Pupils sport their sensational Haka moves to celebrate Commonwealth Day in style

Commonwealth Day was celebrated in ear-splitting style today (Monday 12th March) at Glasgow's Mount Florida Primary School with pupils putting on their own vibrant version of the famous Haka in a special presentation to Glasgow 2014's Games Partners about the Commonwealth.

All 200 pupils and their visiting Games Partner VIPs sported their trainers for the memorable day, joining over one million Scots doing the same the length and breadth of the country to show support for Glasgow 2014's Sport Your Trainers campaign. Today’s special event saw the pupils from Primary 3 put on their very Haka, the traditional Maori war dance much loved by New Zealand's All Black rugby team and their fans.

Pupils from Primary 7 also demonstrated their knowledge of India - the hosts of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games - to the Games Partners in attendance: David Grevemberg, Shona Robison, Archie Graham and Michael Cavanagh.

In preparation for Commonwealth Day, every class at Mount Florida Primary, close to Hampden Park which will stage the athletics at Glasgow 2014, has been learning about sport and life in several Commonwealth countries.

The children have been involved in a number of fun activities, they have been singing songs from Uganda, learning and acting out Malaysian folklore stories and cooking food from Guyana.

After the special presentations, the children were joined by future Badminton star Josh Neil, who hopes to compete at Glasgow 2014. Josh put the children through their paces during a game of badminton – to kick start the school’s activity day to celebrate Commonwealth Day.

A record one million Scots have shown their support for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games by sporting their trainers today and people of all ages, from all parts of the country – and across the Commonwealth – have been part of this special support.

Glasgow 2014’s Chief Executive David Grevemberg said:

"The unique and special celebrations by the pupils for Commonwealth Day and Sport Your Trainers have been fantastic to witness. The enthusiasm of the pupils for all things connected to Glasgow 2014 and sport in general has been inspirational and everybody at the school should be proud of their achievements. Well done to them all.

"The national response we have had to Sport Your Trainers is nothing short of overwhelming and it’s great to see everyone getting right behind Scotland and Glasgow 2014. We are honoured to have received so much support and it makes everyone at Glasgow 2014 more committed than ever to delivering an outstanding Games that will make Scotland proud. By sporting my trainers today, it feels special to be part of the one million people across Scotland doing the same."

Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport Shona Robison said:

"The 2014 Games offer vast opportunities to put Scotland on the path to a healthier and more successful future. Alongside our own projects, initiatives like "Sport Your Trainers" will encourage people to make lasting lifestyle changes and add to the levels of excitement we are already seeing in the build up to Glasgow 2014.

"I am delighted to see the enthusiasm of the children at Mount Florida Primary who are getting involved, sporting their trainers and truly embracing the spirit of Commonwealth Day."

Councillor Archie Graham, Executive Member for the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow City Council, said:

"Every year, as we celebrate Commonwealth Day, we move another step closer to the Games coming to Glasgow. The Sport Your Trainers campaign has been a fantastic example of people in the city and across Scotland showing their passion as we countdown towards 2014. The people taking part have come from all walks of life, and it is wonderful to know that so many have sported their trainers this year."

Michael Cavanagh, Commonwealth Games Scotland Chairman said:

"Today’s events at Mount Florida is a marvellous celebration of Glasgow 2014 and the Commonwealth Games movement in general and we are delighted to be playing our part in creating a buzz about the comes coming to Scotland in just over two years.

"The response to the Sport Your Trainers campaign has been phenomenal and demonstrates the enthusiasm and energy people in Scotland have for the Games and sport in general. This is an excellent foundation for us all to build on as we continue to prepare for an outstanding festival of sport in 2014."

Among the hundreds and thousands of Scots sporting their trainers on Monday will be:

• The 200 pupils of Raigmore Primary School in Inverness who will be sporting their trainers and sharing the moment with the dads of some pupils currently on duty in Afghanistan

• Glasgow Taxis' 2000 drivers are all aboard Glasgow 2014's Sport Your Trainers campaign and will be sporting their trainers behind the wheel on Commonwealth Day

• 230,000 students from Scotland’s universities, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, St Andrews, Dundee and Aberdeen

Sport Your Trainers has been backed by athletes and celebrities including Carol Smillie, Fred MacAulay, Lee McConnell, Michelle Mone, Craig Hill, Gavin Hastings, Liz McColgan, the crew of the HMS Defender, Real Radio’s presenters and even Edinburgh Zoo’s Dillon the armadillo has joined in to support the campaign.

For more information, contact: matthew.williams@glasgow2014.com

As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.

These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.

20 Years at #1: