Any introspection into the Commonwealth Games provides a fascinating insight.
From a speck of thought by Rev. Ashley Cooper, the Games has coursed through, conquering a cornucopia of trials and tribulations over decades.
When Sunday dawns over this historic megapolis that mirrors a melange of culture and tradition, which synthesises charmingly with modernity and sophistication, the script is ready for posterity.
Consciously conceived as the instrument to uniting the English speaking people under the Empire, long before the French pedagogue, Pierre Coubertin strove to revive the Olympic Games, the concept of sport as the weapon for unity was aired by Rev. Cooper in Great Britain and then in The Times , London, as early as 1891.
By the time the idea developed into reality, eight editions of the Olympiads were carved into history. Nevertheless, the idea flourished. And Cooper's dream came true not at the Crystal Palace but in Hamilton in 1930.
Truly shining
From Hamilton which projected a list of 11 countries, the enormity of the Games today is reflected in the number of nations in the roll. From Hamilton to London to Victoria, from Perth, Jamaica and to Malaysia, the impact of the Games cannot be eclipsed. The Games has acquired an aura, an ethos that is truly incandescent.
Predictably, the Games matched the development of science, technology, and above all, achievement of the sportsmen and women.
Is it possible to talk of the Games without the mention of the marvellous show by Roger Bannister in 1954 at Vancouver? Or can we ignore the magic deeds of Aussie sprinting star Marjorie Jackson in 1950, the immortal metric mile run by Filbert Bayi of Tanzania, the performances of Kieren Perkins in Victoria?
And is there a comparable athlete on the contemporary scene as endowed as Daley Thomson who snatched a hat-trick of gold medals in the decathlon?
Awesome Aussies
The struggle for dominance in the Games has always been among the top three — Australia, England and Canada. In terms of medals the Aussies are awesome. Their tally stands at 731 gold medals, 619 silver, 556 bronze, a total of 1906.
How many of this generation, or even the pompous officials masquerading as experts here, can recall a wrestler named Rashid Anwar? His bronze in 1934 in London — India came on board the Games here — provided the platform on which several of our sportsmen and women have added to the tally over the seven decades.
If there is one shining piece in India's history at the Commonwealth Games, it goes to the finest specimen of that quarter mile runner, Milkha Singh, at Cardiff in 1958.
The medal flow began to grow since the sixties, at least in two disciplines — weightlifting and wrestling. Names like Mukhtiar Singh and Bishambar Singh began to acquire some glamour, but the name to remember came in Jamaica when the 14-year-old marvel, Ved Prakash, emerged as the youngest ever to win a CWG gold in wrestling.
