achievement. Each of the competitors has a story about how they were inspired into their sport. For many it was watching the homegrown athletes that came before them compete on the world stage. Beyond the excitement of the Games, the hope is there for that the achievements of Scottish athletes in the Gold Coast will inspire a whole new generation to get active and involved in sport. However, we know that, at least in this area, aspiration is not enough. Sometimes it is perspiration as well, Presiding Officer. Getting people excited about doing sport rather than simply sitting on the sofa watching sport requires more than encouraging talk. As the Legacy for the Commonwealth Games report stated, legacy is not automatic or inevitable, rather hosting major events can be used as a catalyst. In the aftermath of the 2014 Games, much was promised as a legacy, and the Games were to have on-going social and economic effects, both for Glasgow, for the Wendham South and across the country. The Legacy report from the 2014 Glasgow Games was published as April, and the verdict on the long-standing impact was mixed. Thankfully, the facilities and infrastructure that were put in place for the Games are, of course, still of benefit to communities in which they are situated. Since 2009, there has been an increase in attendance and membership at sports facilities across Glasgow, with an average high-level satisfaction with the available resources. Although the success of the Gold Coast may suggest that high-level performance has benefited, there is much to be done to ensure that its benefit is felt equally across society. An outcome-reported in April's Legacy report was an increase in physical activity for those who are ready active. I am very conscious of time, Presiding Officer, and I want to compete very highly with my Tory opponent across there. I will quickly go to the conclusion. I believe that the success of the Gold Coast Games for Scotland cannot be overstated. Underneath the impressive medical hall, it was also stoic of perseverance and personal triumph. As the American sprinter, Wilma Randal, said, the triumph cannot be had without the struggle. Thank you. Please move your amendment. Did you really, now, good for you? You have ticked me off. Tavish Scott, please. I call Tavish Scott. Four minutes, Mr Scott, please. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I am not going to join in Dave Stewart's perspiration there. Although it was a noble effort to link sport and participation, I know am I going to repeat, as the minister and Brian Whittle rightly did, the list of those who were so successful, although to very much share their sentiments and, indeed, Dave Stewart's sentiments about the success of the Gold Coast and all that came from it. Personally, I enjoyed the swimming, the hockey and the cycling in no particular order, not least of which, because Chris Hoy's illustration from back from the studio, he was doing the punditry back on planet Earth for those of us who watched it, as Brian Whittle rightly said in the early hours of the morning. His description of the pain that you go through as an elite athlete in his particular discipline was something that will probably stay longer with me than anything else I've probably watched in those in 10 days of competition. I winced through most of his television description of that. I actually wanted to make just a couple of points very briefly on legacy, because the investment that a country makes in elite sport—and the minister rightly mentioned the role that sport Scotland and the governing bodies make—the investment that we make in elite sport needs to be balanced by the investment that we make in participation in encouraging a more healthy lifestyle, in making sure that people can live lives that are not such a drain on our health service or not such a drain in other ways on the state. It struck me to look back at Glasgow from the context of the three athletes who were from Shetland and who were part of Team Scotland in Glasgow 2014. I got in touch with all three of them the other day. Aria Davies is a medical student. There can't be many better things in that sense in terms of helping for the future. Andrea Strachan, who swam in the final of the 100 breaststroke in Glasgow, is a sports development officer for the council at home in Shetland and also works for Sports Scotland as a community hub sports officer, if that's the right description of all those titles that she has behind her name. Andrea is not at the moment actively involved in swimming coach and all the rest of it. I just sense that, after such an intensive period, particularly in swimming, where you start in a pool at a very young age and you get up and go so early on for so many years that it probably takes a little bit to get back into it, but to have her involved in sports and active schools in my part of the world in Shetland is very welcome indeed. Finally, Linda Flaws, who was our table tennis player, was part of the team Scotland table tennis team in Glasgow. She is now a full-time physio at the Golden Jubilee and has been since last month. Her point to me the other day was that she cannot wait to get back into table tennis, both playing and knowing Linda, she certainly will do that, but also in coaching as well and putting something back in, not necessarily for elite athletes, but encouraging people in that sense to play a game that we can all play. That, for me, is very much part of the legacy of these games, that people like Brian Whittle have the chance to put all they have learned into the future, into both elite athletes and into participation, and encourage others to recognise how important sports and just active lives can be for their future. Mary Gougeon, that is