TIME TO GET BEHIND ATHLETES

APROUD Tasmanian is leading the country’s top athletes by carrying the Australian flag in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games this morning. Australian flag bearer Eddie Ockenden, co-captain of the Kookaburras hockey side, is lining up in Birmingham for his fourth Games and also hoping to win a fourth gold medal at the event.

Because of Ockenden’s heroics on and off the field, he and squash veteran Rachael Grinham have been given the honour of leading the Aussie team.

In the typical Tasmanian way, Ockenden said he felt a little uncomfortable about the privilege.

“You ask yourself, ‘am I worthy to stand in front of all these amazing Australians?’ ”

Damn right you are Eddie, you are someone for all Tasmanians and Australians to look up to and aspire to be.

What Ockenden has done for the game of hockey – and for Tasmania – in his career is unmatched.

To have a player from Tasmania, a small state of 550,000 people, lead a national side and be so successful along the way is inspiring and should be celebrated.

But Tassie has a record of producing sporting leaders – Ricky Ponting and Tim Paine in cricket are others who have excelled and put Tassie on the map.

In fact, when you look at the Commonwealth Games team Tassie is batting well above it’s average.

Fifteen athletes have made the Australian Commonwealth Games team from the island state.

Ockenden is one of two Tassie hockey players searching for Games glory. The other is Josh Beltz, and while Ockenden is a veteran this will be Beltz’s first Commonwealth Games after debuting for the Kookaburras in 2015.

But it’s not just hockey that Tasmanians will competing in over the coming weeks.

Launceston cyclist Georgia Baxter, queen of the pool Ariarne Titmus, diver Emily Meaney, sprinters Jacob Despard and Jack Hale, middle-distance runner Stewart McSweyn, cyclist Josh Duffy, mountain biker Sam Fox, lawn bowler Rebecca Van Asch, swimmer Jacob Templeton, triathlete Jake Birtwhistle, para-triathlete Erica Burleigh and para-triathlon guide Hayden Armstrong are all competing.

It is a pretty solid line up and all Tasmanians should get behind the athletes.

They have done extremely well to get where they are and we should all get behind them.

The Hobart Mercury will be running eight pages of Commonwealth Games coverage every day and will be right behind our Tassie athletes.