THERE was a joke doing the rounds after Glasgow won the 2014 Commonwealth Games that visiting officials had been wowed by the sheer number of residents casually wandering around in tracksuits and trainers. They thought: this city loves its sport. We knew: Glaswegians love their leisurewear.

Joking aside, Glasgow has steadily built an international reputation for hosting major sporting events. In addition to the Games, it has welcomed Olympic football, the IPC World Swimming Championships and Davis Cup (twice in recent months) among others.

Last week brought the news that gymnastics and golf have been added to the programme for the inaugural European Sports Championships in 2018.

The European Artistic Gymnastics Championships will take place at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, with the first-ever European Golf Team Championships being held at Gleneagles, which hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup.

This makes a seven-strong programme alongside athletics, aquatics, cycling, rowing and triathlon. Every sport will be hosted by Scotland – with the lion’s share in or around Glasgow – except athletics, which will be staged in Berlin.

The 2015 World Gymnastics Championships has seen Glasgow welcome a record 594 gymnasts from 87 countries – the most high-profile sporting event to be held in Scotland since Glasgow 2014 and Ryder Cup last year.

As I write this five-time world and reigning all-around Olympic champion Kohei Uchimura of Japan is performing only feet from where I sit inside the SSE Hydro. Earlier in the day Scotland’s remarkable Daniel Purvis topped the individual standings in qualification. It was sublime to watch.

According to organisers, the 10-day sporting event – which runs until Sunday – is projected to generate at least £5 million for the Scottish economy.

Ticket sales have reached 53,500 with the women's individual all-around final on Thursday evening sold out: that figure eclipses the 37,000 snapped up for the artistic gymnastics competition at Glasgow 2014. The 2009 World Gymnastics Championships at the O2 in London sold 39,000.

Already there is talk of legacy. For me, this is a word that tends to prompt stifled yawns and copious eye-rolling. I would argue the inspiration factor is of equal, if not greater, importance.

Not only for the thousands of youngsters that will attend – watching awestruck in the packed arena with eyes like saucers as gymnasts flip and somersault as if in possession of superhuman powers – but likewise for adults who might just be tempted to ramp up their own fitness regimes.

When I was a gymnastics-mad child, it was a sport that hardly garnered any coverage outside of the Olympic Games. Those who ascended the upper echelons of the sport to win the shiny gold medals had names as difficult to pronounce at their feats were to emulate.

Great Britain’s efforts were merely a footnote to proceedings. Like the kid who gets a penny chew for doing their best on sports day even though they came last in the egg and spoon race.

Here in Glasgow, Great Britain’s women finished third in the qualification standings with only USA and Russia ahead of them. The men’s team is also on track for a top eight finish. Hopefully up there in the stands, looking down, is a raft of little girls and boys thinking: “One day that will be me”.