It was almost exactly a year ago, in October 2011, when I made my last visit to the city of Glasgow.

That visit came due to the fact that the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Coordination Commission was conducting its first inspection of Glasgow 2014, which the Organising Committee passed with flying colours.

As I was in the area, Glasgow 2014 kindly gave me a tour of some of the key venues, including the Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome complex that will sit at the heart of the Commonwealth Games.

Although you could clearly make out the shape of what was to come, the venue, at that time, was little more than a building site in a city that struck me as a little quiet. Perhaps, I felt this quietness because I had come up from London, which was simply buzzing with anticipation ahead of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

But fast-forward 12 months, and the situation could not be more different.

London is almost in a state of mourning having seen the world's greatest sporting event come and go in the blink of an eye, while Glasgow is now livelier than ever.

I arrived back in the city after a year's absence not at a building site, but at a gleaming Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome that towered impressively above its surroundings.

The stunning Emirates Arena was built at a cost of £113 million ($177 million/€144 million) and is now open to the public ahead of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

Now known as the Emirates Arena, the giant complex stands just opposite Celtic Park in the East End of Glasgow. My visit came on the day the arena was officially opened and a fair few dignitaries were out in attendance.

They included Scotland's Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport Shona Robison, sportscotland chair Louise Martin, Commonwealth Games Scotland chair Michael Cavanagh and of course Councillor Gordon Matheson, the Leader of Glasgow City Council who officially opened the venue, marking what he described as the dawn of a new era for Scottish sport.

"By investing in new facilities such as this, we will help inspire a generation to become more involved in sport," said Matheson, noticeably quoting the famous London 2012 slogan.

During London 2012, Glasgow 2014 chief executive David Grevemberg had told me his Organising Committee now has a big challenge in lowering expectations ahead of the Commonwealth Games. In seeing the completed Emirates Arena, I realise the true scale of that challenge because the stunning complex, like many of the facilities in place for the Commonwealth Games, wouldn't look at all out of place on London's glorious Olympic Park in Stratford.

I can honestly say that I prefer the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome to the London 2012 Velodrome – where I spent a good chuck of the Olympics and Paralympics – with a giant window to Celtic Park making the Scottish facility far less claustrophobic than its English counterpart.

The Indoor Arena has a capacity of 5,000 and during the Commonwealth Games it will host twelve badminton courts

Meanwhile, the Commonwealth/Indoor Arena just next door, which will host the Glasgow 2014 badminton competition, is far superior to the ageing Wembley Arena that hosted the now infamous Olympic badminton event.

Already the venue is legacy in action with 10,000 people having passed through its doors on the opening weekend.

But with these new facilities and a Commonwealth Games, new confidence appears to have gripped Glasgow.

I say this, because it is currently in the bid race for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

It isn't any old bid race though, it is the most competitive bid race in the short history of the event, with Glasgow up against five other cities in a field that also includes Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Medellín, Poznań and Rotterdam.

It is a race even more competitive than the current 2020 Olympic and Paralympic bid race between the trio of Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo and it goes without saying that it is more competitive than Glasgow's race for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which saw them pitted against the Nigerian capital Abuja, who were never going to cause much of a problem.

So if Glasgow does pull off the 2018 win, against five tough rivals, it will undoubtedly be their greatest sporting scalp to date.

Glasgow is currently involved in a highly competitive bid race for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games

But it certainly doesn't lack heart for the fight and the Glasgow 2018 bid leader Paul Bush, another of the figures in attendance for Emirates Arena opening, is quietly confident despite the competition.

"It is the age old saying but you can only control yourself," he told me.

"We have spent the last six month making sure we have the most robust, sound and sophisticated technical bid for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which we are confident we have and the next part is evaluation, which we are ready for.

"On the back of London 2012, there is huge confidence in the UK to deliver world class event.

"Glasgow does that every week of every year and we think we can stage a really special event here in 2018 if we are given the opportunity."

It will be the IOC who decides if Glasgow gets that opportunity when a final decision is made in May next year – assuming the city makes it to the shortlist in February.

It is a big ask to win the event, but an electric Glasgow, with a 2014 Commonwealth Games in the bag, is a formidable 2018 candidate that five others would do well to worry about.

Tom Degun is a reporter for insidethegames