Childrens Express reporter, Ben Ritchie, doesn’t normally “pull his punches” when it comes to his opinions on sport and this week is no different. He thinks that the Commonwealth Games are a waste of time, effort and money.
Melbourne 2006 is the home of the 18th Commonwealth Games. The games feature competitors from present day protectorates and former British colonies. They fight it out the same sports that feature in the Olympic Games programme.
The Commonwealth Games allows teams from all over the United Kingdom to compete representing their home nations instead of being melded together under the Union Jack.
Why is this event held? Does a medal in the Commonwealth Games actually mean anything at all in the hyper competitive field of international sport? Is it ever likely that Scottish medal winners in the pool will stand a chance at the Olympics? It is more likely that their victorious cheers will simply be drowned out when the big fish enter the water. But if competing for your country is all that matters then does winning really matter at all?
With the threat of Australia leaving the Commonwealth upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II it is possible, if not probable, that other countries will follow the lead set by the “men down under”. If that were to happen the Commonwealth Games would be a non event entirely. The non attendance of many Australian superstars and the results in the pool prove that already.
The games are simply an opportunity for those who cling to the notion of a British Empire to reclaim past glories that ended over a century ago. They are desperately clinging on to the past.
Do we really need these games? God Save The Queen wasn’t played at the start of the games and that may well be a sign of the times and a sign of things to come. The stadium was empty most of the time as more seats were on view the than bums on seats.
Like the Winter Olympics it would appear that nobody really cares, apart from the athletes. By virtue of that fact should the BBC be wasting license payers money by screening upwards of seven hours every night?
The argument that the Games provide an opportunity for our athletes to compete and “warm up” for other major athletics and swimming events etc like the European and World Championships doesn’t hold up either. They are not competing against those they have to beat at those Championships and as such the standard at the Commonwealth Games is well below par.
We need to look at the games in a new light. We must realise that the Commonwealth games aren’t as relevant as they once were. If our home nations athletes want to compete at the top level they should be competing at the World and European events just like they do in many other sports. The most prominent of which is football. If competing is more important than winning then that’s the way it should be. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be involved individually at the Olympic Games.
About the team
This story was written by Ben Ritchie and edited by John Monaghan, 18. It was published by Reach for the Sky website.
