The company will also become a partner of Team Scotland and Team England at Scotland's largest ever multi-sport event, and provide fuel for the official Games vehicles.

BP will also launch a mentoring scheme for 65 young people aged between 17 and 21 to develop their workplace skills.

The Games are due take place from July 23 to August 3, 2014, and will feature 6,500 athletes and officials from across the 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

BP is also a partner of the United States Olympic Committee and, it has been widely reported, signed a deal with the British Olympic Association which will be officially announced soon.

Jessica Ennis-Hill, London 2012 heptathlon champion, and one of BP's ambassadors during their sponsorship of the Olympics and Paralympics was delighted that they had signed up for Glasgow 2014.

"It is fantastic news that BP is to be a partner for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games," she said.

"It is important to the organisations as well as the athletes that such strong brands are there to give their support."


But BP's sponsorship of London 2012 was marred by controversy when there was worldwide calls from them to be dropped following the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.

Following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which claimed 11 lives, a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, discharging an estimated 4.9 million barrels.

BP has since spent $14 billion (£9 billion/€11 billion) cleaning up the Gulf Coast but is still facing legal action over the disaster.

The company remains one of the biggest employers in the North Sea and their involvement with Glasgow 2014 has been welcomed by Scotland's Commonwealth Games and Sport Minister Shona Robison.

"As a world leading company with a big presence in Scotland, BP's support for the Commonwealth Games is extremely welcome," she said.

"BP now joins a growing list of major companies involved in making next year's event truly spectacular."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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