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Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 mascot unveiled as Finnie the unicorn
Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 mascot unveiled as Finnie the unicorn

The National

time7 hours ago

  • Entertainment
  • The National

Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 mascot unveiled as Finnie the unicorn

Finnie, a unicorn with a traffic cone for a horn, made her first official appearance at the city's famous Finnieston Crane on Wednesday to mark a year until the start of the games. The mascot was designed with the help of school children from Glasgow and replaces Clyde the Thistle, who was the mascot for the last Glasgow games in 2014. (Image: Glasgow2026 / Craig Watson) (Image: Glasgow2026 / Craig Watson) More than 3000 athletes are set to compete in a 10-sport programme across four of the city's iconic venues from July 23 to August 2 next year. It is a cut-down version of the games, after the Australian state of Victoria backed out for financial reasons. READ MORE: Scottish designer creates tartan for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Finnie's horn is a take on the famous traffic cone placed on the top of the Duke of Wellington statue in Glasgow city centre. She also has a silver flash in her shoes, which is meant to be a homage to the city's shipbuilding history, as well as star-spangled arms in a nod to the Barrowland Ballroom, and a flowing purple mane which is inspired by the lights that shine on the OVO Hydro venue at night. (Image: Jeff Holmes) Finnie is set to attend a number of events on Wednesday to mark the one-year countdown to the games, including meeting First Minister John Swinney and a number of athletes such as 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan and Olympic medalist Eilidh Doyle. In a statement released on her behalf, the mascot said: "I'll be at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games next summer with a grin, a wave, maybe even a wee dance. READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne dies 'surrounded by love' at the age of 76, family says "I'm here to turn the nerves into excitement, stir the cheers and help turn every moment into something magic as Glasgow 2026 swings into the city." Glasgow 2026 chief executive Phil Batty said: "Finnie represents everything Glasgow 2026 is about – fun, friendliness and of course that little bit of magic! "She'll be at the heart of everything that's exciting about these Games, from building up the crowd to hyping the athletes."

Lewis Capaldi lookalikes gather outside Greggs in bizarre bid to win concert tickets
Lewis Capaldi lookalikes gather outside Greggs in bizarre bid to win concert tickets

Scottish Sun

time19 hours ago

  • Entertainment
  • Scottish Sun

Lewis Capaldi lookalikes gather outside Greggs in bizarre bid to win concert tickets

Even our man Colan Lamont got involved LEWKIN' GOOD Lewis Capaldi lookalikes gather outside Greggs in bizarre bid to win concert tickets Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LEWIS Capaldi fans rolled up to Greggs dressed up as the chart favourite in a half-baked bid to win concert tickets. The bakery chain was running a competition to find the Scots singer's best lookalike which attracted the Someone You Loved hitmaker's best doppelgangers. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Ruth Johnston and Emily Philp ended up winning some tickets Credit: Tom Farmer 6 Fans recreated some iconic Lewis Capaldi looks Credit: lewiscapaldi/Instagram 6 Rachael and Nicole Gillespie were among the first to arrive Credit: Tom Farmer 6 Fans donned their best Capaldi looks Credit: Tom Farmer 6 Even our man Colan Lamont got involved Credit: Tom Farmer With tickets for the 28-year-old's tour dates selling like hot cakes - they were all bought within minutes - the event was one of the only ways to bag priceless briefs to see 'Scotland's Beyoncé' at Glasgow's OVO Hydro on September 13 and 14. Sisters Rachael Gillespie, 22, and Nicole , 24, from Edinburgh, queued from 7am and were the first through the door to claim the tickets. Rachael said: 'We're so happy to have won the tickets. We got here super early because we missed out on both pre-sale and general sale. 'It was an amazing day and we made friends with plenty of other Lewis Capaldi fans.' Nicole added: 'We were devastated when we missed out on tickets so this is the most amazing feeling.' Greggs had 125 pairs of tickets on offer - with 25 each to be won at events in Glasgow, Salford, London, Birmingham and Sheffield. Some punters looked the spitting image of the chart-topper - who stormed back to number one with new single Survive this month after bravely battling back from the health issues that forced him to end his Glastonbury gig early two years ago. Capaldi is a well known fan of Greggs and shocked fans in 2019 when he got behind the counter at a Middlesbrough outlet wearing the full uniform, including hairnet, while claiming to be on work experience. Ruth Johnston, 26, and Emily Philp, 21, from Howwood, made their own body suits for the occassion and led singalongs as they got into character. Emily said: 'We're both massive fans. I met him once at a signing as well. Lewis Capaldi opens up about his return to the Glastonbury stage "I love his music and everything about him - especially how down to earth he is.' Ruth added: 'I think we were number 30,000 in the queue when we tried to get tickets so this was the only way. 'We knew we had to go all out and I think we were able to draw on the confidence of Lewis Capaldi by dressing up as him.' Our man gets his Lewis look on BY COLAN LAMONT LEWIS Capaldi has a hit song called Grace - but I showed anything but trying to dress up as the superstar. While fans made getting ready for the Greggs lookalike contest look like a piece of cake, I was still busy learning how stop the towel on my head from falling off. Thankfully, I was in the one spot in Glasgow where looking like I'd just got out of the shower wasn't an issue. I was very impressed by the lengths some punters had gone to in an effort to win tickets for his gigs. If I get the opportunity to cosplay Capaldi again, I hope I'll look like less of a pie in the process. Gran Heather Todd, 67, from Fauldhouse, even got caught up in the excitement by recreating Capaldi's iconic towel pose. The pensioner is a big fan and wanted to do whatever it too to help her grandaughter Mollie and her friend Amie Gibb, both 13, go to their dream gig. She said: 'It was good fun and I was happy to help the girls win tickets to see their favourite singer.'

