The Magic of the Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games are an integral part of the sports calendar; they bring together athletes from all over the world to compete against each other in an Olympics-style competition, except these games aren’t hosted by just one country or continent, but by multiple countries across the Commonwealth of Nations. This year, the Gold Coast of Australia will play host to some fantastic athletes, as they compete in 18 different sports during the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
What’s The Celebration All About
The Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and has taken place every four years since then. The Games are overseen by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which also organizes the Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities. The name Commonwealth reflects the belief that many different regions on Earth share common values and traditions within their communities. Consequently, the medals won at these games are called Commonwealth gold medals.
There are over 40 countries currently part of the Commonwealth group including Australia, India, Canada and Nigeria.
This year's games will be hosted in Australia's Gold Coast city from April 4 to 15 and more than 6500 athletes will compete for 274 gold medals across 18 sports. These include cricket (both men’s and women’s), netball, rugby sevens, lawn bowls and athletics as well as events such as squash, rowing and swimming.
This year's theme is Celebrating Diverse Cultures – a reflection of both Australia’s strong cultural heritage but also its vibrant multicultural society which celebrates diversity in all its forms. Over 800 Indigenous performers and artists will take part in the Opening Ceremony, sharing their unique cultures through song, dance and stories.
At the end of each day there will be a show spectacular to celebrate another world region. Expect fireworks displays, music and dancers taking you on a journey around the globe; it'll be like being right there! The show spectacular will involve 25 giant screens projecting live performances of the six regions participating in this year's Commonwealth Games: Africa, Asia Pacific, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and North America. One after another on stage some 5800 performers - many of them representing their own country - will present what makes each continent special.
I have no idea how they do it but I can't wait to see it happen!
History Of Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and has taken place every four years since then. The Games are overseen by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which also controls the sporting programme and selects the host cities. A host city is selected for each edition of the Games, and organises its own celebration events. There have been eighteen Commonwealth Games to date, comprising seventeen editions of the Summer Games and one edition of the Winter Games. They are: Hamilton 1934; London 1954; Perth 1962; Kingston 1966; Edinburgh 1970; Christchurch 1974; Edmonton 1978; Brisbane 1982; Auckland 1990; Victoria 1994; Kuala Lumpur 1998; Manchester 2002; Melbourne 2006, Delhi 2010 ; Glasgow 2014 ; Gold Coast 2018 ; Birmingham 2022
Indian Representation In CWG 2018
India is sending a 218-member strong contingent to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia's Gold Coast. It is one of the largest delegations from any country at these Games.
Of the 218 athletes, 113 are women. This is also a CWG record for India. So, gender equality is something that we're keeping an eye on.
There are 16 different sports in which India is participating this year. These include aquatics, athletics, badminton, boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, and more.
Apart from the obvious sports like cricket and hockey, you might be surprised to know that shooting and archery are two other popular sports in India.
We're hoping to do well in all 16 sports and bring home a haul of medals! But before the competition begins, there's still some training left to do. For instance, some wrestlers will be traveling with their coaches to Brisbane this week for some intense training before returning to India in time for the games! Others will head out early next month while others will take part in an extensive 4-week camp just before they leave!
We've seen athletes practicing both their physical skills as well as mental skills. For example, many Indian rowers have been rowing up and down a huge Olympic pool so they can get used to the pace of competition when it matters most. On top of that, many wrestlers have been spending hours every day with their coaches learning new moves that will give them advantage over their opponents. They'll need all those skills if they want to medal at the Commonwealth Games because winning isn't easy. You have to train hard and focus on your opponents' weaknesses as well as your own strengths.
At the end of the day, it's about what I'm going to remember 10 years from now, says Gaurav Sharma, who has competed in three previous Commonwealth Games. What was my experience? What was my story? The quest for medals doesn't end after those few minutes of triumph either - India has won 50 golds since joining in 1998 - but getting there is anything but easy!
