Glasgow all set for the 20th Commonwealth Games to roll

The 12-day event’s opening ceremony is certain to be a unique experience

July 22, 2014 11:19 pm | Updated November 27, 2021 06:56 pm IST - GLASGOW:

The build-up was a bit low key. But in a summer which was dominated by the football World Cup in Brazil, the annual tennis show at Wimbledon and the ongoing cricket series between India and England, this was only to be expected.

However, all that is a thing of the past as the intense preparations over the last six years and more have led the Scots in general and the Glaswegians in particular to what could really be called the D-Day.

Naturally, to say that there is a lot of excitement in this part of the world would be an understatement.

The interest in the 20th Commonwealth Games, the third to be conducted in Scotland — Edinburgh in 1970 and 1986 — will be on two counts.

First, what the much-awaited opening ceremony on Wednesday will offer those getting past the turnstiles of the Celtic Park and more than a million people likely to tune in.

And second, the more important one, what the competitions in the 17 disciplines will unfold.

Baton relay

And, going by the numbers and a star cast, which includes the likes of Rod Stewart, Susan Boyle and Amy McDonald, the opening ceremony is certain to be a unique experience before the Queen herself steps forward to formally inaugurate the 12-day event.

Another highlight, besides the march past of the athletes, would be the arrival of the Queen’s baton relay which has crisscrossed a record 190,000km through every competing nation over the last 288 days before the music and dance featuring several Scottish icons take centrestage.

Beyond the ceremony too, the Games are certain to be one big party as a battery of big names, led by the near invincible Usain Bolt, who have arrived here to add glow to the competitions.

The very presence of the Jamaican star has added radiance to the Games and the weather promises to remain bright through the coming days. Besides Bolt, the others certain to be followed with keen interest include Mo Farah, David Rudisha, Bradley Wiggins, Nicol David, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sally Pearson, Alicia Coutts, Nicola Adams, James Magnussen, Anna Meares, Christian Sprenger and Chad Le Clos.

However, stars such as Yohan Blake, Mark Cavendish and Saina Nehwal have been forced to pull out due to injury.

Meanwhile, Australia, as in the last six editions, is expected to continue its dominance.

Disappointment

In the 2012 Olympics, the Aussies were quite a disappointment managing only a poor 10th place with a haul of 35 medals (7 gold, 16 silver, 12 bronze) compared to the third place finish of Great Britain which ended up with an impressive 65 medals in all, 29 of which were of the golden hue.

But with the host nations — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — fielding separate teams here as in the previous occasions rather than one squad as in the London Olympics, Australia is likely to remain the dominant power again.

Definitely, Australia will be the team to beat across various disciplines though the Australian Sports Commission in its forecast for the Games has come up with a tally of 155 medals compared to the 177 (74 gold, 55 silver and 48 bronze) with which the smallest continent finished its glorious campaign in New Delhi four years ago.

Pushing for second spot

Team England could well be pushing for the second spot at the expense of India while Canada is determined to finish at least in the third place, which only means that the competitions over the next fortnight is certain to remain tight.  

In all, the competitions are to be held in 261 events featuring 4,987 athletes (2,023 women) and 1,882 officials representing 71 teams, according to the final count.

Among participants, England tops the list with 571 athletes and officials while Brunei Darussalam will have a lone athlete in the Games.

And as the clock ticks away towards the appointed hour, there can be only one chorus: Let the Games begin!

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