The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games have officially come to an end and for Scottish BMX School it has been a huge milestone.
Our involvement started months before the Games actually began and eventually grew into several different projects. We carried out contract BMX work on behalf of Scottish Cycling, worked directly with the Games at the Kelvingrove Live Site and independently secured Commonwealth Games funding to plan and run our own BMX events.
This meant working with everyone from Commonwealth Games organisers and national sporting organisations to local charities, cycling groups and grassroots BMX riders.
By the end of it all we had taught over 400 young people BMX tricks, achieved a 46.7% female participation rate and provided paid work for 6 local BMX riders. We also ended up across multiple TV channels and newspapers, opened the Kelvingrove Live Site with a BMX demo, saw our events advertised across the Glasgow Subway and even performed BMX for a member of the Royal Family!
It has been a busy few months.
From Commonwealth Games funding to our own BMX events
One of the first big moments came back in March when Scottish BMX School’s Reece Thomson and Erin Finnigan appeared on regional STV News after we received Commonwealth Games funding.
The funding allowed us to plan and deliver our own BMX events, including an event led by Erin with a focus on getting more women and girls involved in cycling.
At the time we described being selected for the funding as a huge milestone for Scottish BMX School. The important part for us wasn’t just being associated with the Commonwealth Games. It was the fact that BMX was being recognised as something that could have a positive impact on young people.
BMX has traditionally sat slightly outside mainstream sport. We wanted to use the Games to show that it can be a great way of getting young people active while also developing confidence and resilience.
Learning BMX tricks naturally teaches this.
You don’t land everything first try. You fall off, work out what went wrong and try again. Eventually you get it.
We also wanted to reach people who might not normally see BMX as something for them, which is why working with partners such as Women on Wheels and Sunny Cycles was important.
By the end of our Commonwealth Games activity, over 400 young people had been taught BMX tricks and skills.
Even better, 46.7% of participants were female.
BMX has always been heavily male dominated, so getting close to a 50/50 split was one of the results we were most pleased with.
From grassroots BMX to the Commonwealth Games
Our own events were only one part of what we ended up doing around the Games.
Scottish BMX School also carried out contract BMX work on behalf of Scottish Cycling and worked directly with the Games to provide BMX activity at the Kelvingrove Live Site.
This gave us the opportunity to experience major event delivery from several different sides. Sometimes we were joining an existing event as the BMX provider and other times we were responsible for planning the event ourselves.
One of the highlights was bringing together a team of local BMX riders to perform a demonstration to open the Kelvingrove Live Site.
Across all of the projects we were also able to provide paid work for 6 local BMX riders.
This is something we are particularly proud of. There are some incredibly talented BMX riders in Scotland, but very few opportunities to actually earn money from those skills. Wherever possible we want the money coming into BMX events to also support the people who make up the grassroots BMX scene.
Then there were some of the slightly stranger moments.
Our Commonwealth Games BMX work appeared across multiple TV channels and newspapers, while events we had spent months planning suddenly appeared on advertising around the Glasgow Subway and beyond.
Scottish BMX School founder and flatland rider Reece Thomson also got the opportunity to perform a BMX demonstration for a member of the Royal Family.
That one didn’t quite go to plan, but it definitely makes for a good story!
Bringing BMX to future events
The experience has also given us a much better idea of what Scottish BMX School can offer other event organisers.
We can come into an existing event as a BMX event provider, bringing the bikes, coaches and riders required to run interactive BMX lessons. We can provide BMX demonstrations to attract a crowd, or we can work with an organisation much earlier and help plan the BMX side of an event from the beginning.
The Commonwealth Games gave us experience doing all three.
From a small community cycling event to a major sporting event, the principle is still pretty simple. Give people the opportunity to get on a BMX, teach them something they didn’t know before and hopefully send them home wanting to ride again.
If you are looking for a BMX event provider or cycling provider for an upcoming event, get in touch with Scottish BMX School and tell us what you are planning.