The Scottish Government has confirmed an additional £809,555 ($1.4 million/€1 million) from a special reserve fund of £23.8 million ($40 million/€29 million) has been approved to be made available to Glasgow 2014 to help meet costs with the finalising of venues should it be needed, including the transformation of Hampden Park into an athletics arena.

The allocation of funding from the special reserve is reportedly only to be made in "exceptional circumstances" and has to be ratified by Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond.

But Glasgow 2014 organisers insist the special reserve fund is part of the overall budget for the Games and not part of any emergency pot.

"Glasgow 2014's budgeting processes recognise that costs can change as operational plans mature and develop," a Glasgow 2014 spokesperson told insidethegames.

"With just months to go until the start of the Games, we are entering the final stages of preparations and the majority of contracts are in place, aiding budget certainty.

"Throughout the delivery of the Games, we have continued to ensure contingency funds appropriate to the scale of the project have been assigned.

"We also continue to make every effort to ensure best value in delivering an outstanding Games experience for athletes and spectators and remain confident that the Games will be delivered within budget."

Celtic Park is set to host a spectacular Opening Ceremony to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games next month ©Glasgow 2014



Glasgow was awarded the Games in 2007 and had predicted the cost of the event would come in at around £373 million ($626 million/€460 million).

since then the budget has been revised upwards by 50 per cent due to rising broadcasting and legislative costs, as well as transport, logistics, security and venue preparation.

Two years after being awarded the Games it emerged that more than £1.2 million ($2 million/€1.5 million) had been spent by organisers on management and consultancy fees.

The final overall cost of the Games is expected to be more than £560 million ($940 million/€692 million) with organisers hoping to meet £100m ($168 million/€124 million) of this through commercial receipts from sponsorship, merchandising and ticket sales.

The remaining cost of the Games is set to be covered by taxpayers, with 80 per cent coming from the Scottish Government, while the remaining 20 per cent will be met by Glasgow City Council.

Organisers of the Games in Glasgow this summer, due to take place from July 23 to August 3, are not alone in seeing the cost of staging the event rise above initial estimations.

The price of the 2002 Games in Manchester rose by 120 per cent, while Delhi 2010 cost nearly three times the original budget.

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