Commonwealth Games organisers hope Usain Bolt and Mo Farah will compete in Glasgow
Commonwealth Games organisers remain confident that Usain Bolt and Mo Farah will provide "stardust" in Glasgow.
Last Updated: 05/11/13 11:38am
Sprint king Bolt has stated that he will run in only the 200 metres if he competes, while double Olympic and world 5,000m and 10,000m champion Farah has admitted he has not included the Games in his schedule for next year.
But Ty Speer, the Glasgow 2014 deputy chief executive, has insisted the possible absence of the star duo would not detract from the appeal of the Games.
"We know we are going to have a great programme but we would be delighted to have some stardust too," Speer said.
"If Usain Bolt wants to come and run the 200m that would be fabulous, and all of us who have been around sport for a while are aware the plans of athletes change on a regular basis.
"We also know there are a whole range of people who have run the 100metres in under 10 seconds so we are sure it will be a great 100m final.
"We would love to have Mo here too. I think he has said a couple of things, that it's not on his list but that he still has to work things out after the London marathon.
"He doesn't have a Commonwealth Games medal and has previously said he would like to complete the set, so we hope his plans work out and that he can come and join us."
Speer also revealed that the speed and volume of ticket sales had been way beyond expectations, and he expects the remaining 8,000 tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies to be snapped up.
He said the original ticket sales target had already been achieved, leaving organisers "very confident" they would hit they target of bringing in £100m in income from ticket sales, sponsorship, hospitality, television rights and merchandise.