Mike Rowbottom
MIke Rowbottom ©insidethegamesTwenty-eight years, almost to the day, after the last Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony to be held in Scotland, the Glasgow 2014 celebrations could hardly have offered a more propitious contrast.

Whereas Edinburgh 1986 had marching bands in tartan, Glasgow 2014 had marching bands in tartan. Whereas Edinburgh 1986 had the Loch Ness Monster, Glasgow 2014 had the Loch Ness Monster. OK. It's Scotland, what do you want?

But whereas Edinburgh 1986 had a lone piper on the ramparts of its Castle, Glasgow 2014 had John Barrowman disporting himself with habitual verve and showmanship from the top of a notional bus and leading a quirky Scots intro along with singer Karen Dunbar which managed to celebrate a host - to use an appropriate term - of national icons, including those very tasty Tunnock's Tea Cakes wrapped in silver and red foil.

John Borrowman and Karen Dunbar get the Glasgow 2014 welcome party off to a swing at Celtic Park ©Getty ImagesJohn Borrowman and Karen Dunbar get the Glasgow 2014 welcome party off to a swing at Celtic Park ©Getty Images


Which as any reader of Wikipedia will now be able to tell you, were originally produced by Thomas Tunnock at his family bakery in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire.

And whereas Edinburgh 1986 didn't have little Scottish Terriers trotting in front of each of the national teams, Glasgow 2014 DID. Please let this become a trend. What dog might teams expect to lead them into the stadium ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics, I wonder? Perhaps a Brazilian Terrier would be a good choice - distant relation of Jack Russell Terriers which were brought to Brazil from Europe in the 1880s?

Pakistan's team is preceded at the Glasgow 2014 Opening Ceremony by - a Scottie dog! Genius. ©AFP/Getty ImagesPakistan's team is preceded at the Glasgow 2014 Opening Ceremony by - a Scottie dog! Genius. ©AFP/Getty Images

Brazilian Terriers are said to be very alert, perky and intelligent. Probably a better bet than the Brazilian Mastiff, which has been banned in many countries because of its size, temperament and potential for aggression. Apparently when slavery was legal in Brazil, Mastiffs were used to return escapees to their owners. Definitely Terriers then.

Most gloriously for the thousands of spectators watching on large screens around the city, whereas Edinburgh 1986 had clouds and rain, Glasgow 2014 had bright sunlight shading into a warm and welcoming evening. A warm welcome to the world in every sense.

When the Duke of Edinburgh opened the 13th Commonwealth Games on July 24, 1986 the weather was as gloomy and overcast as the prevailing mood, given that 31 of the 59 nations able to compete had chosen to boycott in protest at Britain's refusal to agree to major economic sanctions against the then apartheid nation of South Africa. Only half the world turned up to this rather mournful party.

Among those who never got the chance to show what they could do in the Scottish capital were Kenya's outstanding middle distance runners Joseph Chesire - who represented his country over 1500 metres at three Olympics - and Sammy Koskei, whose African 800m record in 1984 of 1 min 42.28sec stood for 25 years until a certain fellow countryman named David Rudisha (and yes, glory be, he will be competing at these Games) broke it in 2009.

Would Koskei have given England's Steve Cram a run for his money over two laps in the Meadowbank Stadium. Cram, who won the 800m in 1:43.22 and the 1500m in 3:50.87, was in superb form following his world record-breaking efforts of the previous year. But it would certainly have made for absorbing viewing.

Steve Cram waves during the 1986 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, with Steve Redgrave, who would pick up three rowing golds, in front of him ©Getty ImagesSteve Cram waves during the 1986 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, with Steve Redgrave, who would pick up three rowing golds, in front of him ©Getty Images

Such are the questions, doomed never to be answered, which sporting boycotts pose.

As Brian Oliver points out in his recently published book The Commonwealth Games, Extraordinary Stories Behind The Medals (Bloomsbury, £12.99/$22.10/€16.39): "The spectre of a boycott was there from the start. The 1976 Olympics in Montreal, which cost the city a fortune, had lost 26 African nations who refused to compete because New Zealand were there.

"The problem was rugby: New Zealand's All Blacks, like British teams, were still happy to play against South Africa at a time when other sports, supported by the United Nations, shunned them because of apartheid. The Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 led to another boycott, masterminded by the United States, of the 1980 Moscow Games. Within a few years sport had become a prime target for politicians."

The sad total on the night the 1986 Games opened was 31 nations absent. But for one other nation, Bermuda, there was a bitter twist to the tale.

Their team of 12 athletes had travelled all the way to Scotland as Bermuda's National Olympic Committee, established in 1936, pondered on whether to throw in their lot with Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica et al.

Less than 24 hours before the Opening Ceremony they heard that the National Olympic Committee had made its decision, thanks to a casting vote from its chairman: boycott.

But a phone call between Bermuda's Prime Minister, John Swan, and team manager John Morbey, made after the Ceremony was actually underway, resulted in a change of mind. The late timing gave all team members just 20 minutes to change into their uniforms of Panama hats, blue blazers and beige shorts and get to the Meadowbank Stadium.

"I have just come off the phone to the Prime Minister and he wanted to let it be known that he was totally supportive of the athletes taking part," reported the visibly moved team manager, who 20 years earlier had won Bermuda's first Commonwealth medal after finishing second in the long jump at the Kingston Games.

So Bermuda's competitors got to appear at the party after all. And the next day their Olympic Committee reiterated the demand that they come home. Bringing the total of boycotting nations to 32.

For 100m breaststroke swimmer Victor Ruberry the turn of events was even more distressing, as he had deliberately missed the Ceremony in order to prepare for his heat the next day. Six years earlier he had missed the 1980 Moscow Games because of the boycott there.

Four years after Edinburgh, Bermuda would have its first Commonwealth gold through Clarence Saunders, who won the high jump in Auckland's Mount Smart stadium. Nice for him. Cold comfort for those frustrated compatriots of four years earlier, some of whom had protested the decision by hanging sheets out of their window in the Edinburgh Athletes' Village, with one reading: "Bermuda wants to stay - don't penalise our athletes."

A general view of the 1986 Edinburgh Games Opening Ceremony - at which Bermuda's athletes marched, only to learn the next day that they had joined the boycott - like it or not ©Getty ImagesA general view of the 1986 Edinburgh Games Opening Ceremony - at which Bermuda's athletes marched, only to learn the next day that they had joined the boycott - like it or not ©Getty Images

Recalling the way those prospective Games participants were treated, perhaps the best news to have come out of Glasgow 2014 so far was the recent decision by the Commonwealth Games Federation to allow nearly 50 athletes whose entries had been mishandled and missed the official deadline of June 11, to take part.

Behind the decision to include Scottie dogs in the Opening Ceremony, of course...

Mike Rowbottom, one of Britain's most talented sportswriters, covered the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics as chief feature writer for insidethegames, having covered the previous five summer Games, and four winter Games, for The Independent. He has worked for the Daily Mail, The Times, The Observer, The Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian. His latest book Foul Play – the Dark Arts of Cheating in Sport (Bloomsbury £8.99) is available at the insidethegames.biz shop. To follow him on Twitter click here.