Why Does Morning Live Presenter Have Commonwealth Pole Vault Conundrum?

ByRichard Winton

BBC Sport Scotland

Gethin Jones is getting animated. Agitated almost.

"How do you move a rod vault rod around? And wherever do you shop them? They're massive..."

The BBC Morning Live presenter stretches his arms wide unfastened to emphasise his point, earlier instantly bouncing into an anecdote astir hunting for hotels, past different astir nan value of uncovering bully java successful an unfamiliar city.

The 48-year-old's mind is whirring, and small wonder.

He's spent nan past mates of days successful Scotland amid a blizzard of seminars, presentations and workshops astir subjects he knew precious small astir not that agelong ago. But nan erstwhile Blue Peter presenter appears successful his element.

Sure, TV is fun. But person you ever tried to explicate to personification from nan Turks and Caicos Islands why representing Wales matters?

The juxtaposition is not mislaid connected Jones, who has taken a week disconnected from his 'day job' connected BBC One to beryllium a very different benignant of frontman.

Last June, he emerged from a lengthy recruitment process to beryllium named arsenic Wales' cook de ngo for this summer's reimagined Commonwealth Games successful Glasgow.

His domiciled mightiness person been shaped - initially astatine slightest - to beryllium chiefly ambassadorial, but this is acold much than a token assignment aliases a publicity stunt.

Jones has put successful nan work. And nan enthusiasm for nan occupation pours retired of him.

"The dream was to activity successful athletics and and I couldn't person asked for a amended start," he tells BBC Sport, resplendent successful a achromatic Team Wales polo shirt.

It was an almost-accidental stint helping pinch media relations for nan Gold Coast Commonwealth Games successful 2018 that group Jones disconnected connected this journey.

It led him to study for a masters successful sports directorship and usage his contacts to walk clip pinch nan NFL, pinch rugby league, and pinch cycling, trying to understand really high-performance athletics works.

Then came nan chance to beryllium progressive successful Glasgow 2026.

It took 2 aliases 3 rounds of interviews, and a batch of activity to person group wrong nan management that he was serious, but Jones was yet announced arsenic Team Wales' cook de ngo past summer.

"It's important to maine that group knew I did my activity for it, alternatively than think, 'oh, it's a feline disconnected nan telly that mightiness beryllium capable to adhd immoderate worth profile-wise'," he explains.

"I'm doing this because I'm passionate astir it. It's a voluntary domiciled that I've been moving difficult for nan past six, 7 years to get.

"Growing up, I wanted to compete for my country. And this feels for illustration nan adjacent champion point because I wasn't bully capable to do it."

Officially, Jones' responsibilities see starring and motivating athletes and support staff, representing Wales astatine charismatic functions, and acting arsenic a spokesperson.

In reality, it has go acold much all-encompassing and overmuch much operational.

Alongside squad wide head Kath Shearer and lawman cook de ngo Matt Cosgrove, Jones was immersed successful each nan sessions successful Glasgow - and only capable to fresh this chat successful aft dodging a briefing connected visas for recreation to nan UK.

His greeting tally on nan Clyde was dominated by thoughts astir really to get astir nan metropolis successful nan summer, and his evening was spent surviving a ceilidh pinch representatives of nan 74 Commonwealth nations and territories.

In keeping pinch his Blue Peter ideals, Jones is getting correct successful among it all.

"I didn't motion up to this occupation conscionable to go, 'where do you request me?'" he says. "I signed up to learn, and who knows wherever it whitethorn return maine successful nan future. Is it much than I thought? Yeah, but I conscionable opportunity 'yes' to everything and study arsenic I go.

"Every week, I study thing caller and effort to adhd worth wherever I tin - whether I've sewage a mate who's consenting to do a spot of laundry for america to bring nan costs down, aliases whether it's larger things, for illustration connecting nan squad betwixt different locations.

"One small point I do mightiness conscionable thief an jock triumph a medal."

Jones has recovered himself awake astatine nighttime pondering Games logistics and says he has go a bore erstwhile talking to friends and colleagues astir specified matters.

But Glasgow 2026 has travel to unashamedly predominate his thoughts.

He has spent nan past 9 months getting to cognize athletes and their stories, and gathering galore of them truthful they understand he's much than conscionable 'that fella disconnected nan telly'.

And he has had to explicate to countless group what a cook de ngo really is. "My nephew thinks I'm making luncheon for nan team," says Jones.

"And erstwhile I sat connected Morning Live and announced it, nan existent cook made a akin joke, but nan constituent is that assemblage - who are possibly not into athletics - now cognize what a cook de ngo is and abruptly nan scope is wider.

"The point is, you don't person to emotion athletics to emotion nan Commonwealth Games.

"If you look astatine mainstream intermezo now, whether that's Strictly Come Dancing aliases X Factor aliases whatever, I'm not judge you're successful it for nan dancing aliases nan singing, but you're decidedly successful it for nan quality stories, aren't you?"

Jones knows really to show those stories amended than most. And he knows nan Games, too.

He was a paying punter successful Birmingham 4 years ago, has studied nan history of nan arena and has spoken to countless athletes - large names and different - to effort to get to nan nub of why nan Games matter. Every time brings a caller answer.

"Even this morning, I was trying to explicate it to nan cook de missions from nan Bahamas and Turks and Caicos," he says. "And I don't deliberation they rather understood nan quality betwixt competing for Wales and for GB.

"I consciousness for illustration I'm representing my country. Beyond that part, a batch of these guys can't put into words what it's for illustration to compete for Wales. But group astatine location will look retired for nan reddish vest, and beryllium invested. And that's a really typical thing."

Glasgow 2026

July 23 - August 2