Winners of Lewis Capaldi look-a-like contest crowned
Winners of Lewis Capaldi look-a-like contest crowned

STV News

time20 hours ago

  • Entertainment
  • STV News

Winners of Lewis Capaldi look-a-like contest crowned

The winners of a Lewis Capaldi look-a-like contest have been crowned in Glasgow. The Survive singer announced last week that he had partnered with Greggs to host contests at stores across the UK, including the Sauchiehall Street location in Glasgow. Up for grabs were 25 pairs of free tickets to Capaldi's upcoming tour which sold-out in minutes after they went on sale. To be in with the chance of winning, fans had to queue up outside the store in their best cosplay of the Scottish Beyonce from 6pm on Tuesday. STV News Fans flocked to the store in Glasgow's city centre dressed in some of the Forget Me's singers most iconic looks. The first ticket winner was Isabel Hunter who travelled all the way from Dunbar in East Lothian and was queuing from 7am. Other winners included sisters Rachael and Nicole Gillespie. STV News Some fans opted to recreate the singer's jacket, t-shirt and jeans combination often worn onstage with other's wearing masks of his face. Others went the extra mile and recreated one of Capaldi's most iconic looks wearing a white towel on his head and 90's style sunglasses. Winners will now be heading to see Capaldi when he plays Glasgow OVO Hydro in September. His tour announcement came after he triumphantly returned to the stage during a surprise set at Glastonbury. It followed a two-year hiatus which Capaldi announced after struggling during a set at the same festival in 2023. Speculation grew in the days leading up to the surprise set, with a billboard in Glasgow suggesting he may be releasing new music. At midnight on June 27, the singer released a new single titled Survive, announcing the drop on social media, alongside the caption: 'It's been a while…'. Hours later, he surprised thousands with a performance at Glastonbury, during which he told fans he wanted 'to come and finish what I couldn't finish last time'. STV News is now on WhatsApp Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News

'Save me from myself' - Josh Taylor retires from boxing and reveals reason behind shock decision
'Save me from myself' - Josh Taylor retires from boxing and reveals reason behind shock decision

Scotsman

time2 days ago

  • Sport
  • Scotsman

'Save me from myself' - Josh Taylor retires from boxing and reveals reason behind shock decision