the trailer, yes. I will give you an extra, Mr Scott. It would only be fair to me to recognise Mary Gougeon's personal role and personal commitment in that sense. Let me let you into a secret, Deputy Presiding Officer, when the European Committee was in Dublin back in the early part of the year, who was the member of that committee who went out running first thing in the corner in the morning? Yes, Mary Gougeon was that person. We were all deeply impressed by her commitment to that triathlon that she has taken part later in the year. Two final points. The first is that the minister mentioned UK Sport. I apologise, UK Sport. She will know that many coaches from across the country are coming up to Edinburgh, I think, in June as part of a UK-wide coaching event, and that is, I think, part of very much the legacy that I hope she would reflect on in her winding remarks. Thank you very much. Open debate. Strict four-minute speeches. Fulton MacGregor, followed by Rachel Hamilton. Mr MacGregor, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. As well as reminding the chamber that I am the peer low to the health secretary, I would also like to mention that I have also been out running with Mary Gougeon and it is suffice to say that I will not be doing that again in a hurry. I would like to start by congratulating Team Scotland on the success at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, and they really did us all proud. It was another great example of what talented athletes we have representing our country. We did well enough to pick up a medal every single day and saw our best performance at away games picking up 44 medals in total. Every one of our athletes should be proud of this achievement. It was great to say that the 224 athletes to compete in all 18 sports, 93 of those were women, which is the biggest Scottish female contingent at away games. We also sent 18 para-athletes as para-disciplines fully integrated into the games. That means that there is no separate event or ticket for a para sport, and a medal won by a para athlete was contributed the same as, for example, the men's wheel chair 1500, as the men's 1500 metres, and that is exactly how it should be. We have seen some really talented emerging athletes at these games, and I believe that this is partly down to the Glasgow 2014 legacy, when medalists such as Kimberlain Louise Rennick's from Coatbridge won gold medals in the Joodle. I am pleased to say that both of them are still involved in the game and coaching young people. We have sustained investment in our sporting system as sport is a way of life in Scotland, and that has borne out personally for me by the huge interests in the cross-party group that I started in the future of football in Scotland, where we have been having open discussions and making all levels of the game accessible to all sectors of society. The Scottish Government investment put into our community sport has produced strong results, and we continue to inspire performance generally. We have seen an expansion in our active schools programmes, as others have mentioned, that allow young people to participate in sport around the school day. In the last academic year, there were nearly 300,000 distinct participants in active schools activities. We also have 192 community sports hubs in operation throughout Scotland, which allows communities to provide welcoming environments for support activities. In my constituency, both Christon High School and St Andrew's High are both community sport hubs, and both of which are home to many talented and ambitious young sports persons. Coatbridge High has a school of rugby that has excelled in recent times, and Buchanan High School has recently sent finalists to the special Olympics world winter games in 2017. St Andrew's High, among many other talented young people, has a student in the national Scotland wheelchair basketball team that is set to meet with him this weekend. In my constituency alone, there is a lot of good work in talented young people. We have also seen a transformation in our sportman facilities across the country since winning the bid in 2007 for the Glasgow 2014. It found that games had driven the development of high-quality sports facilities, contributed 740 million to Scotland's economy and regenerated large parts of Glasgow and enhanced Scotland's international reputation. However, media focused on the finding that games had little impact on sport participation or activity rates. I was pleased that plans to get rid of the tracks at Ravenscraig were scrapped recently after public pressure put paid to that. That is why it is important that the Scottish Government has protected the sport Scotland budget and is committed to increasing sport Scotland's core funding by £2 million in 2018-19 from £29.7 million to £31.7 million. That means that it will be able to prioritise the development of sport within Scotland. In 2017-18, sport Scotland invested more than £10 million in the governing bodies of the Commonwealth Games to ensure that it could develop all aspects of its sport, delivering both participation and performance outcomes. We also invested £163,000 directly in Commonwealth Games Scotland, and that continued investment should be celebrated as it will reap the benefits through sporting success in the future. However, we all need to play a part in making sport accessible for everyone and thereby getting the many social, physical and mental health benefits that exercise brings people, I think, outlined very well by Tavish Scott. I am afraid that you will not have much time for a four-example. You will be to close. There are some good examples locally, but I will need to leave it at that, Presiding Officer. Thank you very much. I would like to