Scotland Commonwealth Games team picks new anthem

Scotland Commonwealth Games team picks new anthem

Scottish athletes have voted overwhelmingly for Flower of Scotland to be the official national anthem at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Scotland the Brave had been used as the anthem for Scottish competitors who won gold medals at previous games.

But the athletes voted by 211 to 15 in favour of Flower of Scotland to be adopted for this year's event.

A shortlist of four songs, which also included Loch Lomond and Highland Cathedral, had originally been chosen.

Athletes due to compete at the Delhi games were then asked to choose between Flower of Scotland and Scotland the Brave, which had been the two most popular tunes from the shortlist in a vote taken in November.

Flower of Scotland has been used by the national football and rugby teams since the early 1990s, but the Commonwealth Games team had continued to use Scotland the Brave, which was first adopted as its anthem in 1958.

Commonwealth Games Scotland had feared the lack of a recognised anthem created confusion amongst the athletes, team members, spectators and television viewers.

Courtesy - BBC News