Prime Minister John Swinney has backed calls for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to pay a fitting tribute to Scottish sporting legend Sir Chris Hoy.
Speak with Mailsport at the official launch yesterday, Swinney said he would be ‘very supportive’ of the idea of the event being known as the ‘Sir Chris Hoy Games’, after the six-time Olympic champion revealed his terminal cancer diagnosis last weekend .
The rugby world embraced the late Doddie Weir following his MND diagnosis, with Scotland and Wales playing for the ‘Doddie Weir Cup’ raising much-needed funds and awareness of the disease.
Something similar for Hoy would undoubtedly do the same for prostate cancer – and be fully supported by the Commonwealth family as a legacy for the 48-year-old Scot.
“I would be very much in favor of the Games being called the ‘Sir Chris Hoy Games’,” the Prime Minister said. ‘I feel completely annoyed for Chris Hoy and for his family.
“The situation they face is being met with the exceptional courage that we have all come to appreciate from Chris Hoy and I could not admire him more for the way he has handled and communicated the news.”
Scottish cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and his wife Sarra
Hoy presents the Commonwealth Games baton at the opening ceremony in Glasgow 2014
Sir Chris Hoy’s Velodrome will once again be a key venue for another major sporting event
Prime Minister John Swinney expressed his condolences to Hoy and his wife Sarra
Sir Chris Hoy celebrates winning a gold medal in the keirin at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Hoy retired from cycling in 2013 and missed out on competing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow the following year, but his legacy lives on – not just in the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome built for track cycling in 2014, but also in the vast amount of the work he has done in promoting cycling and sport across Scotland.
His revelation last weekend that he has two to four years to live since learning of his fate last September sparked a huge increase in online searches about cancer – taking them to their highest level since the announcement in February and March of the Royals’ respective diagnoses.
In fact, visits to the Macmillan Cancer Support website were up 34 per cent on the average Sunday of the previous year, and its prostate cancer online pages received 1,600 hits, a 132 per cent increase on typical Sunday web traffic.
The charity believes Hoy’s decision to be open about his diagnosis now could save lives by encouraging people to consult their doctor about their symptoms.
Swinney was also aware that the Hoys had to come to terms with the revelation that his wife, Sarra, has multiple sclerosis.
The Prime Minister’s wife, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with MS many years ago.
“Obviously, I’m very aware that his family has also had to come to terms with the diagnosis that his wife has MS,” he continued. ‘That is obviously a situation with which I am very familiar. So my heart goes out to them.”
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, meanwhile, also said Hoy should be recognized at the Games, saying: ‘I am sure there will, rightly, be a fitting tribute to Sir Chris Hoy, not only at the Commonwealth Games but also at other sporting events. held around Glasgow and Scotland.’
Jon Doig, the chief executive of Commonwealth Games Scotland, says discussions will now take place with Hoy about ‘what might be appropriate at this time’.
“In terms of the news about Chris, he is part of our Commonwealth Games family,” Doig said. “I was in the first team with him in 1998 and, from our perspective, whatever love and support we can give to Sir Chris and his family at this particular time, we will.
‘We will of course discuss with Chris what is appropriate at this time.
The confirmation of the downsized Glasgow Games was confirmed, along with the selected sports
Hoy celebrates team sprint gold with Craig Maclean and Ross Edgar in Melbourne 2006
The logo of the 2026 showpiece was also unveiled, along with the full sports program
The news that Hoy has two to four years to live has hit the Scottish sporting world hard
‘Obviously it’s a very private moment. Chris was an important part of our games in 2014 in terms of the Queen’s baton, he was one of our village mayors, he has the Velodrome named after him, so involving Chris in the way he would like will be a discussion that we will sail forward.’
Scotland and Team GB gymnast Cameron Lynn, who competed at Birmingham 2022 and finished fifth, told Mail Sport that marking Sir Chris in such a way would be fitting after years of inspiring others in the sporting world.
“For me, Chris Hoy is an athlete I’ve looked up to my whole life,” he said. ‘My mum and dad used to take me to cycle at his velodrome and I think it would be an honor if it was named the Sir Chris Hoy Games.
‘I would definitely pursue that. One hundred percent.
‘The news of his diagnosis is simply heartbreaking. Tears came to our eyes when we heard about it.
“We’ve seen him grow and grow throughout his career and it’s a horrible, horrible thing for him to have.”
Crystelle Lake, who also hopes to compete for Team Scotland at the Glasgow 2026 artistic gymnastics event, said she was ‘incredibly inspired’ by the way Hoy handled his situation.
“He’s such a big inspiration,” the 20-year-old said. ‘A brilliant role model because he is so positive about it.
‘It’s scary to think that you train so hard all your life and then end up with such a condition. I guess you have to take it on the chin and think positively. That’s what he did and I find it so inspiring. I would absolutely compete in the Sir Chris Hoy Games.”
The Glasgow Games officially started yesterday after months of wrangling over financial and budgetary constraints.
Doig said it felt “fantastic” to finally see the event come together.
“It’s been almost 12 months since we started discussions about bringing the Games back to Glasgow,” Doig said.
‘We have worked hard on the concept and it is very satisfying to be here less than twelve months later.
‘The response we’ve had from athletes is that they’re really excited about the return of the Games, and not only that but the future of the Games, with Glasgow being here for 2026 and moving forward for 2030 and beyond .’