The Scottish city's political leadership revealed the plans, with the budget proposals published this week to include capital investment in the city's primary schools as part of the latest stage in a programme to ensure all children and young people are educated in buildings designed to help them fulfil their true potential.

Glasgow's proposals include plans to plough millions of pounds in to the regeneration of Sighthill (pictured top) – one of the most deprived communities in the United Kingdom, which has been earmarked as the site for the Youth Olympic Village in 2018.

Glasgow 2018 claims the regeneration of this community has been brought forward 20 years by the Youth Olympic bid but that this would have happened regardless of whether the city wins the Games or not.

"We are determined that Glasgow's children and young people will continue to be at the centre of our priorities," Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said.

"They are the future of our city and we must always ensure that they are given the opportunities that allow them to fulfil their potential and become champions in their own lives in whatever walk of life they choose.

"The evidence shows that our determination and work to improve the lives of our young people is reaping great benefits for our young people and the city, now we hope that by winning the Bid to host the 2018 Youth Olympic Games we can push on and continue to inspire our next generations to achieve their true potential as there is still much work to do."


The plans also includes an £11 million ($18 million/€13 million) investment in childcare to support some of the city's most vulnerable children such as those at risk of being removed from their homes, while more than £5 million ($8 million/€6 million) is being committed to the building and running of new residential care homes for children over the next two years.

An additional £1 million ($1.6 million/€1.2 million) has been earmarked for the recruitment of additional staff to support young people and their families and it is also planned to free up more than £4 million ($6 million/€5 million) to increase the number of foster carers and adoptive parents in the city.

Finally, the school building plans are the latest stage in a programme, which has seen more than £550 million ($876 million/€657 million) invested in school buildings in recent years, with more than 100 schools having benefited.

This investment has coincided with a rise in attainment across Glasgow, with young people now achieving the best ever exam results and a record 86 per cent reaching positive destinations of either work or higher and further education after leaving school.

Glasgow has also seen a year-on year increase in young people going to university every year since 2001.

"Glasgow is again demonstrating its proven commitment to the future of its young people," Paul Bush, Glasgow 2018 bid team director said.

"We hope we can work with the Olympic Movement to continue to inspire young people both here and across the globe to achieve all they can.

"This takes hard work and commitment over many years and is never easy, but Glasgow is in it for the long haul and winning the right to host the 2018 YOG would be a wonderful next stage in this journey."

Glasgow is bidding for the 2018 Youth Games along with Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Medellín and Rotterdam.

The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) ruling Executive Board is due to announce the shortlisted cities from the five current candidates at its meeting on February 12 and 13, before formally electing the host city on July 4.

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