Published in the Scottish Mail on Sunday, September 6.
By STEVEN DONN
BOTH have been synonymous with all that is good about Scottish sport for the last decade and beyond. Yet, while the spotlight firmly shone on Sir Chris Hoy during a glorious career, Louise Martin was there, working away in the background – a confidante of our country’s greatest Olympian but also a champion for all our athletes.
After Hoy’s first major individual title at the Commonwealth Games in 2002, Martin was one of the first to text him. On Wednesday last week, the roles were reversed as the cycling legend contacted his mentor following her election to President of the Commonweath Games Federation.
Martin, a former athlete herself, will now bring her wealth of knowledge from her work as former Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland and Vice-Chair of the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee to her new role. With the Games always needing to change and adapt to modern times, Hoy is confident they couldn’t be in safer hands.
‘I haven’t spoken to her but I sent her a message,’ he said, after Martin had been confirmed in the role following a close contest with the incumbent, HRH Tunku Imran of Malaysia. ‘I’m just delighted that she won the election.
‘It will be great for the Commonwealth Games. It’ll be great for the athletes as she always puts them first. She has some great ideas to develop the Games and bring them into the modern era. All round, I think it’s great for everybody.
‘She was there at most of the major moments in my career. Whether visibly or in the background, she’s been there.
‘I remember her sending me a text when I won my first-ever individual title at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester back in 2002. I had shed a few tears on the podium and she sent me a message afterwards.
‘She doesn’t often show her emotion but she said: “Don’t worry, I shed a few tears, as well”. She just cares so much about sport, about the athletes, about Scotland.
‘It always come across when you hear her talking about it and the way she represents all those things. She’s a credit to herself.’
Martin had been Hoy’s lecturer for a while at Edinburgh University, where they forged their friendship. And he insists that she is a most formidable lady – who has the drive to build upon the success of last year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
‘She’s got a kind of split personality, if you like,’ continued Hoy. ‘She can be quite fierce and very driven.
‘When I first met her, when she was lecturer, I saw that fierce side of her – you didn’t want to get on the wrong side of her. And then, very quickly, you realise that she has a great sense of humour and that’s she just a really nice person.
‘When she’s driven and she’s focused, you don’t want to get in her way because she’s an incredibly motivated and determined person. But she’s one of the nicest people I have in sport, as well.
‘She’s got integrity and is the sort of person you can trust. She’s shown she can lead the Scottish Commonwealth Games team and she’s worked for many years in that respect. And now it’s the next logical step and it’s great she won the election.
‘In some ways (what she has to do now) is not difficult because the Games were a massive success, or they certainly were in Glasgow. But you always have to move with the times.
‘It’s not just her job to do that but it’s a part of it. A lot of the time it’s about the sports that are involved and are chosen.
‘She’ll be looking to get the athletes’ point of view and also listen to what the public are looking for.
‘It’s a big commitment and it’ll take a lot of effort but she’s the right person for the job.’
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