begin by congratulating everyone who took part in the Commonwealth Games, especially those from across Scotland, and particularly a big shout-out to those who represented the borders. Some may understand that sport only serves the elite physical specimens and that it can only be enjoyed by us mere mortals, with a packet of crisps and a pint of beer or a glass of wine in front of the television. How wrong those people are, sport is for all and can be enjoyed by all. It unites us all, be it country, region, constituency, town or village. We can all get behind those sporting heroes, professional and amateur and dig deep for our teams. Sport is so much more than sport itself. As a netball coach, I experienced that first-hand. It was not only netball that I taught, but it was the values that came with it. Teamwork, discipline, responsibility and respect, to name but a few. Through netball and other sports, those can be taught to young girls and boys. Those who read the local papers in the Scottish Borders will see that I recently participated in women's rugby training in Kelso. Women spoke of the barriers that they had overcome to play rugby, but the very fact that they come together as a team now speaks volumes of how far they have actually got. I was pleased to see that women's rugby made its Commonwealth debut this year, and women are defying gender stereotypes in sport. They are proving that women can play rugby, that rugby is not just for men. That in itself is a legacy, a legacy created by women of determination. I want to see financial commitment to match that ambition. It is a while back now, but in 2013 and 2014 help was given to upgrade the team-changing facilities at Kelso Rugby Club from the Sports Facility Fund. This type of investment makes sport accessible, and the more accessible we make it, the better the outcome. Since the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Borders has received investment in sports facilities, including 35,000 in community hubs. The Legacy Active Places Fund saw 357,000 invested across seven facilities projects in the Borders through the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund, and with partner contributions the total invested in those projects was just short of 900,000. However, overall the sport Scotland investment in the Scottish Borders has remained static. We need to look and explore whether certain sports are being neglected or whether funding is attributed to one sport considerably more than another. Ensuring that all sports are accessible and that no sport is left behind will increase physical activity in my constituency and across Scotland. Frankly, we need to look at ways to encourage active health. Scotland has an obesity issue. It has one of the worst obesity records among OECD countries, and over a third of adults do not meet guidelines for moderate vigorous physical activity. Also, two thirds of adults in Scotland are overweight, including 29 per cent who are obese. That includes children as well who are at risk of being overweight, including obesity. Those are deeply concerning statistics, and let us not forget that obesity leads to diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses. It adds pressure on our NHS, an active healthy lifestyle, not one as strenuous as professional athletes. However, just 20 minutes of activity a day—a lunchtime walk, for example—is a preventative measure to help obesity. Do I have four minutes, Deputy Presiding Officer? That was your subtle one-minute warning that appears to be very unsubtle. It is a preventative measure that will help reduce obesity and encourage a lifestyle that makes one's own quality of life better, and also reduce the pressure on the NHS. A win-win for all. That is a legacy, and that is what I would like to see us working more towards. To finish, Deputy Presiding Officer, I would like to reiterate my congratulations to Scotland's Commonwealth athletes and those 14 incredibly inspiring young people from the Scottish Borders. Sport teaches core values, and that in itself is a lesson that we should not forget. I also want to offer my congratulations to all the athletes and coaches and everyone involved with Team Scotland for the excellent Commonwealth Games. It is right that, in this Parliament, we acknowledge the great achievements of the Scottish athletes at these games, as well as paying tribute to all the people who competed in what was a great advert for sport across the Commonwealth. The two weeks of compulsive TV for us spectator sports people was great, but for those competing it was weeks, months and years of hard work that got them to their best in their chosen sport. The briefing from Sport Scotland for this debate shows that there is real progress being made across the country in supporting people to be involved in sport, and I hope that all the athletes that did compete will be able to spend some time getting out into our schools and local sports clubs to speak about their experiences. Whilst I applauded the progress that has been made to widen access to sport, there is no room for complacency, and there are still too many young people that do not have access to facilities and coaching. I was able to watch a fair bit of the games and cheer when we were winning the medals, but to be honest, cheer on all the athletes and just enjoy the sport. I think that my most nervous experience was watching the marathon where I caught Calum Hawkins and I thought that he had done enough to take the gold, but it was then overcome by heat. I saw an interview with Calum later that week and he was clear in his determination that he was more determined than ever to achieve his goal of gold. That is the true spirit of the Commonwealth Games, just as it is the true