Prime Minister Gordon Brown has congratulated the city of Glasgow after they won the right to host the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Referring to a string of UK successes including the awarding of the 2012 Olympics, the prime minister said:

"What greater sporting decade can any country, the whole of Britain, have than welcoming these possibilities for both the future of sport and for tourism and just the general excitement in our country?"

The announcement was made in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where member countries of the Commonwealth Games Federation gathered to hear final presentations before submitting their votes. Scotland's largest city fended off the rival bid from Nigerian capital Abuja by 47 votes to 24.

Reacting to the news, Olympics minister Tess Jowell said:

"This is a terrific achievement for Glasgow and for Scotland - winning the right to stage a second Commonwealth Games in the UK so early in the new millennium. Glasgow 2014 can - and will be - an inspiration to people in all parts of the UK.''

It will be the first time Glasgow has staged the Games, although the capital Edinburgh has had it twice - in 1970 and 1986.