Commonwealth Games 2022

[Bada-Bing!]

Birmingham got it right but future of Commonwealth Games is uncertain | Andy Bull

The Games do not attract the very best athletes for every event and next edition in Australia is likely to be on a smaller scale

www.theguardian.com

Commonwealth Games: Australia drop out could be 'death knell'

Victoria's decision to walk away from 2026 hosting duties could be a "death knell" for the Games.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Kiwiwomble]

bit gutted actually, im another that likes the buzz around the place when a big event is on, I also quite liked the idea of the region games, actually using it as an excuse to upgrade rail lines and stations (my company was doing some of them) and putting events out in these town where they will use the facilities afterwards. they weren't putting a 100k stadium in Traralgon....they were going to upgrade the lawn bowls and put up some temp stands

I hadn't realised Vic only put up their hand when no one else was a serious contender so it sounds like it was always on the back foot....I think Dan andrews might cop some flak for just dropping this on everyone though, the regional mayors saying they didn't know, they didn;t just want the new facilities....they wanted people coming into town and spending some money

 

[Bada-Bing!]

bit gutted actually, im another that likes the buzz around the place when a big event is on, I also quite liked the idea of the region games, actually using it as an excuse to upgrade rail lines and stations (my company was doing some of them) and putting events out in these town where they will use the facilities afterwards. they weren't putting a 100k stadium in Traralgon....they were going to upgrade the lawn bowls and put up some temp stands

I hadn't realised Vic only put up their hand when no one else was a serious contender so it sounds like it was always on the back foot....I think Dan andrews might cop some flak for just dropping this on everyone though, the regional mayors saying they didn't know, they didn;t just want the new facilities....they wanted people coming into town and spending some money

I wonder if it's a precursor to Australia becoming a republic? What's the feeling out in Oz now?

 

[Kiwiwomble]

little change i think, not some big shift...gentle drift towards being a republic, i think Aussie would want to keep competing in the comm games though....countries do that dont they?

i think it really is just because we're in recession, the vic government has spent 10's of billions keeping people employed during COVID and now there is no money...that and a 300% increase in cost

 

[Bada-Bing!]

i think Aussie would want to keep competing in the comm games though....countries do that dont they?

Yeh easy gold medals.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

And now Alberta have pulled out of bidding for 2030.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

May be an unpopular opinion but personally I wouldn't shed a single tear to see the Commonwealth and all things associated with it just die. Some may disagree but I think it serves no real purpose and is just desperately clinging on to the last vestiges of a bygone era.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I've no particular love for the commonwealth as a notion but I do really enjoy watching the games

 

[Kiwiwomble]

May be an unpopular opinion but personally I wouldn't shed a single tear to see the Commonwealth and all things associated with it just die. Some may disagree but I think it serves no real purpose and is just desperately clinging on to the last vestiges of a bygone era.

.....thats a slippery slope...same could be said for pretty much any sporting competition, its not like its actively promoting the reinstatement of the british empire, most competing countries are now independent (wild guess)

i kind of like the idea that smaller nations have a large event where they might be able to actually compete

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Yeh because Australia is a really small country. Lol.

 

[Which Tyler]

Pretty sure the Commonwealth Games are more than just England and Australia - that'd be the ashes you're thinking of

I dislike the Commonwealth as a thing, and I hate imperialism; but I like the Commonwealth Games, for those same reasons as Kiwi Womble. There really aren't many big multi-sport events with a wide diaspora of nations competing (in fact, are there any others except the Olympics? If we count "track and field" as one sport).

 

[RedruthRFC]

i kind of like the idea that smaller nations have a large event where they might be able to actually compete

Agreed. It's not just the smaller nations, it's competitors from larger nations that are weak in particular events. Someone from my home town won silver in the pole vault at the last Commonwealth Games, despite her PB being 2cm below the Olympic qualifying standard.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

.....thats a slippery slope...same could be said for pretty much any sporting competition, its not like its actively promoting the reinstatement of the british empire, most competing countries are now independent (wild guess)

i kind of like the idea that smaller nations have a large event where they might be able to actually compete

The "serves no purpose" was referring to the Commonwealth as a whole rather than just the games.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Personally hope it goes and the UK focuses on Euro Championships which must get so little coverage in jingoistic 'blighty' that I never even knew it existed until I googled it just now. Repeat after me, British TV, "the UK is in the continent of Europe".

European Championships (multi-sport event) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Losing a competition that people can represent Scotland in is a small price to pay.

Plus fans of a ring fenced Commonwealth tournament always have the rugby 'World League' to look forward to!

 

[Which Tyler]

Personally hope it goes and the UK focuses on Euro Championships which must get so little coverage in jingoistic 'blighty' that I never even knew it existed until I googled it just now. Repeat after me, British TV, "the UK is in the continent of Europe".

It was on the BBC, both times, and pretty hard to miss if you actually watch terrestrial TV here.
I just forgot it above; it's also way, way smaller than the Commonwealth Games, though hopefully it'll grow

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

It was on the BBC, both times, and pretty hard to miss if you actually watch terrestrial TV here.
I just forgot it above; it's also way, way smaller than the Commonwealth Games, though hopefully it'll grow

I stand corrected! I don't watch much telly but I'm frankly alarmed i have zero recollection of this. Well done British telly!

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Yeh because Australia is a really small country. Lol.

i mean, population is 25M so still much smaller than the UK let alone the US or China or india

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Boils down to simple economics at the end of the day, which City within the those countries in the Commonwealth are willing to stump up to host it. All very well defending it. But it can only really continue unless it is scaled down really.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Birmingham Commonwealth Games was a mistake - ex-adviser

Bankrupt Birmingham City Council should not have hosted the Commonwealth Games, it is claimed.

www.bbc.co.uk