The London 2012 Olympics captured a nation's attention, and two years on, the organisers of the Commonwealth Games will be hoping to do the same as the sporting event arrives in Glasgow, Scotland.
One of Great Britain's most successful swimmers Rebecca Adlington, who won two golds and two bronze medals at the Delhi Commonwealths in 2010 for England, has been asked to lend a hand.
The 25-year-old, who retired from competitive swimming last year, has told Sports Mole that she is "excited" to be watching from the sidelines as an ambassador.
"It's just been a case of promoting the Games and raising the awareness. I'm up in Glasgow next week doing a day with them, which I'm excited about, and seeing the venues. I've just been trying to get people involved because I think what made London so special was the fact that the whole country got involved. The volunteers were great, the supporters were great, so we're trying to emulate that in Glasgow by getting people really excited about it," said Adlington.
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"I'm trying to inspire the kids. Obviously a lot of the athletes that are competing don't have a chance to go into the local schools and talk about it and make the kids in the local areas really excited about it. For those who have retired, we can do that while the Games are on and I'll be up there doing some of the BBC stuff as well, which I'm really, really looking forward to. I'm so excited because I've never been to an opening ceremony before, because when competing, swimming is always the next day so we've never been able to go to an opening, we've always gone to the closing ceremony. This is the first time that I'll be able to watch an opening ceremony!"
Adlington was part of the last huge sporting event that was held on British shores, so it would be understandable to miss life as a competitor while watching on at the Games in Glasgow, but the athlete says that she won't be missing the pool.
"No, I'm looking forward to doing what I'm doing," said Adlington. "I'm very, very lucky that I got to experience a home crowd in London and I think it gives the athletes that missed it an opportunity to have that experience. For those that did go to London, they're the special ones that get to experience it twice.
"I'm definitely enjoying doing the other side of things and I know that it will be a fantastic Games. I'm very proud to be British so I always love cheering the Scots, the Welsh etc, and seeing the whole of Britain and British Swimming doing really well, so I think we'll have a brilliant Commonwealths."
Adlington is confident that Fran Halsall, who is heading a 39-strong England swimming team for the event, can add to her seven Commonwealth medals, while two-time European junior champion Siobhan-Marie O'Connor is arriving in Scotland in good form.
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On the men's side, Scottish duo Michael Jamieson and Ross Murdoch are likely to impress, while Adlington believes that the British women need to keep an eye on Australian swimmer Cate Campbell.
"I think Fran is always one of those that is very, very competitive," said Adlington. "I was in Delhi and London with her and obviously been on loads of teams with her. She was our only medallist last year at the World Championships, so I'm sure she'll have a fantastic meet. It's very hard when you think of the sprinters - the Aussie girls are very quick and they have a fantastic team. With Fran, she's in a very tough event, but she's so consistent so I'm sure she'll be able to secure herself a couple of medals.
"The Australians posted some of the quickest times in the trials. Cate Campbell is their 50m and 100m sprinter - she's absolutely incredible and she'll be wanting to get herself a couple of medals. For us, there's the English girls, like Siobhan-Marie O'Connor, who's looking absolutely amazing, she had a fantastic trial a couple of months ago. She's 18, she's from Bath, she's experienced London, she managed to make the final and she's progressing nicely on the road to Rio. I think Siobhan will do really well.
"The Scottish breaststrokers are very good - Michael Jamieson, an Olympic silver medallist, Ross Murdoch as well - he's coming through on the 100m breaststroke. He posted 59.75s and beat Michael [in the Scottish National Open Swimming Championships] so I'm sure they'll be absolutely fantastic. Jazz Carlin for the Welsh team had a tough time in London due to illness so I know Jazz will be looking forward to having a British crowd and everyone cheering her on seeing as she just missed out. She's also posted one of the fastest times in the world this year so I'm sure she'll get herself a medal."
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The British Swimming team create a sense of camaraderie throughout the year when they prepare and compete in the World Championships and Olympic Games, but they're torn apart and go head to head in the Commonwealths.
While athletes have a competitive nature instilled in them, Adlington has insisted that all the Brits will cheer each other on when the Games get underway on July 23.
"We call it the 'Friendly Games'," said Adlington. "It's like the World Cup - everyone trains with their clubs and then they come together. It's weird because we're always British Swimming - the swimmers are on a training camp in Loughborough, so all the guys in the country are together, it's not England, Scotland, Wales, it's British Swimming. They train together, they go on camps together while swimming under GB, so the Commonwealths are the only time of the year that they're separated.
"Your best friend could be on the Scottish team and you're on the Welsh, but we definitely all support each other and it's really nice when you can get a Scottish, Welsh and English person on the podium. That's always a rare and incredible thing to see. We definitely all cheer each other on because it's nice to see - if you're not there, you'd want to see another British person up there.
"It's great for some of the younger guys because in the breaststroke, two of the top guys are Michael and Ross, who are both Scottish, so the third and fourth people that normally miss out in World Championships or Olympics gets to race at a Commonwealth Games. [They can use] that race experience and could next time be up there at a World's. So, it's great experience for some of the guys who are up and coming. It's always good to see new faces and a much bigger team. Obviously they're all competitive, they want to win individually anyway, but we're definitely always supporting each other."
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It would be a huge ask to recreate the feel-good factor that surrounded the country during London 2012, but Adlington, who sealed two bronze medals in the capital two years ago, is confident that Glasgow is capable of capturing a similar atmosphere.
"I think it will be amazing," Adlington added. "From what I know, especially with the swimming, it's a much smaller venue. It's obviously not the size of London at all, but I think they will still pack the seats. I know people that have missed out on going to watch the Olympics so [they] try to get tickets for Glasgow. It's a nice occasion for people that are just sports fans to go and see. London was in the South, so now the northerners get a chance [to go] as well, which is quite nice.
"I didn't compete, but my parents took me to the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 when I was 12 and I can remember being [there] and thinking 'this is amazing'. I watched Ian Thorpe break his world record - I can remember being sat there thinking, 'oh my god, I want to do this!'. Obviously, I went on to progress, so for the up and coming swimmers who are at the 10 to 13 stage can try and get tickets, watch and inspire them.
"It's great that it has that effect - it certainly did with me in Manchester, so I'm sure that there will be a couple of the younger athletes that are within the sport that get to go and watch and it inspires them to take it further. I'm already excited - people that I speak to are so excited as well, so I'm sure it will be a great meet."
So, what's next for Adlington? The successful athlete is preparing to commentate on the swimming events at the Games, while also planning a wedding to fiance Harry Needs and working on her various programmes to help children learn how to swim.
"My main thing is my 'learn to swim' programme and 'Becky Adlington's SwimStars' - we're developing that, which is at the learn-to-swim age, like when you're at school and you get your badges - that's what my programme's about. It's been amazing so far - a lot of kids learn how to swim with fun, so that's my job full time. I've got the Commonwealth Games coming up and I'm getting married as well, so I'm looking forward to that. It's a very exciting time, especially in the world of sport with the Commonwealth Games and then two years until Rio and with the World Cup coming up too, so I'm sure it will be a great year of sport."
Rebecca was talking from the Basildon Sporting Village where she joined Fit For Sport and Everyone Active to deliver a Legacy School Games Day of activities to 1,000 local primary school children. For more info, please go to: www.everyoneactive.com
Danielle Joynson
