Laborers work at Shivaji stadium, one of the practice venues for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
Dark clouds are hovering over Delhi and the Commonwealth Games – in more ways than one – as preparations for the Games, just over a month away, lumber dangerously behind schedule and the seeds of disinterest grow.
Numerous reports have emerged from Delhi about the readiness and quality of the Games’ infrastructure, and there appears to be genuine concern that numerous sites won’t be up to a suitable standard by the October 3 opening.
According to an Australian Associated Press (AAP) report this week, “The Indian government has missed a deadline to certify all Commonwealth Games sporting venues are structurally sound and safe.”
The monsoonal rain that has lashed southern Asia has complicated and delayed the mad rush to be ready.
Former Indian cricket captain Bishen Bedi has called on athletes to boycott the Games as a result of this preparation and the controversy over corruption which has engulfed organisers.
But of more concern are the reports of the conditions workers are subjected to at these stadiums.
(For an eyewitness account of those conditions, read Jessica Halloran’s article in The Daily Telegraph.)
Is it right that Australia, and the rest of the Commonwealth, commit to competing at the Games considering the mounting evidence of corruption and the treatment of the workers?
It’s certainly worthy of the debate, as is the issue that’s causing most concern – security for participants.
Dawn Fraser recently raised the spectre of a 1972 Munich Olympics-type attack, urging athletes to consider boycotting the Games.
Slightly alarmist perhaps, but her warning has merit.
According to the Australian government’s travel advisory, travellers should “exercise a high degree of caution in India at this time because of the high risk of terrorist activity by militant groups.”
Whether athletes should boycott the Games or not is a thorny issue. We must respect the decision of individuals and trust the Australian government and officials have done their due diligence.
But the concerns over safety and infrastructure only mask the questions about the relevance of the Games and the growing ambivalence toward the Commonwealth.
Even in India the Games are, seemingly, a hard sell.
According to AAP, only two percent of tickets have been sold – around 50,000 tickets from a total of 2.3 million available.
With Australia’s cricket tour clashing with the Games, Sachin Tendulkar and co are set to steal a large chunk of the limelight.
In Australia it’s hard to find any genuine excitement around the Games, no matter how hard Channel 10 and Foxtel try and sell it.
With Australia’s “Golden Girl” Stephanie Rice absent, Usain Bolt, the undisputed star of the Commonwealth, not bothering, Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur missing tennis’ Commonwealth debut because of schedule clashes with tour events (in other words, representing Australia at the Commonwealth isn’t as luring as their day job), there is hardly much star power to get excited about.
Without wanting to insult athletes competing at the Games, particularly those competing in sports who cannot represent their countries at the Olympics (think netball), the Commonwealth Games are no longer relevant.
They, along with the Commonwealth itself, are an archaic remnant of the British empire.
(For a background on what the Commonwealth is and does, read this article.)
With renewed calls from the incumbent Prime Minister Julia Gillard for Australia to revisit the Republic debate, it’s worth asking whether the Games have a future in our sporting portfolio.
The history of the Commonwealth Games for Australia is of us beating up on England and the rest in the medal tally. You sense this perverse enjoyment in whipping the floor with our “opponents” is one of the few reasons why we’ve been able to justify the Games for so long.
Great sporting moments perhaps, but it no longer matters when we have been testing ourselves against a far greater pool of talent at other major sporting events, and the disinterest from athletes and sporting fans alike tells us it’s time to move on.
With the rise of continental international competitions, such as the Asian Games, how can the Commonwealth Games continue to be a meaningful sporting contest when the Commonwealth itself is such a facile being?
The sporting rival between Australia and its mother country better manifests itself in other arenas, namely the Ashes. As does the rivalry between us and the Kiwis, through the Bledisloe Cup.
At a time when Australia needs to be integrating more diligently with Asia, be it in the sporting environment and more, we should be moving away from the old world Commonwealth and start embracing our true place in the world – as an Asian Pacific country.
An unsuccessful Delhi Games will only intensify the relevance debate and could herald the beginning of the end for the Commonwealth Games.
nickyc
Guest
"Other than that, it is a second-rate gathering" Surely, that's true of every multi-sport event outside of the Olympics be it the Asian Games, the African Games or the Pan-American Games. Any event which excludes Europe is automatically going to be less than world class across virtually every sport. The same applies to countries like Australia, China and the USA across many sports. The Commonwealth Games are strong in some sports and less so in others. And that also applies in relation to the other non-olympic multi-sport events. For example the centrepiece of any multi-sports event is athletics and in this sport the Commonwealth Games is clearly stronger than the Asian Games, say. The value of all the non-olympic multi-events is as a learning ground for the athletes. A multi-sport event like the Olympics is totally unlike single sport continental and world championships and the non-olympic multi-events allow the athletes to experience living in a village among thousands of other athletes along with all the attendant distractions. The Commonwealth Games, like the other multi-sport events, has a valuable role to play not only as a sporting spectacle but also in the development of athletes.
