Commonwealth Games more than medals
GOLD COAST, Australia — While Canada fell well short of its goal of 100-plus medals at the Commonwealth Games, team officials say the true test of the Gold Coast Games will come two years from now at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lessons learned here should pay off in 2020, said Canadian chef de mission Claire Carver-Dias.
“It’s intelligence,” said Carver-Dias, a former synchronized swimmer who won medals at the Olympic, Commonwealth and Pan American Games. “You’re gathering data.
“And people underestimate the Commonwealth Games,” she continued. “We’re chronically underfunded. But it is listed as a milestone in the performance pathway and athletes keep saying these games are important. It’s a checkpoint ... Olympians are going to benefit from being here.”
Carver-Dias’ words are undoubtedly true. But like the Commonwealth itself, the question-mark over the relevance of the so-called Friendly Games seems to grow every four years.
Supporters point to the games’ inclusivity, with gender medal equality and para-events as part of the program. Here they also noted the games’ reconciliation action plan with Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
After some bold talk of a triple-digit medal haul, Canada had to wait until the final day of competition to match its total of 82 from four years ago in Glasgow. A poor finale by the Canadian women’s rugby sevens team Sunday meant a possible medal No. 83 — a bronze — now belongs to England.
Thanks to an unexpected men’s basketball silver, Canada finished with 15 gold, 40 silver and 27 bronze. While the total number of medals did not change from Glasgow, the number of golds plummeted from 31 to 15.
Canada finished third in total medals behind Australia’s 198, including 80 gold and England’s 136 (45 of which were gold). But it was fourth when it came to golds with India, which had 66 total medals, collecting 16.
Track and field, not helped by the late withdrawal of sprinter Andre De Grasse, was down to 13 medals from 17. A young rhythmic gymnastics team won two medals, down from six in 2014. Wrestling was down from 12 to 10.