Mike Rowbottom: Glasgow's Games - Bolt's verdict may be debatable, but the glory is unmistakable

So, these Glasgow Games. Are they a "bit sh**" so far - or are they in fact "awesome"?

The latter judgement was voiced yesterday by the Games' highest of high profile competitors, Usain Bolt – the same man, according to a journalist on The Times, who voiced the former judgement on Tuesday as he waited in the rain for a car in the Athletes' Village.

The first thing Jamaica's multiple Olympic and world sprint champion did on hearing of The Times report was to deny it on his personal Twitter feed: "I'm waking up to this nonsense.. journalist please don't create lies to make headlines".

The paper stands "100 per cent" behind its story. (Incidentally, have you ever heard a paper stand anything less than 100 per cent behind its story?. "We stand 83 per cent behind our story." Doesn't quite cut it, I suppose...although on some occasions it might be a more accurate estimate.)

Meanwhile Bolt - who was flag-waving on behalf of the Jamaican netball team yesterday and giving a convincing imitation, if nothing better, of a man having a perfectly nice time - stands behind his denial.

Usain Bolt, who has denied describing the Glasgow 2014 Games as "a bit sh**", waves the flag for Jamaica's women netballers during yesterday's match against New Zealand
©AFP/Getty Images

And the man standing behind him, his manager Ricky Simms, told the BBC the newspaper allegations were "utter rubbish."

And the man standing at the head of the Commonwealth Games Federation, its President Mike Hooper, announced: "We are taking Mr Bolt at his word."

In truth, you can imagine Bolt being less than totally thrilled to be in Glasgow in the rain at a time when injuries have hindered his preparations for the season. His decision to compete in Scotland was necessarily delayed, and the fact that he will compete only in the relay makes it clear that his commitment to the event is measured.

Five-times Olympic champion Sir Steve Redgrave, who took three rowing medals at the 1986 Edinburgh Games, the last Commonwealth Games to host the sport, understands what the sporting world looks like from the top.

"When you're a world megastar as he is, the Olympics is his platform, the world platform that he's looking for," Redgrave commented.

"I don't think the Commonwealth Games has captured his imagination or he'd have been trying to compete in all the events that he normally competes in instead of just the relay, so that's a little bit disappointing."

Four years ago the question of Commonwealth participation was academic as far as Bolt was concerned as he brought his season to an early end after his 100m defeat by Tyson Gay at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Stockholm. That said, he had never indicated any intention of extending his season to October, when the Games were held in Delhi.

Having followed Bolt around the circuit that year, in the course of which I wrote a book about him - Usain Bolt, Fast As Lightning, BlackAmber Publications, £6.99 ($11.80/€8.81) if you must know - I can vouch for the fact that he was quite openly taking things easy in what he viewed as a gap year between the IAAF World Championships of Berlin and Daegu, speaking candidly about "slacking" in training.

After Gay had beaten him to the line in Stockholm's venerable stadium - built to host the 1912 Olympics, and offering the closest experience you can get to watching athletics at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Bolt freely admitted: "I told you I'm not unbeatable. I did not train as hard as in past years, so I can't complain."

Usain Bolt is beaten by Tyson Gay at Stockholm's Olympic Stadium in August 2010. The Jamaican did not go on to run in that year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi, ending with immediate effect a season in which he freely admitted he had "slacked" in training
©AFP/Getty Images

Such candour adds to Bolt's genuine charm. He is not a PR specialist, although he has had to adopt PR strategies in the course of the last six stupendous years in order to manage his day-to-day existence. Usually he manages to do way more than simply say the correct thing. On some occasions, he says the wrong thing.

The circumstances of the conversation between Bolt and the reporter from The Times are not crystal clear. Did the female reporter make it clear she was a reporter? Was the comment a definite response to the question of the Games, rather than the weather? A transcript reportedly being offered by The Times today may help to clarify such matters.

But, ultimately, does it matter?

Sport is about so much more than statistics. Even if the times or the scores are not always at Olympic or world levels, competition in these 20th Commonwealth Games is patently engaging the emotions of those taking part and those watching all across the board.

Three snapshots from last night, for example.

English divers Alicia Blagg and Rebecca Gallantree produced a final dive that even a duffer such as myself could see was top notch to emerge, literally, as gold medallists in the women's synchronised 3m springboard event. The looks on their faces as they stared up to see confirmation of their marks defined excitement. Meanwhile George Crosses agitated madly in a section of the stand.

Olympic 400m champion Kirani James produced one of the Games' high quality performances as he saw off the inspired challenge of South Africa's Wayde Van Niekirk to take gold in 44.24sec, thus breaking Iwan Thomas' 16-year-old Games record.

Grenada's 21-year-old Olympic 400m champion Kirani James heads for another title at Hampden Park in a Games record of 44.24sec ©AFP/Getty Images

England's long jumper Greg Rutherford took a first round lead with 8.12m, saw himself knocked down to silver medal position on overall performance when South Africa's Zarck Visser also jumped 8.12m, and responded immediately with a third round effort of 8.20m which earned him another championship gold following his victory at the London 2012 Games.

There was no mistaking the satisfaction and high emotion in Rutherford's face as he was confirmed as the winner. After his unexpected high in London he endured a year to forget in 2013 as he suffered intermittent hamstring injuries, lost his kit sponsor and failed to qualify for the world final.

This year has also had its vexations as his British record of 8.51m, set at Chula Vista in the United States in April, was only confirmed a month later by British Athletics, which launched an investigation after allegations about the jump's legality had been voiced by his domestic rival Chris Tomlinson. Now Rutherford is back in winning mode.

England's Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford celebrates winning another gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games ©AFP/Getty Images

"It's never an easy road, and after what happened last year with injury I wasn't sure I was going to be able to carry on jumping," Rutherford told BBC Sport. But now I've managed to win another title and that's what it's all about for me.

"I think a lot of people had written me off thinking I was a one-hit wonder. But I wanted to prove I could do it again.

"People try to write off the Commonwealth Games and say it isn't important," he added. "But try telling that to any athlete who has won a medal here.

"These are hugely important for all types of athletes at all levels and long may it continue."

Thus speaks an Olympic champion.

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.