spirit of sport that takes place in communities all over Scotland every weekend. In that marathon, we were able to celebrate Robbie Simpson taking the bronze and well done to him. I know that some people say that sport and politics should be kept apart, but a big moment for me was when Tom Dailey of England won gold in the diving and used that platform to highlight LGBTI rights and the lack of them in many Commonwealth countries. As an athlete, I think that he was brave to do that and I want to quote him. He said that there are 37 countries in the Commonwealth where it is illegal to be who I am and hopefully we can reduce that number. I feel with the Commonwealth that we can really help to push some of the other nations to relax their laws on anti-gay stuff. Well done, Tom Dailey, and well done to the Commonwealth Games for creating an inclusive sporting atmosphere that many of the member countries could and should learn from. That was the first major sporting event that achieved gender equality by having an equal amount of events for male and female athletes and the largest ever fully integrated party discipline sports programme. It is well done to Scotland's 224 athletes and to everyone who competed in the games. I am pleased to speak in this afternoon's debate and will support this motion. As others have mentioned, this is good news that we speak of Team Scotland's success today. Many people enjoy watching the sport, such as athletic swimming, badminton, weightlifting and cycling, that are sports that are all well known to us all. There are other less Kent sports such as competitive shooting, which is where I will focus my comments today. David McMath won a gold medal for double-trap shooting. David is 21 years old and David is Picasso Douglas in the south-west of Scotland. David won Scotland's 30th medal out of the total 44 of the games and his win tipped Scotland over the 29 medal mark to give Scotland our best ever performance for an overseas games. Trap shooting is a game of movement, action and split second timing. It requires accuracy and skill to repeatedly aim, fire and break the four and a quarter inch discs that are hurled through the air at a speed of 42 miles per hour. The palm-sized orange targets look large enough when placed in your hand, but they look like an aspirin tablet when they are flying through the air. I called David to give him best wishes and congratulate him. I found him humble, polite and very much down to earth. On an incidental note, I was speaking to my dad about David winning the gold medal and dad said that he knew David McMath senior. They compete against each other in carpet bowls, which is another less known Scottish sport. My dad said that I was related to the medalist. According to my father, my grandfather's brother's first wife's daughter's daughter's daughter's son is the Commonwealth champion. According to my dad, that makes us kin. Dad and I had a really interesting conversation about it and that is what led me to phone David. We talked about the future of shooting as a sport and in both Olympic and Commonwealth games. David told me that he was going to have to start learning skeet instead of double trap. That is because double trap has been cut from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The future of double trap at the Olympics has been in danger for some time now and many shooters have been changing disciplines with many switching to Olympic trap, which is different from double or skeet. The recommendation to remove double trap was made to help to achieve gender equality in shooting as part of 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Additionally, the 2022 Commonwealth games in Birmingham have taken the decision to drop all shooting events from the games. It is unfortunate that shooting is a great sport for small nations and all the small countries, so most small nation islands can be included in the sport of shooting. Anyone can do it. Competitive shooting is a sport open to a wide variety of people. Many competitive shooters are older. In fact, shooter Robert Pitcairn from Canada, who competed this year, is 79 years old and is officially the oldest athlete in the history of the Commonwealth games. There are also a wide range of competitive shooting events in the Paralympics and shooting is inclusive of folks with disabilities. I will conclude by saying that the motion states believes that sustained investment and commitment in the whole sporting system is vital to enable people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to regular take part in sport and exercise. I ask that the minister explore whether there is an opportunity to preserve competitive shooting, perhaps at the UK Sports Cabinet meeting, in future games so that people of all ages, gender and ability can continue to participate in this inclusive sport. I am delighted to be able to take part in this debate this afternoon. These games have been hailed as Scotland's finest games and I pay tribute to all those who have assisted, coached, supported, attended and took part in these games. We can enjoy their success. Today, we celebrate the success that those individuals gave over their time in their talents and it is right that we honour them for doing that. Scotland has a proud history and has hosted the Commonwealth games in a number of occasions over the past decades. Obviously, Glasgow in 2014, but Edinburgh also in 1970 and 1986. It is my pleasure to speak today and it is compounded, not least due to the fact that, within my own region, I have provided with some really great world-class athletes for these games in recent years and no more so than the most recent ones that we have enjoyed. Indeed, those from Clackmannanshire and the adjacent city of