A stadium which will feature in the 2014 Commonwealth Games was given a royal seal of approval after an £18million makeover.

The Princess Royal officially opened the revamped Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow on Thursday.

The old grandstand has been replaced with two stands with a total capacity of 5,000 spectators.

The "state-of-the-art" complex has an outdoor 400-metre track, an indoor track, offices and meeting spaces, and provides physiotherapy, massage, and strength and conditioning facilities for athletes.

Scotstoun is one of the arenas created for the 2014 Games, along with the planned National Indoor Sports Arena and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

During the Games, Scotstoun will host squash and table tennis and will be used to train track and field athletes.

The redevelopment of the stadium started in March 2008 and was funded with £14million from Glasgow City Council and £4million from sportscotland.

Scotstoun will become Glasgow Warriors rugby team's headquarters from June and will also become a centre of excellence for rugby. This comes through a partnership between Scottish Rugby Union, Glasgow City Council and Culture and Sport Glasgow.

City council leader Steven Purcell said: "Today marks the start of a new era for sport in Scotland, with the improved facilities further enhancing Scotstoun's international reputation as a world-class athletics venue.

"It is another great staging post in the legacy of facilities that will be built in Glasgow for the Games."

The Princess Royal praised "the attraction the stadium has for all range of users".

She added: "Not everybody wants to be an elite sports person so the need to keep this a friendly place that encourages everybody to come is crucial to its continuous use."