The 2018 Commonwealth games opening ceremony was last night with the first events and medals to be awarded today. Diver Meaghan Benfeito carried the flag for Canada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Commonwealth_Games
A couple talking points:
Does anyone care? The links to the British Empire become less relevant every year and it's hard to get excited about a games without top athletes from the USA, China, Russia, and most of Europe. Also, no Usain Bolt takes away a lot of excitement that previous games had. Personally I would not lose any sleep if these were the last games. The 2022 games almost fell through due to Durban South Africa balking at the cost before Birmingham stepped in and I would not be surprised if future games also have trouble finding host cities. On the other hand, the games are a good opportunity for the athletes to gain experience and receive exposure in a non Olympic year.
Are there any events and athletes you will be following? The Mens and Women's Rugby Sevens tournaments should be excellent and will be the highlight of the games. Beach Volleyball is always fun and should look great on the beautiful Gold Coast beaches. I'll also be following the swimming to see how Penny Oleksiak does and how overconfident the Aussie media will get after the locals take most of the medals against little competition.