Stirling have figured very highly this year, and that has been due to the university and the facilities that we have at Stirling university. Alas Duncan Scott, an extraordinary swimmer in his own right, has won one gold, one silver and four bronze medals to become Scotland's most successful athlete in the single Commonwealth games. We should celebrate that success, the friendly games that is being called, and he had the honour of being the salt-tire flag bearer at the closing ceremony. He is one of Stirling university's most rising stars and he claimed that he is first-ever individual for the 200m freestyle. As I said, this young man fought long and hard and has achieved so much during his time. Stirling is very proud of his achievements and the members of the team who are participating and working and the coaches and the families and the support mechanism that takes place. That takes place not just in my region but across other regions, and others have supported and talked about today those individuals who give up their time to be par. Coaching, as my fellow member indicated this afternoon, is vitally important. Rachel knows and has said what importance that brings, but it is the time commitment that those individuals give to give those individuals the chance to develop and see their potential grow, and that is most rewarding. I have certainly enjoyed being a member of the audience. I am not a sportsperson—I never have been—but I can still participate in watching what takes place. I am surrounded by individuals today in this chamber who participate on a regular basis, and I can celebrate their success too. As I have said, I live in Bridget Valley, and it is adjacent to Stirling university campus. That campus has phenomenal facilities to ensure that the students and the athletes who use those can benefit. I pay tribute to Sport Scotland for all the work that it is doing to ensure that that takes place. The Gold Coast can be rightly proud of all its achievements, which allowed Australia to have a platform for hosting those games. The relevance of those games continue to provide a vital part of the sporting calendar and provide a backdrop for the host as well as opportunities for the participants. I congratulate the Gold Coast on all that it has achieved, but I congratulate Scotland on its tremendous achievements and look forward to the next games that were hosted by England in the city of Birmingham in 2022. On that occasion, we look forward to continuing our success and introducing to the Commonwealth an array of new stars who are at present coming through the ranks. It is so important that individuals have the opportunity to progress, and that is what the Commonwealth Games does. It is called the Friendly Games, and I think that that in its testament is outstanding. There is nothing wrong with being a non-participant, Mr Stewart. Do not be intimidated by the athletes in here. Mr Adams, please. I am only too pleased to take part in this debate for a number of reasons and to congratulate Team Scotland on their great success at the Commonwealth Games. Many will be aware that sport is an important part of my life. Unfortunately, I am no longer participating due to a long-term injury, or shall that just be that I am getting older? I will share a story where I got to a stage where I am the Paisley 10K, one of my supporters, because I will clean it up slightly. She told me at the time as I jogged through Fergusley Park how much she appreciated my work as an MSP, but no uncertain terms, I definitely was not a runner. At that point, I thought that it was time to hang up the running shoes and move on. However, during my lifetime, I have always been aware of how important success this is in our local community. When I was young, it was Alan Wells who had sprinting exploits. That is the first one that I remember at multi-sports games. Just a bit later, in 1986, the European Championship, I watched a certain Brian Whittle on the track running round with one shoe and getting a gold medal. The 4x400 metres relay to this day still blames Chris Acabusi for standing on his shoe, but one shoe whittle, whatever happened to him. However, the performance of all our athletes is well-inspired and can inspire young people and encourage them to take up sport, but not necessarily for them to become elite athletes, but to ensure that they lead healthy, balanced lifestyles. Sport also teaches us how to make goals and how you can work hard to achieve them. Life lessons that all of us probably could use and will use as we move forward. When we are talking about the games, there are a number of Paisley clubs that were involved and had players there. The Kelburn Hockey Club gave quite a lot of the men's team, based on Paisley for field hockey. Basketball Paisley had a player there as well. It shows you that all those other sports are not necessarily the most exciting ones, the ones that everyone goes to see, and that something such as the Commonwealth Games can show what we can do. The inspiration part of it is that, in constituencies such as mine and Paisley, I talk about all the time about unsupported programmes that bring sports to all young people, and that is why I have worked with Sutmurn FC and Remshire Council to look at ways for Sutmurn, who are based in Fergusley Park, to deliver a sports programme in our communities that can focus young people on what they can achieve, using sport and all sports to get young people engaged in their community and in their schools. However, as we all know, education does not just stop at the school gates. For many young people, sport is a fantastic way to express themselves and move forward. Sporting excellence, such as that that that is shown by Team Scotland, inspires us all. However, let us look at the medal hall that we had this year, which is 44 medals. That does not include a sport that we were very successful with last time. Judo was not there this year, and back in that fantastic summer of 2014, Team Scotland won 13 medals in Judo alone. Team Scotland's success is in the Gold Coast and has encouraged this middle-aged man to re-engage with his local gym. It might not show, but it is a work in progress, but is that not the point? The elite sports stars inspire us, all of us encourage us to do better. Can I finish by saying that we are well done to Team Scotland and everyone, and let's hope that this is something that we can build on for the future? Thank you very much, Mr Adam. Closing speeches, I call Nana Sarwar to close with Labour. Four minutes, please, Mr Sarwar. