Stay. They’re an invaluable learning curve
, they might not be what they once were, but the Commonwealth Games are still relevant. They need to be viewed in context and taken for what they are.
Yes, they are a third-rate event behind the Olympics, various world championships and contests involving European powerhouses. Nothing has changed in that sense. But for countries like New Zealand they are significant and need to be encouraged.
They are a competition in their own right but they are also a stepping stone to bigger things and for Kiwis so often starved of those sorts of opportunities, they should be seen as a blessing. Take heavyweight boxer David Nyika as an example. Nyika won gold four years ago in Glasgow but never managed to negotiate the torturous path to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
For boxers from New Zealand, like many athletes, the Olympic qualification process is a tricky equation not helped by the subjective judging that comes once a fighter steps inside the ropes.
Nyika brushed aside the disappointment of that to put his head down and target historic back-to-back golds at Commonwealth level.
To achieve that amidst the renaissance of British boxing, and with the usual competitiveness from African countries, was no small feat.
Nyika has put himself back in the spotlight. The Gold Coast games have provided a lifeline for him to reestablish his claims as a potential star of the professional ranks.
For other Kiwis, stepping into crowded stadiums against world-class opposition is a valuable learning experience on so many levels.
Even a Rio medal winner like Eliza McCartney admitted as much, as she had to be satisfied with silver in the pole vault last week.
For other sports like netball and squash, well, this is their Olympics. This is what they need to be judged on. Commonwealth Games performances will have a major bearing on their funding with public money, as they should.
The Commonwealth Games don’t pretend to be anything they aren’t, a gathering of sporting talent from a once-proud Empire overseen by British royalty.
Time and republican thinking have changed many attitudes to that governance, but they needn’t dim the ethos of the Commonwealth Games.
They have always been seen as ‘‘the friendly games’’ and Queensland was a reminder that a good time – and good sport – can still be had on a smaller stage.