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Old 04-04-2018, 06:52 PM   #1
FireGilbert
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Default 2018 Commonwealth Games April 5-15th Gold Coast Australia

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.
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Old 04-05-2018, 10:20 PM   #2
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I care as do several people I know.
Multi-sport games are always incredible for athletes and fans, no matter who is participating.

As you said they give athletes experience and exposure as well as bringing teams together. Attending PanAms in 2015 was one of the best experiences of my life.

I'm hoping Edmonton makes another bid for 2030 as I think they will put on a great show.
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Old 04-07-2018, 09:06 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FireGilbert View Post
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.
Must we always judge the worth of things by what they aren't rather than what they are? The games are an opportunity to watch high-level competitive sports, support our compatriots, learn about elements of our history and the host city/region/country, and engage in banter with old allies/friends. It may not be worth setting an alarm but we don't have to make perfect be the enemy of good.
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Old 04-07-2018, 10:15 PM   #4
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One of my favourite athletes, Dr. Nicole Forrester (retired Canadian high jumper), writes about the benefits and significance of the Commonwealth Games.

https://theconversation.com/why-the-...l-matter-93880
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Old 04-16-2018, 06:21 PM   #5
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Well the games went out with a whimper the other day with a critically panned closing ceremony. They made an odd decision to have the parade of athletes take place prior to the ceremony off air and then bored the audience with speeches and bad music resulting in the stadium being mostly empty by the end.

Judging by the lack of comments in this thread I am guessing not many people were following the games. Personally I really had a hard time getting into them. Sure there were some exciting stories: the 11 year old Welsh table tennis star, a big lawn bowls upset, Jamaica being upset on the track, the Scottish marathoner collapsing to lose out on gold, and a couple intense battles between the Canadians and Aussies, however it was very hard to get excited about a 2nd rate sporting event that felt like an exhibition game. A lot of the locals felt the same way and attendance was not great. Also, the promised big boost to the economy was a bit of a myth. The hotels and businesses around the events did well however other businesses struggled as locals left town or avoided going out.

This has hardened by opinion about the Commonwealth games losing relevance and being a waste of money and I would discourage Canada or Australia bidding on any future games. Yes it was great for the athletes and allowed sporting infrastructure to be built but I don't see it being worth the cost. I would prefer instead bidding for World Championships which showcase the best athletes while keeping the hosting costs reasonable.
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