commonwealth games.

[aprilanne]

hi i was just sitting here thinking that these commonwealth games are not much more than the home nation,s competing against each other and are giving the athletes the impression they are world class .i mean no america in athletics .no america /russia in gymnastics .sorry but i think its not been great .and i am scottish .and we should not be having a rebel song masking as a national anthem .great song at new year but not on when english competetor standing beside them .

Euphima - yes they would protest and stay at home if they couldn't represent their own nation, there would be uproar at the notion of being descriminated against. Whilst all the other commonwealth nations can represent their home nation but two or three being refused and bundled in with England under the British flag

Eilidh Child I beg her pardon.

im loving them. 1st time Ive actually watched them.

thankfully missed the teacakes, tuned in just as Amy McDonald was singing and the most unscot scot Rod Stewart (so why are getting Kylie for the closing ceremony? should be Scottish bands)

loving the diving, swimming (hasn't Adlington got the most beautiful hair?), squash, gymnastics, bowls, the lot.

yes well kylie and rod .a bit strange choice .pity the proclaimers never came .but i think deacon blue going to be at closing .probably more cringe fest .maybe dancing irnbru bottles this time

It gives some of the less successful sporting nations a chance to compete against world class athletes, to live alongside them for a couple of weeks. The majority of athletes speak the same language so socialise easily, they really are the friendly games.

I love them, I do! lol

Yabu! I think they have been amazing. I'm not a sports fan particularly but I have been completely hooked. I've been lucky enough to have been to an event and it was amazing - the athletes, volunteers, staff and police were just on top form and the atmosphere was electric.

I can't believe people haven't seen it on TV, it is constantly on! In that just in Scotland?

No it's on the BBC all day in England too. Not sure how anyone has missed it.

I just wish the commentators and production team weren't so home nation centic.

I'm sure there must be some really lovely biographies and interesting storries behind athletes who have travelled from some of the smallest far flung bits of the commonwealth, but the waffle between events has been awful.

Why does BBC3 still have to keep to its juvenile style, when covering something like this?

I love that the para games are mixed in so you find yourself watching them and marvelling at the grit and ingenuity.

agree and this is what I find so much better than the olympics

I'm loving them.

Hrft (because I'm watching the games) but are you seriously aaking why USA aren't in the commonwealth games?!?

So, you think there should only be a competition if the entire world can enter? No nationals, regionals, county champs... All pointless?

YABVU OP. These games have been fantastic. The atmosphere at Hampden last night was electric. David Rudisha - you know, the double Olympic gold medallist and world record holder - well he was there.

And David Weir, have you heard of him OP.

It's been on BBC1 and BBC3 all day, how can you miss it.

OP, I suspect that the concept of competitive sport has passed you by. Don't worry, the schools will be going back soon

Ihavebrillohair - we also watched Louis Smith on Tuesday. Who does your daughter support? My sons were born in Scotland and won't have anything to do with the English teams despite both dh and I being English!

Totally agree about the para athletes - we went to swimming last week and it was great to watch disabled athletes as part of it. Much better than having a separate event I think.

OP. Kylie is at the closing ceremony because the next Games are being held in Gold Coast and the closing ceremony is traditionally a handover to the next host nation.

TheApprentice, we equally support Scotland and England at these times.
I was at the squash yesterday, and got a tweet about dd being half English, half Australian on the big screen!

How do some posters think athletes actually get to the Olympics though! It's through competing in progressively bigger events, of which the Commie Games is one. It's a massive stage for upcoming talent and the experience will stand many of the competitors in good stead in 2016.

Oh and Kylie is doing the closing ceremony to symbolise the handover to Australia, the next hosts.

I don't see why we have a British anthem (GSTQ), a Scottish anthem (FOS), a Welsh anthem (LOMF) but no English anthem. I like Jerusalem but think it ought to be Land of Hope and Glory (just the first verse though). I had it at our wedding when coming out of the vestry after signing the register. Everyone was singing with gusto.

PS I haven't forgotten you, Northern Ireland (LA), but this thread is about the Commonwealth Games.

I'm enjoying them - much more than the World Cup, at least there's a range of sports to watch. Hopefully will encourage more people to be more active. Many of the athletes are "world class" if you mean Olympic level, but others are from countries that won't have much or any representation at that level. The support everyone is getting is brilliant. Yes, parts of the opening ceremony were a bit of an acquired taste, and that combination of tartan/socks/shirt is pretty dire - but so what? personally I thought the GB outfit at the London 2012 opening looked like Flash Gordon meets ABBA, but these things are not meant to be high fashion.

Have watched loads! Who cared if Russia and USA aren't involved?! They have their own events too! It's great competition training and opportunity and some great new talent.

There are 70 plus nations involved. Even if you say ok, well count IOM, England, Scotland, Wales, NI, Jersey as one grouping , that is still 60 other nations. How is it home nations only? Canada, Australia, South Africa, Jamaica are big hitters

It's not the Olympics but it's still a really high level event and brilliant to watch and feel part of. I like that at an event like this the para events can happen alongside the able-bodied and that a greater number of athletes can qualify to participate so get the chance to step onto the international stage.

There seems to me to be something incredibly british about the attitude "it must be shit because british athletes keep getting gold" that seems to be around (direct quote from DH and that attitude prevails at work). Saying it's not world class is more of the same.

It's a bit like saying the European championships (football) are a bit rubbish because Brazil and Argentina haven't showed up.

But it's not world class. A lot of the medal winners would no way get a medal or even qualify for world championships/Olympics. The fact that some Olympic participants are also participating in these games does not mean it is on a par.

The majority of commonwealth countries are not really a lot of competition at all (hence the British countries, plus Australia and Canada totally dominatin the medals tables) - but that is one of the great things about these games, that athletes from all over who never get to compete on such a large stage get to do so at the games. That's why these games are called 'the friendly games' isn't it and that is sort of the attraction to them, rather than them being top class standard sport?

I am loving the games and definitely think that they are world class. To me it doesn't make a difference that some other nations aren't competing that's what differentiates between competitions.

I love that the para events are held at the same time as the able bodied events, as a para athlete myself it's great to see and the sports appear to be really well supported as they were in London.

After the World Cup and Wimbledon which aren't really my thing I think the games have been excellent so far