Glasgow-born Jamieson (pictured top), who won silver in this summer's Olympic 200 metres breaststroke, said: "I'm a champion in my life and I support Glasgow's bid to host the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

"My journey started at the Glasgow Club Springburn when my parents bought me a six-week block at the Learn to Swim programme.

"I didn't get in the water until week six because it was too cold but when I eventually got in I loved it."

The Scottish city is hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014, which Jamieson hopes to be a part of, and the infrastructure in place for that competition could be a major boost to its hopes of winning the battle to stage the 2018 Youth Games.

Youngsters are central to Glasgow's message, and few could better represent that message than 23-year-old Jamieson, whose silver medal in the Aquatics Centre during the Olympics was the high point for a disappointing overall performance by the British swimming squad.

Michael Jamieson competes in the London 2012 men's 200m breaststroke final

He trained at the Glasgow School of Sport at the age of 12, and then moved to join the Glasgow swim team at Tollcross, which is being renovated to stage the swimming competitions at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

"When I was younger it was all about getting to the Olympic Games and winning an Olympic medal – it was around 2007 when it became a realistic target," added Jamieson, now focused on the Commonwealth Games in his home city.

"I prepared for this year and prepared to win a medal at the Olympic Games.

"It has been a bit of a whirlwind since the Games but that has been my career highlight so far.

"The challenge for me moving on from this is I want to go on and win more medals.

"With Glasgow 2014 on the horizon that's at the forefront of my mind.

"Hopefully I will be at the World Championships next summer and then of course in Glasgow the following year."

Glasgow is bidding against Buenos Aires, Medellín, Guadalajara, Poznan and Rotterdam, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to decide which city wins the race to stage the Games next year.

Dame Kelly Holmes helped to launch the Glasgow 2018 Youth Olympics bid

Other high profile supporters of Glasgow's bid include Olympians such as Athens 2004 double gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, and Katherine Grainger, who ended a run of three successive silver medals in Olympic rowing when the Glasgow born double sculler claimed gold this summer alongside Anna Watkins.

Glasgow also has the crucial backing of the British Government, with Prime Minister David Cameron expressing his support for their "Be a Champion in your Life" campaign.

The city is also set to host the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Aquatics Championships in 2015, and 99 per cent of the sport venues required for 2018 are already in place, Glasgow claim.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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