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I start by thanking the minister for bringing forward this debate today and joining her in congratulating all our fantastic athletes and all the team behind our athletes. I put on the record the start as a Glasgow boy born and bred that, despite how great the Commonwealth Games were, the greatest ever Commonwealth Games were clearly in Glasgow in 2014. I can't have absolutely still the case, so we want to congratulate all the team who did our country proud, every single one of them flying the flag for themselves, their teammates, their family and their country. Across the board's success, from the pool to the velodrome, from the boxing ring to the bowling green, 44 medals, every one of them an inspiration to people who might only for the first time be trying out a sport that they saw on the TV these past few weeks. Can I say how inspirational it is to have a genuine athlete amongst us in this chamber? I mean Mary Gougeon, of course, rather than one shoe Whittle who struggled to get it to his seat last week for decision time. I also thank Dave Stewart and Alec Rowley in particular for mentioning the unity of the 71 nations and the point about that around the Commonwealth Games, but the wider point about standing up for our shared values of equality and fairness against all forms of prejudice, be that gender prejudice, homophobia or any other form of prejudice, and how the Commonwealth Games can be a great reminder of what we have achieved together, but all that we all still have to do in order to fight prejudice in all its forms. Dave Stewart mentioned that he remembered the Commonwealth Games from the 1970s. I apologise to my colleague. I don't remember the 1970s Commonwealth Games and I don't believe the minister remembers them either, but I'm sure that they were a triumph nonetheless. Our amendment today is clear on the need to use the success of Scotland's athletes in whichever sport to drive not just more medalists but more physical activity in all of us to inspire participation at whatever level of ability. To the team behind the team, the coaches, the physios, the sports scientists and the support crew, I am pleased that we are able to come together today to congratulate all of them on their shared success. But long before the medals were hung around their neck, the athletes took their first steps in a journey and they ended with that final step onto the podium. They were beginners in whatever their sport was and they have been supported along the way by volunteer coaches, by governing bodies, by sports scientists and all the crew, which is why the pathway that they travel is so important and why the investment on that pathway is so important to us. We can have supporting success in elite sport but also encourage active participation. I do say gently to the minister that we have work to do in terms of this chamber to collectively make sure that we are adequately funding our local authorities but also our national sport agencies to encourage that active participation and hopefully more medalists along the way. The reality is that for every athlete who has stood on that podium in Australia, there are participants here at home who are seeing the impact of budget cuts and the impact that that has on their participation. We will be supporting the Government's motion today but we hope that we can work alongside the Government to participate in using the success of the games to inspire a generation and to actually put further investment back into active participation so that we can build that physical activity to have us being the healthy nation that we want us to be because that is the real prize, Deputy Presiding Officer, the real prize to lower levels of obesity, to reduce levels of diabetes, of heart disease, of cancer and so let's use that inspiration of the Commonwealth Games, let's use the inspiration of those athletes to say once and for all, let's build that healthy, bright nation for the future. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr Sarra, Colin Brown. We will close with the Conservative. Five minutes please, Mr Whittle. