BADMINTON HOPING TO MAKE HEADLINES
While the likes of Alistair Brownlee, Ed McKeever, Nicola Adams and Jade Jones gave their sports a huge shot in the arm at London 2012 - badminton almost missed the boat completely.
Brownlee and his brother Jonny brought triathlon into the British sporting mainstream, McKeever excited on the water, Adams helped change perceptions of women's boxing and Jones brought welcome good publicity to taekwondo on home shores.
And they contributed just a small part to the sporting party that enveloped Britain for a fortnight, with Sir Bradley Wiggins, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Mo Farah making the biggest headlines.
Badminton simply failed to come to that party. All four of the British participants - two of whom formed one doubles pair - slumped out in the early stages of competition.
That left a sport crying out for heroes to inspire the next generation in the UK - lacking since the retirement of Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson - short of the publicity it craved.
In fact, were it not for a match-fixing scandal principally involving Chinese players, badminton may not have garnered any column inches at all.
Glasgow 2014 offers the opportunity to make amends for a lot of that.
Inside badminton, there are several events on the circuit more prestigious than the Commonwealth Games. In terms of coverage and publicity, however, they are in a different league to most of them.
The Games offer a great chance for British players to make names for themselves and for the sport to make an imprint on the public consciousness.
With team and individual events, badminton will be played on every day of sporting action in Glasgow.
Anne Smillie, chief executive of Badminton Scotland, senses a great opportunity for her country.
She said: "At the Olympics there was no team event and the British players were awful.
"In order to get the crowd behind you, you need to have presence on the court and in London the players didn't do well.
"But this time we are going to be on for the best part of the first week in the team event - we'll hopefully do well in the group stages and maybe proceed to the quarters and the semis - and then there is the opportunity in the individuals to show what they can do.
"It gives us a fantastic opportunity to showcase the sport and to really crank up the profile the media. That can't be bad.
"Some of the other sports may only be on for two or three days in a smaller arena.
"We've got a huge arena, up to 6,000 seats. With three sessions some days that's 18,000 tickets available each day."
In terms of the action, which will take place at the new Emirates Arena, there are high hopes for home medals.
Most notably Imogen Bankier and Robert Blair, both World Championship silver medallists, should challenge strongly in the mixed doubles while Kirsty Gilmour will contend in the women's singles.
Their presence should also ensure a strong push in the team event before the five individual disciplines begin.
Smillie said: "Medals are what we are all working towards, that would be absolutely superb.
"I think we have done all we can to ensure our preparations have gone well."
England will boast a gold medal favourite in husband-and-wife mixed doubles pair Chris and Gabby Adcock.
The Adcocks have made a big impression since being reunited on court post-Olympics - Chris Adcock played alongside Bankier in London - and have reached the world's top five.
Among their successes was victory in a Hong Kong Superseries event last November, only the second at that level by a British pair.
Chris Adcock, 25, who also forms a strong men's doubles partnership with Andy Ellis, said: "We have got bigger things - it is unfortunate the World Championships is just a few weeks after it - but we'll be in the media, in the spotlight, and for personal pride we want to do well.
"It is an exciting tournament and we will be going there and hoping for a gold medal."
Rajiv Ouseph will spearhead England's drive in the men's singles but long-time world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia - one of the all-time greats - will stand in his way.
England and Scotland have both entered the full complement of 10 players in their teams with Wales and Northern Ireland sending six each.
