sportscotland looking for a group of young people to speak up for sport and work with them and Young Scot to help influence and shape sport in Scotland. Are you or do you know know someone who has got what it takes to speak up for sport? Please encourage them to apply online at www.sportscotland.org.uk/sportpanel, we would love to hear from them!

Applications will close at noon on Thursday 22^nd February 2016

sportscotland are looking for young people who are:

• Living in Scotland
• Aged between 14 – 23
• Passionate about sport
• Able to commit 3 hours a week on a voluntary basis
• Want to make a difference

Applications are welcome from young people from a wide range of backgrounds including SIMD areas and those with protected characteristics.

The work of the sport panel

Being part of the sport panel is a great opportunity for a young person; over the years the experience has made a positive difference to the lives of past and present panel members and they have made an important contribution to Scottish sport. The sport panel have been involved in a range of activities supporting the development of projects that help improve sport in schools, clubs and communities, attending and contributing to workshops and conferences to influence decision making and creating content for the web and social media to raise the profile of sport. You can follow the work of the Young People’s Sport Panel on social media using #sportpanel. More information is available at: www.sportscotland.org.uk/sportpanel-projects

What do members of the current panel have to say about it?

“Being part of the sport panel is an incredible opportunity, to be able to work with other young people and really be part of influencing change for young people in sport in Scotland. Its so inspiring to know you are making a positive difference for others.” Kirsty

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS), Bowls Scotland and Team Scotland, are disappointed to confirm that Para Lawn Bowls athlete Martin Hunter has been forced to withdraw from the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games due to personal circumstances. Martin has been a stalwart of the Scottish Para Lawn Bowls Team for many years enjoying considerable success on the international stage, including a B7 Men’s Singles gold medal at the 2015 IBD World Championships.

SDS is delighted to announce that Garry Brown will step up to join the Open B6/B7/B8 Triples. Garry has a wealth of experience in Para Lawn Bowls having been a member of the Scottish Team that competed at the IBD World Championships in 2011 and 2015 and is also the reigning Scottish Indoor Champion. Garry is a fierce competitor who will also call on his previous international experience in the sports of swimming and football.  His passion, enthusiasm and technical ability will complement his fellow Open B6/B7/B8 Triples team mates, debutant Mike Nicoll, and Michael Simpson, who returns after taking 4th place at Glasgow 2014.

Gavin Macleod, SDS CEO said: “We are all massively disappointed for Martin at this time but in Garry Brown we have a readymade replacement who will grasp the opportunity to represent Team Scotland at the Gold Coast Games with both hands. Garry is a team player with a wealth of experience within international sport as well as being one of Scotland’s top Para Lawn Bowlers. This selection will realise his dream to compete at a Commonwealth Games and everyone at SDS wishes him and the rest of the squad all the best in their preparation for Gold Coast 2018.”

SDS is also delighted to announce that Eric McMillan will join Team Scotland as Para-Bowls Assistant Team Manager and Coach for Gold Coast 2018. Eric has extensive experience within the sport having been on the coaching team at the 2015 IBD World Championships and Head Coach at the 2015 CPISRA World Games. We welcome Eric to Team Scotland and wish him every success for Gold Coast 2018.

Brits Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett reached their fifth Grand Slam men’s doubles final together on Thursday at the Australian Open when the reigning Wimbledon and US Open champions beat Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina and Shingo Kunieda of Japan 6-1, 4-6, (10-6).

Top seeds Reid and Hewitt will face French second seeds Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer in Friday’s final at Melbourne Park.

Hewett and Reid put the disappointment of bowing out of the men’s singles on Wednesday’s first day of wheelchair tennis competition firmly behind them as they reeled off six games in a row to take the first set. Although they were unable to wrap up the second set from 3-0 up, they were never behind in the deciding match tie-break and completed victory after an hour and 23 minutes.

“It feels good to be in a final again and have another opportunity to showcase what we can do on a tennis court, but I think the main satisfaction for us is how we played, especially in that first set and a half and the enjoyment we had on court and the teamwork we showed,” said Reid, who completed a career Grand Slam of doubles titles in Melbourne last year, when he and Hewett were on opposite sides of the net in the final.

“We said no matter what happened we wanted to go out there and enjoy ourselves and work as a team. To come out after yesterday and play some of the tennis we did in that first set and a half was just incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed it out there today,” said Hewett, who partnered Fernandez in last year’s Australian Open final, when Reid and Belgium’s Joachim Gerard came out on top.

Should Reid and Hewett win the trophy on Friday it would seal a first British Grand Slam title of the year. That would continue a run of unprecedented success for players on the Tennis Foundation’s Wheelchair Tennis World Class Performance Programme that saw Great Britain win seven Grand Slam titles in 2017 after a record medal haul at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Selected for his second Games, powerlifter Micky Yule will be looking to make the step onto the podium after a fourth place finish at Glasgow 2014. Previously a competitor for the Army Weightlifting team, he was injured by an improvised explosive device while serving with the Scots Royal Engineers in 2010. After a year out to recover from his injuries, he returned to training, becoming the first Scot to compete at a Commonwealth Games in Para-Sport Powerlifting. He was also the first British athlete to win gold at the 2016 Invictus Games, taking titles in both 2014 and 2016. After several injury setbacks in 2017, he is on the comeback trail and, if he can recapture the form that places him second on the Commonwealth rankings, he is a true medal contender in the Heavyweight division.

Micky Yule said: “I am proud to be selected for my second Commonwealth Games. I finished fourth in Glasgow last time out and felt how close it was to miss out on those medals. I go to the Gold Coast with one mission and that’s to come home with a medal. Nothing else will do!”

Two young Para-Swimmers are also named to today and will be aiming to emulate the success of swimming sensation Erraid Davies at Glasgow 2014. Holder of an incredible 14 Scottish records in the S9 and S10 categories, 14 year old Toni Shaw is the youngest athlete named for Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 to date. Selection comes on the back of an outstanding 2017, where she won multiple medals at the World Para-Swimming Series and earned selection to the senior team for the World Para-Swimming Championships in Mexico.

Toni will swim the SB9 100m Breaststroke, the event in which Davies won her memorable bronze in Glasgow, as well as the S9 100m Freestyle, S9 100m Backstroke and the SM10 200m Individual Medley. She is joined by 16 year old Beth Johnston in the 200m Individual Medley. Beth took two gold and a silver at the penultimate World Para-Swimming Series event in Indianapolis and set Scottish records over 50m and 100m Backstroke in 2017.

Ally Whike, Performance Director at Scottish Swimming said: “Both Toni and Beth have upped their game throughout the qualification period and I’ve been impressed by their approach to each meet they have competed in. This will hold them in good stead to perform at their best come April.”

SELECTED ATHLETES

PARA-SWIMMING)

Beth Johnston, Galashiels
Toni Shaw, Aberdeen

POWERLIFTING

Micky Yule, Musselburgh / Southampton