Games are back
THE Commonwealth Games are back, baby – but with added pressure on Victoria not to drop the baton.
Dismissed by the woke mob as a colonial relic that has no relevance in the 21st century, Birmingham has saved the “Friendly Games” from the scrap heap.
Not only did Brum step in and agree to take over as hosts after the South African city of Durban pulled out because they had run out of money, they also reminded everyone in the Commonwealth why the Games are worth preserving.
In an age where most major international sporting events have been swamped by crass commercialisation, the Commonwealth Games are a throwback to happier times.
They are not the Olympics – but they have never pretended to be – because they showcase eclectic sports that are ingrained in our culture and part of the unbreakable bond to the Commonwealth.
Sports such as cricket, and netball, and lawn bowls, and hockey, and squash.
Supporters of the Games, and there’s a lot more of them now than there were a fortnight ago, will argue they are more relevant and needed than ever before.
And they’re right. But only if they are done the right way.
Whether it’s seeing the unbridled joy that competitors from tiny island nations get when they set foot on the medal podium or the quirky sports that no other major sporting event would dare allow, there’s just something magical about the Commonwealth Games that Victoria needs to keep in mind when it hosts them in 2026.
Aussies love multi-sports events – and the global pandemic has only reinforced why after the blinding success and mass public support for last year’s Tokyo Olympics and now the Commonwealth Games.
Not only that, Birmingham has just provided regional Victoria with a DIY guidebook for success that could be summarised in three words: keep it fun.