Key Highlights From Day One
The first day of the Commonwealth Games was filled with excitement, as athletes from all over the world competed in a variety of sports. Highlights included Australia's dominant performance in the swimming, England's win in the men's hockey, and New Zealand's upset victory in the women's rugby sevens. However, the most memorable moment came during the closing ceremony, when cyclist Jarrod Shoemaker won gold on behalf of Canada. Shoemaker is the only athlete to have participated in both the Sydney Olympics and Rio Olympics for his country. He won bronze at Sydney and silver at Rio. He also has five Olympic medals overall: one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals. In 2014 he had surgery on his spine to fix a compressed disc that threatened to end his career altogether but he made it back just in time for this year's competition. And while the final game ended up being a tense match between Australia and South Africa, it was clear who the crowd was rooting for - which led to an eruption of cheers when Shoemaker crossed the finish line victorious. For a sport that rarely garners much attention outside of the Commonwealth countries, this was truly a special event. It may not be worth watching if you're not a die-hard Commonwealth fan, but anyone with any kind of interest in athletics should tune into these games. It might surprise you how riveting they can be! There are plenty of events that are very different than what we’re used to seeing in America, like badminton and squash. All the competitions are held right next door to each other, so you never have to go far. Even better, there’s no need for primetime hours because all the events happen during daylight hours (a major plus for people who enjoy sleeping!). For example, you could watch Jamaica play Nigeria at 5:00 pm and then take a break until 8:00 pm where Fiji takes on Zimbabwe. If you don’t want to miss anything, follow our blog or Facebook page and we will keep you updated!
While there were plenty of outstanding individual performances today, Australia clearly showed why they are considered the favorites to win gold. They dominated everyone they played today and had three shutouts against Namibia, Scotland, and England. If you watched their previous games during qualifying rounds, though – as well as their 2012 games in London – it wasn’t exactly shocking that they performed so well. These guys know how to score goals! Although their performance may have seemed effortless compared to some other teams today, it took countless hours of practice for them to perfect their routines and maneuvers. But don't expect that hard work to stop anytime soon; Australia still has another round left before reaching finals tomorrow afternoon against Wales who put up a tough fight before losing by only three points yesterday afternoon. Their win was particularly impressive considering the fact that they are without their star player and reigning MVP from the Australian Rules Football League, Lance Buddy Franklin. His absence today means that the Australians have been getting creative with their formations and defensive strategies, but it will definitely make things more difficult in the future. We can’t wait to see how they do in their second game!
In spite of Australia's dominance, however, it would be a mistake to overlook England who finished off the day with a commanding 10-1 win over Northern Ireland. Their performance was even more impressive considering they only scored four goals yesterday versus Pakistan. That said, England hasn't been at its best throughout the whole tournament.
How To Watch CWG 2018 Live Online
If you're not in Australia for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, don't worry - you can still catch all the action live online. Here's how.The first step is to make sure that your computer or mobile device has a good internet connection. The next step is to sign up for an account with a reputable streaming service like CBC Sports and tune into their live coverage of the games on any browser at cbc.ca/watch or on your mobile device at m.cbc.ca/watch
Other Important Things To Know
When it comes to international sporting events, the Commonwealth Games often gets overshadowed by the Olympics. But that doesn't mean they're not interesting or important! Here are seven things you should know about the Commonwealth Games.In a way, they are like the junior Olympics--younger athletes can get their feet wet before moving on to bigger competitions and older athletes who missed qualifying for other tournaments still have an opportunity to compete in one. It also brings together different countries that were once ruled by Britain as colonies (hence Commonwealth) so there's a cultural component. For some countries like India and Jamaica, success at these games is a national priority--as well as an opportunity for them to hold onto their past ties with Britain while building new ones with other nations across the world.
Even if you're not into sports, it's worth taking a look at these games just for all of these interesting facts! The next tournament will be held in Gold Coast, Australia from April 4-15th, 2018. So make sure to check out your TV schedule for when the opening ceremonies air or follow @cwg_news on Twitter for updates throughout the event. And tune in for track and field, wrestling, boxing, shooting, weightlifting and many more exciting sports. You won't want to miss the high jump finals--the only discipline where women and men both compete head-to-head! Plus we'll see equestrian events including dressage, show jumping and cross country. If you don't know what those are, don't worry--we'll break it down for you here. Don't forget to tune in because this year we'll see our first transgender athlete competing under the IOC guidelines which allow them to compete without sex reassignment surgery. Plus watch for former Olympic champions like Ian Thorpe and Usain Bolt who may make appearances on behalf of their home countries! With live coverage available in over 100 countries around the world, it's hard to find a reason not to tune in.
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