Student of palm beach state school Queensland
Guest
Does anyone have any ideas for us please email :)
Student of palm beach state school Queensland
Guest
Heey i go 2 palm Beach state school Queensland Australia And i agree with nelly all of your segestions i am currently working on a debate at school and my topic is " The Commonwealth Games Are Still Revelent " me and my friends are the neggative do yous have any advice or ideas for us if you do please email me tbras3@eq.edu.au thankyou and bye
MadeWT
Guest
Only 58 spectators at the Commonwealth Games netball match - Australia versus Samoa. 58....!
Mega
Guest
Is Bball in the Commonwealth Games?
Walt
Guest
"Goodness gracious me!" would be more apt.
Shahsan
Guest
No, not from London but from Rio 2016 onwards.
PG
Guest
Yep but from London on It will be in the Olympics as well on it will --Yay!
Shahsan
Guest
Well, without perennial heavyweights the Netherlands and Germany, not to mention up and coming Korea, the field is strong but not that strong. And yes, I agree with you re Winter Olympics. By the reasoning of some of the commentators here, the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Alberto Tomba, Michelle Kwan etc are all third-rate athletes.
Zippy
Guest
I would certainly include field hockey in the Commonwealth Games 'world-class' category since many of the world powers in the sport are Commonwealth nations. And PS, by the standards of this thread, the Winter Olympics are not 'world class' since only handfuls of cold-weather nations participate in the events.
Shahsan
Guest
Dave, see my reply to Betty B above.
Shahsan
Guest
I think there should be a minimum intelligence level for these sites. Or maybe I'm being too hopeful.
Shahsan
Guest
If 10 only countries play a sport well and they have a World Cup, does that mean that the World Cup is illegitimate? Must all countries play a sport for it to be legiitimate sport? Are you saying, when the Dream Team cleaned up the basketball at the Olympics, that they werent legitimate world champions since only about 10 countries play it at a high level? Are you saying, when the USA and Australia and Germany dominate swimming at the Olympics, that these are Mickey Mouse champions since only 4-5 countries could be called superpowers in swimming? What does it mean then, that despite teh soccer World Cup having beend held about 20 times and having a starting field of more countries than there are UN members, that fewer than 10 of those have ever won the World Cup? Or that only one of the five most populous countries in teh world have ever won the World Cup or even be considered a power in the game? ie at least 40% of the world's population are represented by the four most populous countires in teh world and none of them have won a world cup or are much good?
Shahsan
Guest
Ok. besides these two sports, name me any other event at the Commonwealth Games where the participating field has all the top countries in the sport ie where the World Cup would have essentially the same field. Atheltics? Swimming? No US or Europe. Cycling? No Europeans. etc etc etc But in 7s and netball, you cannot really improve on the field that will be there. ALL THE LEADING COUNTRIES in those sports will be at Delhi. No one is missing (except perhaps the US, who are a middle-tier power in 7s).
MVDave
Guest
Just remind me the nations where Rugby 7s or Rugby is the number 1 sport..anywhere in Europe? Wales? What about the Americas? Middle East? Asia? Africa...maybe 1 or 2? Pacific Islands ok a few...wake me when it starts to take over the Commonwealth let alone the world.
Tortion
Guest
Me thinks you need to read up on the explosive growth of Rugby 7s Dave. Top class tournaments are emerging all over Europe and into Africa in particular. Rugby has finally been released from the amateur era and Rugby 7s is leading the extraordinary growth. Small today but huge tomorrow (not ever as big as football though - not as simple to learn or as adapatable. Look out Australia. England will rock the boat at the Commonwealth Games and the UK will thump us at the Olympics.
MVDave
Guest
" there are only two world class events in the Commonwealth Games: rugby 7s and netball." Give me a break...world class? There are about 5 countries that take Netball seriously and a few more that take Rugby 7s seriously. Nevertheless both sports are appropriately in the Commonwealth Games.
Betty b
Guest
'only two world class events at the Commonwealth games' What world are you living in mate?
Shahsan
Guest
Irrelevant it may well be to you, but my point is a valid one: there are only two world class events in the Commonwealth Games: rugby 7s and netball. the rest are not. Whether the best players in those sports turn up this year is another matter, but in the past they have.
Zippy
Guest
I'd rather see touch than sevens? Pleeze. Forget the Games, this whole conversation is becoming irrelevent.