John Swinney has said he would be “very supportive” of the 2026 Commonwealth Games being known as the “Chris Hoy Games".

The First Minister was speaking at a media event to mark the official confirmation that Glasgow will host the multi-sport event in less than two years.

Over the weekend, Sir Chris revealed his prostate cancer is terminal and that he only has two to four years left to live.

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The Olympian also told the Sunday Times that his wife, Sarra, had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) that was “very active and aggressive” and needed urgent treatment.

Speaking to journalists, Mr Swinney, whose wife, Elizabeth, also has MS, said he was full of admiration for the cyclist.

Asked if he would support the idea of the Sir Chris Hoy games, Mr Swinney said: “Well, yes, I'm very supportive of that.”

He added: “I feel totally vexed for Chris Hoy and for his family, the situation he faces has been borne with the exceptional courage that all of us have come to appreciate and value from Chris Hoy, and I couldn't admire him more for how he's handled and communicated the news.

“And obviously I'm very conscious that his family has also had to come to terms with the diagnosis that his wife has MS, which is obviously a situation with which I have great familiarity.

“So my heart goes out to them. And I would be very supportive of the games being referred to as the Chris Hoy Games.”

John Swinney supported the idea of the 'Chris Hoy Games' (Image: Jane Barlow)

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said he would back some sort of tribute to Sir Chris, but said the name of the games was for the organising committee.

“I'm sure there'll be, quite rightly, a fitting tribute to Sir Chris Hoy, not just at the Commonwealth Games but other sporting events”.

Jon Doig, the CEO of Commonwealth Games Scotland — and a former teammate of Sir Chris’s — said they would talk to the sports superstar and his family.

“From our point of view, all the kind of love and support that we can actually give to Chris and his family at this particular time, we do.

“We'll obviously have discussions with Chris about what's appropriate at this time because it's a very private moment.

“Chris was a key part of our games in 2014 in terms of the Queen's Baton Relay, as it was at that stage, as the last batten bearer. He was one of our village mayors.”

Sir Chris Hoy’s news sparked a huge surge in web searches for the disease, Macmillan Cancer Support has said.

Macmillan said Sir Chris had shown “incredible courage” in sharing his experience, adding that it would “inspire others who may be facing a similar situation”.

The cancer charity’s chief nursing officer said “many parents will be relating” to his experience.

Sir Chris had said in an interview with the Sunday Times: “You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process.

“You remind yourself, aren’t I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible?”

Macmillan said it hoped Sir Chris “being so open about his diagnosis” would encourage more people living with cancer to reach out for support, and urged anyone concerned about potential signs or symptoms of cancer to visit their GP.

The charity said search engine data showed a “surge in overall web searches for cancer in the UK” on Sunday.