Can anyone tell me what is happening at the Commonwealth Games, apart from the obvious chaos away from the actual sports?
I certainly wouldn’t, because in reality I don’t care. While there might be those who say the Commonwealth Games have a place in the international sporting calendar, I firmly belong in the camp that believes an institution based on former colonial relationships is a wasted exercise and in relation to the Olympic Games, a waste of resources and time.
Now, I don’t want to discourage the spirit in which the games are held, which is to encourage, I assume, a friendly relationship between the former colonial brothers and their former political bosses, to use a neutral term. But, beyond this, in terms of a sporting contest, it is comparable to the soccer World Cup without Brazil, Germany, Spain, Argentina and the Netherlands, to name just a few. Australia’s dominance at the Commonwealth Games has almost been absolute since its first edition in 1934, topping the medal table 11 out of 18 times, and every time since 1990. They have even hosted the games four times.
While the 2006 games in Melbourne went off relatively peacefully and without administrative issues, this current edition in Delhi has been marred by incompetence, delays, denials and empty stadiums. To put things in perspective, the following has actually happened:
1. Many of the venues were built by a company that has a very poor safety record.
2. The athletics track was completed on the day the athletics competitions were meant to begin.
3. The athlete’s village was plagued by cleaning problems.
4. A main spectator bridge collapsed, along with the internal roofing at the weightlifting venue.
5. And now, more than 50 swimmers have fallen ill, with the warm-up pool being cited as the cause.
6. Only about 250 000 tickets of the 1.5 million plus available had been sold as the Games began.
7. Many top athletes, including three of South Africa’s (Semenya, Mulaudzi and Mokoena) haven’t pitched because they were either worried about security, couldn’t be bothered or the Games clashed with other events (eg cycling’s World Championships).
I’m sure as the Games go on, more problems will surface and only when the Games are deemed to belong in the past will many athletes and national athletic organisations complain that these Games were badly organised, and as an event, a failure. While the blame for such a farce of what is meant to be a respected international event should be laid squarely at India’s door, perhaps this is the necessary push, as unfortunate as it is, that will finally spell the end to an event which lost its ideological basis after the end of World War II.
Though the advantages — including a showcase for smaller nations and acting as an incubator as it were for the Olympic Games — are numerous, in the grand scheme of things, the Commonwealth Games are passed their sell-by date. While it is a fine idea, like its original basis, the times have changed and the Games should change with it, even if it means its disappearance from the sporting calendar. Will it be missed? Who knows?
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