Common ground among fun and Games
There’salottolike about the ‘Friendly Games’, writes Andrew Alderson.
Val Young met the definition of Commonwealth diversity when she came out of retirement in 1966. In the process of defending her shot put and discus titles at the Kingston Games, she jumped on a bus to get around the city.
“The people on there were travelling between villages with plates of food wound up in tea towels, a few chickens joined us as well, and there were steel drums [for music]. It was very . . . countrified.”
Now 80, Young remains New Zealand’s most successful female in the event’s history, with five golds, a silver and a bronze, won in Cardiff, Perth, Kingston and Christchurch.
She’s looking forward to watching the Gold Coast edition “especially with the shot putters going so well”.
Young will do so with husband Ross, who was the reason she returned to the sport 52 years ago.
“He got nominated as an official because he was a timekeeper. So I said ‘you can’t go by yourself’.”
Young said selection for any Commonwealth Games was special.
“Getting your uniform felt like Father Christmas had come. Going to Games [Olympic and Commonwealth] was the only time we got competition. All the people spoke English, but had different accents. It was almost like our OE every two years. We were all amateurs who fitted training in after work.”
For some current athletes, little has changed. Richie Patterson blends work and sport at his Functional Strength CrossFit gym in Albany as he prepares for a fourth consecutive Games, a record for a Kiwi weightlifter. The 34-yearold won gold in Glasgow, silver in Delhi and debuted in Melbourne.
Wife Pip will also compete, as she and Patterson work around parenting two-year-old son Cooper. Patterson says the Commonwealth Games are a pinnacle for a Kiwi lifter.
“When I was growing up, I never had an Olympic hero. My heroes were Precious McKenzie, Graham May — the guy who fell on the stage [in 1974] — Tony Ebert and Don Oliver. They had a rich history in strength and conditioning as well as weightlifting. My drive to be successful was to put my names next to them.
“You look at the historic Olympic results and they’ve been impacted by the superpowers and the issues around that. When you turn up to the Commonwealth Games, you’re looking at a realistic playing field and performance numbers.”
Patterson says the “vibe” is different: “While you’re there to compete,
there’s an overwhelming sense of friendship, whereas the Olympics is such a high pressure environment. They put on a phenomenal show in Melbourne and Glasgow. It inspires others to have that experience.”
The Commonwealth Games have provided magical sporting moments. John Walker unsuccessfully chasing Tanzanian Filbert Bayi down the home straight in the world recordbreaking 1500m of Christchurch 1974; archer Neroli Fairhall winning gold in 1982 at Brisbane despite her paraplegia; 14-year-old gymnast Nikki Jenkins becoming New Zealand’s youngest gold medallist vaulting at Auckland in 1990.
In recent years, New Zealanders seem to have found an equilibrium as to where the Games sit on the sporting landscape. Yes, the medals weigh lighter than those of an Olympics or world championships in the majority of the 18 sports.
More generous selection policies and the absence of the majority of Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, South America and the United States also provide a point of difference.
There are exceptions. The gongs in Commonwealth-centric sports such as rugby sevens, netball and bowls hold parity as pinnacle events. The rest form a programme where athletes are assembled from former outposts of Empire to celebrate their nation’s devotion to Britain’s House of Windsor.
The Games’ future has been scrutinised in recent years with cities reluctant to bid and athletes such as Sir Chris Hoy and Usain Bolt discouraged to attend by the depowered competition standards.
Sporting commercialism means the Games are vulnerable to the siphoning off of top athletes whose livelihoods depend on prize money from events such as the Diamond League. Hosting in April outside the Northern Hemisphere summer might dilute that prospect.
However, in a global sporting village, where we can access what we like with the click of a button from the comfort of our lounges, the event is fighting for traction.
Yet it has benefits. New Zealand athletes get practice for the Olympics through a multi-sport extravaganza. They are often referred to as “The Friendly Games”, maintaining sporting and cultural relations under the official feel-good banner of “humanity, equality, destiny”.
Commonwealth Games Federation president Louise Martin can vouch for that mantra when she swam for Scotland in the 110 yards and 200 yards backstroke at Perth in 1962.
“I banged into an Australian butterflier, Barbara, going the opposite way. We blamed each other but now we catch up every few years. It’s about the long-lasting friendships, over and above the sport.”
How will she sustain the “Modern Commonwealth” movement?
“This will be a Games of firsts. The first to have equal medal opportunities for men and women. The first to have a reconciliation action plan recognising [Australia’s] Aborigines, which is snowballing through other regions like Canada and Northern Ireland.”
Martin points out the Gold Coast will be the largest fully inclusive para-sport event they have had.
“I want inclusivity and accessibility for all athletes. We want to make sure everybody is recognised in the same way with fairness and nondiscrimination. We must do that in everything we practise and teach.”