Gordon had won the 220 yards breaststroke at the 1950 Empire Games - as they were then called - in Auckland.

She also won a bronze medal in the 3x110y relay.

Four years later, in Vancouver, she retained her 220y breaststroke title and added another gold medal in the relay.

At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki she had won a bronze medal in the 200 metres breaststroke.

Elenor Gordon was the first Scottish woman to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal when she won the 220 yards breaststroke at Auckland in 1950 ©Getty Images

Gordon had been confined to a wheelchair in recent years due to a degenerative spinal condition but was due to attend Glasgow 2014, where she would have awarded a medal in one of the swimming events.

Mike Hooper, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), led the tributes.

"All at the CGF are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Elenor Gordon, an outstanding Scottish and Commonwealth athlete," he said.

"Elenor was due to present medals at a swimming event at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, which she was delighted by and eagerly looking forward to.

"Elenor won three golds and a bronze in swimming at the 1950 and 1954 Games, so this would have been especially appropriate."

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