Sporting qualities in full view
THEY came with a whimper but are ending with a bang.
It is hard not to get excited about the Commonwealth Games.
In this day and age of walltowall sport, and the ability to watch live sport from every corner of the globe, the Commonwealth Games looked as though there were on borrowed time before they got under way on the Gold Coast.
The buildup was so lowkey it was almost underground. All anyone in this country was thinking and talking about was Joseph Parker, the Black Caps and Super Rugby. Over in Australia a certain cricket ball and some tape was dominating the talk.
The Games themselves were under some scrutiny.
Durban had been the original host of the 2022 Games but an inability to reach some agreed targets led to it being switched to Birmingham in Britain.
One wondered whether an event like the Commonwealth Games was still relevant, with the Commonwealth a relic from a forgotten past.
Many of the topline athletes simply do not turn up to the event.
Their focus is on the professional season and larger events in Europe later in the year.
But like all these events — the Olympics, any World Cup — once they spring from the starting blocks and competition starts, the profile increases and interest really picks up.
All the questions and worries beforehand slide off into the sunset.
That is when the pure sport takes over and the contest on the field, track or court is the main talking point.
There has been plenty to talk about in a New Zealand context.
From some unexpected surprises in the boxing ring, some not so pleasant happenings on the netball court, and pure theatre at the cycling velodrome, the drama of what makes sport so compelling has been well and truly delivered.
The velodrome was a great watch for New Zealand. Riders like Eddie Dawkins and Natasha Hansen were more than competitive, while Sam Webster showed his class in winning the sprint — both the team and individual.
It always looked like something was happening at the velodrome and a black jersey was right at the centre of it.
Mountain biking provided another highlight, as Sam Gaze and Anton Cooper battled it out. Gaze’s petty reactions after puncturing and finishing, however, were an exception to the mostly positive atmosphere.
Further afield the results have been mixed.
Boxing had been in the doldrums a few years ago in New Zealand but things appear to have turned around and the inclusion of women’s boxing has also helped the medal tally.
Tom Walsh and Julia Ratcliffe delivered in the field at the athletics while Jo Edwards gained a third gold medal of her career on the green at the lawn bowls. And it was good to see Mosgiel’s Holly Robinson win silver.
But in other places, there have been disappointments. The netballers have never convinced while the swimmers — apart from Sophie Pascoe and Lewis Clareburt — struggled.
That is sport though — some peaks and plenty of valleys.
Above all what has stood out at these Games is the friendliness of the event.
Many sports these days are too serious. To be focused means going around with a grim face for days beforehand. A victory is often seen as the difference between life and death.
But on the sunny Gold Coast — and good weather has helped too — everyone seems more relaxed and the sport is more about fun. Sportsmanship is in full view.
If that is what these Games deliver in the future then may they continue well beyond Birmingham.