New Delhi: At a glance, they look like any other member of the Scotland squad who will be vying for the ultimate glory in the mega event starting from today. But after an informal chat their real identities are revealed and their mission un-coded. For they aren’t the athletes who will be adding to the medal tally of their country at the Delhi Games, but are the generation future, eying for glory at their home turf in 2014.

These young athletes are a part of around 70-member team who will be coming to the National Capital in the next 10 days in batches with a mission to prepare themselves for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

“They are part of our project called Achieve 2014. Commonwealth Games Scotland and Glasgow have selected a number of young and upcoming athletes who have the potential of winning medals in four years time. The programme has been created to offer the talented athletes and coaches the opportunity to gain critical knowledge and experience of a senior multi-sport environment, which will assist their own preparations for success in 2014,” said Susie Elm, mentor of the team.

And it’s just not about having the experience of seeing the mega event live, the trip is all about acclimatizing with the real life pressure that the elite face in these conditions.

“We just want these youngsters to get acquainted with the kind of pressure that an athlete faces in competition of this level. We want to make them realise the importance of these Games. We want to give them the opportunity to know what it needs to be an international athlete of repute. An athlete cannot necessarily become a winner just because of his talent. Many other factors play a role and we want them to learn that,” said Susie, who is here with the first batch of 17 athletes.

“The other groups will follow in the coming days,” she said

The young members of the Achieve 2014 team too seemed to be ecstatic about the programme and said that they were hoping to go back home rich in experience. “The magnitude of the occasion plays a big part in an athletes mind. Some rise to the occasion while others succumb to the pressure. We all are here to experience and see that. We want to get the feel for what we will face and will plan for our success to deal with it to make the most of our opportunities on our home turf,” said some of the youngsters who are part of Achieve 2014.

By Rakesh Jha