The Hindu : Sport : Aussie love for C'wealth Games

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Thursday, Mar 09, 2006

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Sport - Sports : General

Aussie love for C'wealth Games

SYDNEY: There's something quirky about Australia's love of the Commonwealth Games that doesn't quite fit with the image of a bustling, progressive nation.

While the republican movement rages and business and political leaders pledge the country's future to Asia, ordinary Australians are stuck in a sporting time-warp.

The Commonwealth Games provides a perfect illustration.

While there are greater challenges and richer prizes on offer in global sport, Australians retain a genuine affection for an event they would freely admit has little relevance in the 21st century.

The Commonwealth Games no longer define Australia's position in the sporting world.

After all, Australia finished fourth on the medals table at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and have been stockpiling global cricket, rugby and various other trophies for the past few decades.

They even won a gold medal at last month's Winter Olympics in Turin, despite being the driest continent on earth, and will take their place at the soccer World Cup in Germany after a 32-year absence.

The Commonwealth Games seem positively anachronistic by comparison, yet there is something endearing that keeps Australians coming back for more.

The appeal

Winning most of the medals is a big part of it. So is beating up on their old British imperial masters, but that's only part of the motivation.

"Australians love the Commonwealth Games because it has a special link with the past," Perry Crosswhite, chief executive of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association, told Reuters in an interview.

"It's not about money, it's not just about beating the English either. It's about sport, people playing sport for the love of it. "Sport really is a very important part of society in Australia. I know the same can probably be said for all countries, but I'm not so sure it's at the same level as here."

Australia's nostalgic love affair with the old ideals of sport should, however, not be confused with their approach to competing in the Games. Friendly and welcoming they may be, Australians still treat the Games seriously and are desperate to win. — Reuters

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