Glasgow 2014 doctor on the legacy of Commonwealth Games

Mackay, a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, feels the Games can have benefits beyond obvious figures.

The conference this week was able to attract an audience of clinicians, researchers and athletes from not just Scotland but globally – aided by so many already being in the city for the Games.

That can then lead to wider collaboration, something he says is vital in advancing all sorts of modern medicine.

An example of such thinking can be found elsewhere in Glasgow.

At Glasgow Caledonian University teams from the Seychelles, British Virgin Islands, Samoa, the Falkland Islands and Guernsey have been receiving specialist mental health and performance support.

Those teams do not currently have access to those sorts of services – so the university’s postgraduate trainee sport and exercise psychologists have been recruited to assist.

Dr Bryan McCann, a senior lecturer in psychology at GCU, is leading the project and says it is benefitting the teams involved while giving the trainees experience of working at a global event.

“The feedback from the teams has been great,” he says.

“The Psychology for the Common(wealth) Good project was developed to provide high-quality, hands-on experience for our students, but also to widen access to psychological support.

“Our trainees have been providing high-quality support to more than 25 athletes as they prepare for the Games.”