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I say to all my fellow athletes and Anas Sawa. Today's debate, as we would expect, has been a conventional one with members highlighting their own favourite performances and recognising the overall result from Scottish teams where remarkable across all sports. I wanted to say to George Adam just to confirm that it was Acabusiw that took my shoe off. I know you are torn because you watched that week back in 1986 and have already admitted that it was one of the highlights of your life and also the fact that I've coached your beloved St Myrran as well, you're a torn man. I just wanted to speak to Alex Rowley as well. He mentioned Tom Daley and how Tom Daley used his success to highlight inequalities throughout the Commonwealth and I think when you said he was brave, I think he was incredibly brave because he used that. If you look at his timeline in his Twitter, he took an incredible amount of abuse to highlight what is a continuing inequality. In closing for the Scottish Conservatives, I wanted to pose the question hot now. There's always this debate around the legacy of major games of whether performance sport influences participation. There's no question for me that sport is performance-led. It's hard to argue against the tide of tennis players playing during the Wimbledon Fortnite, for example. The issue for me is around the initial access to opportunity and the sport's ability to accommodate that influx of numbers. I've always said that it's a Government that has this responsibility to ensure that opportunity is available to all irrespective of background or personal circumstance. Furthermore, and crucially, it's also a Government's responsibility to ensure that all understand that opportunity and have the confidence to access. That second part is a more difficult one to define. Nonetheless, the inequalities that currently exist cannot be tackled if we don't address them. Costs will be a significant factor here. We often debate the money in people's pockets, but I would also suggest that that is only half of the story. How much things cost is equally important. I would argue that it's easier and quicker to deal with this end of the age, all the while continuing to tackle the money in people's pockets. I know that Dave Stewart spoke particularly passing on to that. I'm a great advocate of extracurricular activity before, during and after school—that old expression, fish where the fish are. I've never understood the situation where school children leave a school with perfectly good facilities, go home and then have to go somewhere else to take part. Let's make it easy to participate. Should we be looking at aligning our physical education with the sports that will be or have been in recent games? What about connecting that up to local clubs in the area? Make that progress an easy one to do. I think that councils and alloys lead local facilities, and too many of the community facilities are closing down, sort of de-melodding the partners, the cumulocks and many other, under threat in my area, citing that lack of numbers, therefore the affordability of that facility. When in the planning stage I would ask what consideration is given to the marketing and use of that facility, are the local communities and the third sector organisations involved in that process? Is it an on-going process by the alloys and councils? I have challenged the alloys at their recent conference on that very issue. We cannot keep closing down local facilities and expect locals to access the central major venues of which many are world-class and I welcome them. Once again, I think that it speaks to accessibility and affordability, and if we do, we are just removing a step in the process of taking participation away from many. Scottish schools sport, if you follow that, is becoming the bastion of private education, and sport and activity in general is in danger of becoming the bastion of the so-called middle classes and out of reach of many. If we are really to seek a rounded legacy, we need to make conscious decisions and a concerted effort to change the current system. The amazing results and performances of our sportsmen and women at the Commonwealth Games in Australia highlight the progress as a nation that we have made on the international stage. We can safely say that legacy at the performance end of sport is moving forward. We have got much right, and it is still an issue to deal with, but we are moving in a positive direction. However, I do not think that we have a lot of work to do if we are going to have a similar impact at grassroots and at the participation level. Without question, we have not got that bit right, and we are not cascading that through down into the councils. It is an easy target. Sports facilities are an easy target when services have to be rationalised. Of course, a false economy, as Rachael Hamilton said, has a long-term impact on health, attainment, economy, justice and so on. It is not but one or the other. It is not about elite or grassroots because the reality is that one drives and feeds the other. The Commonwealth Games will go from strength to strength, I am sure, and the Blue and White of Scotland will continue to be prominent, and our athletes will continue to write their own stories in their arenas. For 2022, it is likely that all competitors are already engaged in sport clubs and looking at Commonwealth Games athletes for inspiration following their path, already recognising what is possible by the efforts of their heroes. What we need to do is ensure that those who are not yet engaged get that opportunity. For me, we must redouble our efforts there because that is what real legacy should look like. I am sincerely grateful for all the positive contributions that rightly celebrate the achievements of Team Scotland—the medallus, the powerful images, the stories of courage and endurance. I agree with David Stewart's assessment that the team was clearly from the get-go there to do business. The strong performance by our athletes that Brian Whittle highlighted proportionally higher than our population share gives us great encouragement to look to the European Championships in a few months' time and be hopeful of further successes to celebrate and cheer on this August. Our performance a few weeks ago is all the more remarkable when we consider Glasgow's 53 medals, including as George Adams highlighted, 30 medals won in judo, which of course was not included in the 2018 games. We won across nine sports and each day of the competition. Our