Corey is the Main man for swim team

Will that play a big part in fans flocking to watch? Games organisers believe so – 1.24 million tickets have been put on sale and we’ve been told ‘just’ 140,000 tickets remain, chiefly for events like track and field preliminaries, basketball, table tennis and squash.

It’s impossible to miss the Games’ location in part of Australia dedicated to sun, fun, surf and sand. Public transport is plastered with advertising, Games lanes for traffic are frustrating locals and accommodation rates have soared like the skyscrapers that dot the strip.

Should the weather hold – rain would be a big dampener – the GC games should be a success. Australia will top the medal table, jingoism will reign and ‘‘Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi’’ will once again ring painfully in our ears.

How about us? Every four years, the question arises as to why the Games still plays a prominent part in the New Zealand sporting calendar. Why should we care about a sporting event held only for members of a distasteful union formed when England ruled the waves?

The first gathering of Commonwealth athletes was in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1930 under the banner of the British Empire Games. Six sports were contested – athletics, boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming/diving and wrestling – and the event cost less than $100,000.

The 1958 Games in Wales hold a special place in my heart, as my grandfather Bill Hampton was part of the New Zealand team that went to Cardiff as a lawn bowler. I still have his blazer.

Those who see little worth in the 12-day competition will point to the lack of interest in NZ prior to the Games. In our sporting landscape, it currently sits behind Joseph Parker, the Black Caps, the Warriors and Super Rugby as a matter of interest. Avoiding being blinded isn’t a usual concern for an athlete.

But the backstrokers at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast will have that, along with their opponents, to deal with when the swimming competition starts today.

New Zealand’s Corey Main will contest the 100m and 200m men’s backstroke events at the open-air Optus Aquatic Centre at Southport, where lying on your back and staring at the sky while you race becomes a notable issue.

‘‘When it’s sunny you’re more likely going to be blinded,’’ said the

But having lived through 11 Games – and been at a few of them – I know that once the athletes start running, swimming, cycling, jumping and beating each other up, our interest will be piqued. The 2018 event will benefit greatly from being televised free-to-ai and the minimal two-hour time difference.

That’s partly because New Zealand athletes will be in medal contention daily – at the previous United States-based Main.

‘‘You make preparations, wear dark goggles.

‘‘If it’s rainy or windy you just have to deal with it – everyone is in the same situation as you. You’ve got to grit your teeth and get on with it. We do have a 50m outdoor pool at Florida to practise in – it won’t be anything new for me.

‘‘I’m expecting it to be loud too ... tickets have sold out, it’ll be electric for sure.’’

Main made the 100 backstroke final at last year’s world champs in Budapest and, without the presence of the retired Lauren Boyle, assumes seniority and the weight of medal hopes in the pool for New Zealand.

Games in Glasgow, Kiwis claimed 45 medals, 14 of which were gold.

The presence of sporting superpowers Australia and England will ensure Kiwis face stiff competition in sports we excel at – netball, track cycling, hockey – while the Carribean crews will give the sprints electricity and the Kenyans will load the middle and long-distance races with history and potency.

He’s aware of the pressure that brings for a sport that has had continual funding cuts and now has to do without the world-class presence and results of Boyle.

‘‘It doesn’t really effect me though – I have to take every day and every race in stride,’’ Main said. ‘‘You try and block that out. ‘‘I’m following in the footsteps of the Kiwi greats, Danyon Loader, Moss Burmester – I’m just continuing that Kiwi tradition.’’

❚ Injuries continue to hit the New Zealand team hard. Wrestler Michelle Montague has been forced to withdraw from the Games after breaking her leg in training in Canada.

Gold Coast 2018 will provide us Kiwis with a set of stars – some established, like Tom Walsh and Eliza McCartney, and it’ll also unveil new names and faces with captivating stories behind their unexpected successes.

For those reasons, the Commonwealth Games will continue to feature as a legitimate sporting event for Kiwi success and Kiwi followers.