Future Commonwealth Games

There has been some talk about the future of the Commonwealth Games. They are, in a way, a throwback to a time when a New Zealand Prime Minister would say, "Where Britain goes, we go." But as a competition they need to stay competitive and original to survive.

There are a number of sports events where there is a huge imbalance. In swimming, it is clear that there are athletes who are ranked in the top handful who win the medals, and then there are those ranked much lower who provide the non-medal winning placings. As an competition, swimming is a non-event. You can predict the medal winners weeks ahead in most categories.

However, there a number of sports that there are strong links to Commonwealth countries - like Rugby, Cricket, Squash, Netball, Bowls, etc. So if I was going to ensure the relevance of the Commonwealth Games I would ensure that every competition was meaningful and picking the winner would be difficult.

So the sports I would keep are:

• Track and Field - African and Carribean countries are strong in these events


• Badminton


• Hockey


• Lawn Bowls


• Rugby Sevens


• Squash


• Table Tennis (big in asia)


• Triathalon (although this would be a close call)

I would also add:

• Cricket 20/20 - although splitting up the Carribean Team into individual is a disadvantage to them.


• Ten Pin Bowling (very big in South East Asia)

Sports dropped:

• Swimming, including Diving and Syncronised Swimming - but probably not likely to happen


• Basketball


• Boxing


• Cycling - Track, Road and Mountain Biking


• Gymnastics


• Shooting


• Weighlifting

Any suggestions?