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OPINION: Why are we hanging on to the Commonwealth Games?
Though it can be argued that there is value to the multi-sport showpiece, it is starting to feel like the Commonwealth Games is a bit of a waste of time.
Team South Africa during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Thursday night. Picture: Gallo Images
For South Africans, at least in some way, the 2022 Commonwealth Games is the showpiece that never happened, and we should probably consider whether it should be happening at all.
After initially winning the bid to host this year’s multi-sport spectacle, Durban gave up the rights due to financial concerns, and Birmingham was later unveiled as the host city.
And while we’ve got a massive South African team competing at the Games, which gets underway today, the whole thing just seems a bit weird.
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Every four years, athletes from around the globe converge to compete under the banner of an organisation which is led (at least on paper) by the Queen of England. A sporting celebration in memory of a former colony that hardly bathed itself in glory while trying to take over the world.
There are 56 countries which remain in the Commonwealth of Nations, but it is little more than an ‘Old Boys’ club which exists more in spirit than it does in reality.
And though there might be some political, social and economic reasons to keep ties with a group of places that have some things in common with us, from a sporting perspective, the Commonwealth Games is really starting to feel like a waste of time.
There are some reasons to support the Games, which creates opportunities for athletes and federations to promote fringe sports at a second-tier international competition, and provides a stepping stone for younger athletes to gain experience before chasing medals at the Olympic Games.
At senior level, however, we already have the African Championships and World Championships in each sport, as well multi-code events like the African Games and the World Student Games.
On top of this, most codes host international league campaigns, and every four years it’s the Olympics.
So, in reality, there is no real shortage of events for athletes who are climbing the ladder to the top.
Why the celebration?
Perhaps most importantly, though it retains its place as part of our nation’s history, our colonial past does not require a sporting celebration.
Much like the 2022 Durban Games dissipated into oblivion, perhaps it’s time for the entire thing to be scratched, or at least reassessed.
If the 2022 edition was the Games that didn’t happen, at least for South Africans, maybe the 2026 Commonwealth showpiece is the Games that shouldn’t be.
