Before we start I have a question for you. Where and when are the Commonwealth Games held this year?
If you were able to answer Glasgow, Scotland and the dates of 23 July-3 August, then you are certainly in the minority as most people I have spoken to haven’t got a clue.
In the 80s and 90s, the Commonwealth Games was the opportunity for us to demolish every other Commonwealth sporting nation in any sport we tried our hand at.
» CLICK HERE FOR THE 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES LIVE STREAMING GUIDE
We will never forget the memories of Robert De Castella winning the marathon at the 1982 Brisbane Games in exhausting conditions, Robbie Perella putting lawn bowls on the map at the 1990 Auckland Games, or the thrilling Australia versus New Zealand netball final from the 2002 Manchester Games.
Our swimming team was the pinnacle of our Commonwealth Games domination. It was easier to count what we wouldn’t win than what we would.
Swimmers like Susie O’Neill, Samantha Reilly, Kieran Perkins and Grant Hackett dominated the games, the headlines and milk commercials for years to come. I remember cheering home Kerryn McCann over the last 10 kilometres of possibly the greatest ever marathon race ever, at the 2006 Melbourne Games
Even before my time the feats by Australians at the Empire Games and then the Commonwealth Games are almost folklore. Bannister versus Landy at the 1954 Vancouver Games, Dawn Fraser winning six golds during her reign of the pool, and the feats of Shirley Strickland and Betty Cuthbert tearing up the track in the sprinting events were stories told by my father’s father, and my father to me.
Stories and tales or other performances that held together a nation during times of war, heartache and despair.
Yet in just over a month, a fresh crop of Australia’s finest will be taking on the Commonwealth’s best in 17 sports over 10 days of competition. However, from what you see in the newspapers, television and social media, you wouldn’t even know that they were on.
Besides the odd article on the uniform the athletes will be wearing to the Games (another gold medal fashion disaster), there has been no build-up whatsoever.
With the FIFA World Cup in Brazil taking all of the headlines over the last two weeks, I can’t see how the nation is going to get excited for the competition ahead. There will be some interest once they begin but it will never reach the heights like it did 10, 20 or even 50 years ago.
The Olympics little cousin is the stepping stone for many athletes. For the athletes and families involved, it may be the biggest moment in their lives. But for the rest of us does the Commonwealth Games still hold a special part in our sporting calendar, or is it a shadow of its former self? I tend to think the latter.
What’s your best bet? For great odds on all your favourite sports check out PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
It’s a pretty good time to be a Tasmanian sports fan right now. After years in the sporting wilderness with not much to celebrate,…
Olympic swimming legend and Australian Sports Commission boss Kieren Perkins has warned that "someone will die" if a multi-sport event that allows athletes to…
In 2015 when heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko, the fighter regarded by many as the ‘Greatest of all time’ in the sport,…
Join Australia's most vibrant online sports community and you have the chance to win $1000. The Roar is the perfect blend of sports reporting,…
Here is a review of our boxers who made a splash in the world rankings over the past year.
After intense debate at Roar HQ, we’ve selected the 23 most controversial moments for 2023.