athletes deserve the plaudits and are heard and rightly across the chamber. While there is rightly praise in members' comments, there were also a range of issues raised on the broader issues of sport, of activity, of accessibility and of course of equality. Brian Whittle made in his closing remarks and his opening remarks incredibly important contributions. I do not think that any of us would dare to rival his experience. Of course, in 1986, I was just a wee girl cheering him on alongside Anas Sarwar, who was an even wee boy. He also gave us an important historical overview of the Commonwealth games when reasserting the continued relevance of those games. Members may or may not, but I think that they would be interested in the rich sporting archive that is currently held at Stirling University, perhaps something that Alexander Stewart would be interested in, given that he explicitly raised the facilities at Stirling University. Some of the artefacts that they have were on display in the Gold Coast, including James Heatley's grandads and Peter Heatley's Commonwealth games jersey. It is also really important that we recognise the importance of sporting memories and the memorabilia for the work that is going on around dementia and the support that sport can provide to help people to cope with that condition. As well as an aside, back in the 1938 games, it took six weeks for the team to travel out to Australia compared to the 24-hour flight that we have today. Again, great strides forward and important to reassert the relevance of those games. Similarly, Dave Stewart's contribution was incredibly informed and considered reminding us that those friendly games unite those 71 diverse territories from it across the Commonwealth, united in its effort to enshrine humanity and diversity. On that point, it is important to reflect on Alex Rowley's contribution, rightly pointing out the requirement to never cease with the efforts to celebrate the diversity of the 71 nations but to never forget to press where progressive change is necessary. I would absolutely echo the comments from Anna Sarwar on that point that we need to promote tolerance and always fight prejudice. Members might be interested that the Commonwealth Games, which was a game of firsts, was also the first to have a reconciliation plan to celebrate the cultural diversity of the first nations people but to also reconcile the treatment of Australia's indigenous people. It is important for their bespoken tailored legacy that that is something that they continue to work towards completing. Many members mentioned and raised participation in sports Scotland's system, which does endeavour to do work across a broad range of outcomes to ensure that grassroots participation is supported, but also to ensure that performance is equally supported. It is important to recognise that, although there are always doubts and concerns about sport being the bastion of the middle classes, 95 per cent of funding is through grassroots sports. It is important to recognise that a major legacy from the 2014 Games was the 192 community sports hubs across the length and breadth of the country, which is concentrating on areas of deprivation and enables the links to clubs to ensure that there are appropriate pathways to enable young people, particularly all people from the community, to enable them to take part in sport with an accessibility there in their local community. It is also important to reflect on sports Scotland's report that they published and sent in their briefing on the active schools co-ordinators role, because that is in itself ensuring that children across all socioeconomic indicators have access to sport and is trying to do in a very strategic way to debunk the myths around who should be involved in sport. We have much to celebrate in terms of our accessibility to sport, but it is certainly and much to build on, but absolutely much more to do. Finally, I will point on the issues that Rachel Hamilton touched upon around women in sport as well. Those games were good in terms of the diversity and helping women. There have been the same medal chances for men and women. In Scotland, we need to take notice of the fact that we need to do more to support women and girls in sport. That is why I have established the women and girls advisory board to guide us on what more we need to do. I applaud her efforts in netball and, of course, she would have been cheering on Joe Pettit from the Borders, who was part of the team, along with her flatmate from Bigger, Emily Nicol. Of course, we will take leadership from Mary Gougeon, who is running all the time to inspire others. I just wanted to point out that, although it was an off-the-cuff remark that you made around that it does not matter if you do not take part in sport, it absolutely is important that, regardless of your ability, people take part in sport. That is why we should point out and look at the success of walking, which has delivered the population-level shift increase in participation in activity that Scotland has so needed. It is important that we recognise that, of all ages and all stages, taking part in sport and activity should be inspired by inspirational heroes that we saw in the Commonwealth Games just a few weeks ago, but that absolutely needs to be accessible. Of course, all those indicators will continue to push the changes that we need to make and the changes that we need to see to enable our country to become more active more often. I am talking about activity, not sport. Some of us do not like sport, but we quite like to be active. That is the last I will say, and I will not be jovial again. We are now going to take a pause while I let the front benches take their places for the next debate.