Former undisputed world champion forced to hang up gloves Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Josh Taylor has been forced to retire from boxing due to a medical issue. The former undisputed world champion confirmed the shock decision in a social media post on Tuesday only two months after his last fight. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scotsman, who rose to prominence at the 2012 Olympics, went on to enjoy a stellar professional career, becoming the first undisputed world champion from Britain in the four-belt era. Josh Taylor reacts after his win by unanimous decision over Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas in May 2021. (Photo by) | Getty Images His crowning moment came in Las Vegas in 2021 when he beat Jose Ramirez to unify all four of the major super-lightweight championships. He then began a fierce rivalry with Jack Catterall, winning a contentious defence of his titles in their 2022 fight before losing the rematch. He also lost to Teofimo Lopez in Madison Square Garden in New York before suffering a third successive defeat in front of his home fans in Glasgow to Ekow Essuman in May by unanimous decision. Taylor has now revealed that a problem with his eye means he has to hang up his gloves. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "I've had a recurring issue with my eye that unfortunately means I now have to call time on my career or risk losing my eyesight," Taylor stated. "Whilst the fighter in me always wants to box on, I know I have to listen to the medical professionals and save me from myself. It is certainly not the way I wanted to bow out, but I have to listen to the doctors and those around me." Josh Taylor celebrates his victory over Jack Catterall during the WBA, WBC, WBO & IBF world super-lightweight title fight at the OVO Hydro, on February 26, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group) | SNS Group He added: "I am just a kid from the Pans [Prestonpans in Scotland] who scaled the very top of the sport but I could not have done it without those who have supported me through thick and thin. "First and foremost, I cannot thank you, the fans, enough. You always gave me your all, spending your hard-earned money to come and watch me fight. Especially the thousands that travelled to watch me box at Madison Square Garden. Your support has always meant the world to me and I have never taken it for granted.

Kneecap take swipe at John Swinney after Glasgow show sells out in hours
Kneecap take swipe at John Swinney after Glasgow show sells out in hours

Scottish Sun

time5 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Scottish Sun

Kneecap take swipe at John Swinney after Glasgow show sells out in hours

It is not the first time they have had a go at the First Minister 'SPECIAL THANK YOU' Kneecap take swipe at John Swinney after Glasgow show sells out in hours Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IRISH rap trio Kneecap took a swipe at John Swinney as their Glasgow show sold out in hours. The Belfast-based group announced tickets for their show at the OVO Hydro had completely gone. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Kneecap took a swipe at John Swinney 5 They performed at the O2 Academy earlier this month 5 Tickets for their OVO Hydro show sold out in hour 5 They called out John Swinney in a post on social media 5 Kneecap are performing at the OVO Hydro later this year Tickets for the show at the arena on November 30 went on sale this morning. The trio, whose stage names are Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, have been at the centre of controversy. They came under fire after their Coachella set in April where they projected anti-Israel messages on stage. Footage from 2023 emerged of them urging audience members to "kill your local MP" and claiming that "the only good Tory is a dead Tory". Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, is also facing terror charges after allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah. The band were axed from the TRNSMT music festival in Glasgow after cops raised safety fears. Scotland's First Minister John Swinney even weighed in on the controversy, saying it would be "unacceptable" for them to perform at the Glasgow Green festival. After being axed from the festival, the controversial group performed a sold out show at the city's O2 Academy. During the show the band took a swipe at the SNP leader with Móglaí Bap, real name Naoise Ó Cairealláin, saying: "What do you call your First Minister? Crowds gather as Kneecap play Glasgow gig after TRNSMT axe "He wanted us off the line-up, f*** him." The group have made yet another jibe at Mr Swinney after today's ticket sell-out. Kneecap branded the FM their "head of PR" in a social media post. They said: "Glasgow SOLD OUT in a few hours. "13,000 Scottish comrades…let's go! "A very special thank you to our Head of PR in Scotland Mr John Swinney…. best in the business x." The band issued a furious response after Swinney called for them to be axed from TRNSMT. They said they they have never supported either Hamas and Hezbollah, condemned all attacks on civilians and 'rejected any suggestion they would seek to incit violence' against any individual. They claim the footage from their show was taken "out of context" and they are facing a "co-ordinated smear campaign" because of their stance in support of Palestine. Kneecap have also taken swipes at the PM Sir Keir Starmer after he called for their Glastonbury set to be axed. The group have led chants of "f*** Keir Starmer" at several shows. Kneecap did perform for fans, many brandishing Palestine flags, donning tri-colour balaclavas and "Free Mo Chara" t-shirts, at Glastonbury. Cops announced they were probing the group over the Glasto set, but today said no further action would be taken.

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