By Tom Degun at the International Sports Event Management Conference in London

David Gremberg 2November 8 - Glasgow 2014 chief executive David Grevemberg has claimed you cannot compare his event with London 2012 as the Commonwealth Games are an entirely different product from the Olympics and Paralympics.

Following the huge success of London 2012, expectations on Glasgow 2014 to replicate the event have dramatically increased despite the fact that the Olympics and Paralympics are set to cost just under £9 billion ($14 billion/€11 billion) and the Commonwealth Games have a budget of around £525 million ($838 million/€657 million).

But despite being confident that Glasgow 2014 will be a successful event, Grevemberg said it would not be an event trying to replicate the Olympics and Paralympics.

"Following the Games this summer, the question I am often being asked is whether London 2012 has put pressure on Glasgow 2014," Grevemberg said here.

"But it must be understood that the Commonwealth Games is something different from the Olympics and Paralympics.

"The Commonwealth simply loves sport and it is part of a family that has a history of staging great sporting performances.

"If you look at the recent history of the Commonwealth Games with Delhi in 2010, Melbourne in 2006, Manchester in 2002, you have has some fantastic sporting events.

"But there are unique sporting events with a certain tradition and identity that you can perhaps only find in the Commonwealth.

"So while there are obviously elements of London 2012 that we will hope to replicate, we certainly hope to have our own identity that will really show the true flavour of Glasgow, Scotland and the entire Commonwealth."

glasgow 2014 velodromeGlasgow 2014 will be trying to seek its own identity, promises chief executive David Grevemberg

The Glasgow 2014 chief executive also made it clear that in staging the Commonwealth Games, leaving a strong legacy for the city is of major importance.

Already Glasgow are bidding for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games with the intention of using the majority of the venues for the Commonwealth Games and Grevemberg implied the his Organising Committee will leave any potential Youth Olympics in good shape.

"For us, legacy is not an afterthought, it is a forethought," he said.

"It is key to everything we do and we cannot afford not to think about what happens afterwards for Glasgow.

"We see the 2014 Commonwealth Games not as landing strip but as a launch pad so we really need to make the most out of this opportunity."

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