The insidethegames.biz Magazine Summer Edition 2022

The insidethegames.biz Magazine The world’s leading source of independent news and information about the Olympic Movement.

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Summer Edition 2022

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ONE REGION

MANY WAYS TO INSPIRE A world class host of major sporting events

Wolverhampton 20 21

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Walsall 17 18

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02 05 04

Sandwell

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Dudley

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Birmingham

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03 06 07 10 15

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Coventry Solihull

WELCOME TO THE

WEST MIDLANDS

Located in the beating heart of the UK, this was the cradle of the world’s first industrial revolution; kickstarting a tradition of innovation that remains ingrained across our region today. This is a place of pioneers, where football league, lawn tennis, rugby union, and the world’s first ever cricket world cup all began.

Progress is the usual here and in recent decades, the region has been reinvented from an industrial heartland to a leading business, cultural and major events destination that creates truly unforgettable experiences. Our three fantastic cities – Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton – all share incredible resources and amenities, and each offers a uniquely warm welcome.

Birmingham, the city at our centre, is one of the most accessible, fastest growing and most lively cities in the UK. It’s also the youngest in Europe. Among our one million strong population, you’ll discover vibrant cultures mixing and melting together, with people of over 190 nationalities calling it home.

Birmingham and the West Midlands region has played host to some of the largest global sporting events over recent decades including the Athletics World Championships, the Ryder Cup and Gymnastics World Cup. In 2022, Birmingham will become home to the Commonwealth Games, with 1.5 billion people tuning in globally to watch 19 different sports take place across 11 days of competition. The Games will provide the springboard for a golden decade of major sporting events in Birmingham and the West Midlands, with new and improved facilities across the region providing the ideal home for truly world-class events.

We can’t wait to welcome you.

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Centrally located in the heart of the UK, our unrivalled connectivity, combined with our array of world-class sports venues and exceptional lifestyle offer, make the West Midlands the perfect place to host a Major Sporting Event.

BIRMINGHAM

SANDWELL

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

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Arena Birmingham Alexander Stadium Edgbaston Stadium Villa Park Perry Barr Edgbaston Priory Club University of Birmingham St Andrew’s The Belfry

COVENTRY 10 11 12

Coventry Stadium and Arena The Alan Higgs Centre Warwick University

DUDLEY 13

The Dell Stadium

Sandwell Aquatics Centre

SOLIHULL 15 16

National Exhibition Centre (NEC) NEC Arena

WALSALL 17 18

University of Wolverhampton Gala Baths

WOLVERHAMPTON 19 20 21 22

Molineux Stadium Aldersley Leisure Vilage West Park Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Host your next event in the West Midlands For further information about bringing your event to the West Midlands go to meetbirmingham.com/major-sporting-events or contact Joel Lavery, Strategic Lead Major Sporting Events at joel.lavery@wmgrowth.com

ONE REGION

MANY WAYS TO INSPIRE A world class host of major sporting events

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Contents

Published: July 2022 by Dunsar Media Company Limited

Introduction

Editor: Duncan Mackay

No Hurdle Too High

Magazine Editor: Dan Palmer Managing Director: Sarah Bowron Design: Elliot Willis Willis Design Associates Pictures: Getty Images Staff headshots: Karen Kodish Print: www.csfprint.com Dunsar Media Suite 9-15, 4th Floor Acorn House Midsummer Boulevard Central Milton Keynes MK9 3HP. Great Britain contact@insidethegames.biz www.insidethegames.biz No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the publisher.

Data is published in good faith and is the best information possessed by Dunsar Media Company Limited at the stated date of publication. The publisher cannot accept any liability for errors or omissions, however caused. Errors brought to the attention of the publisher and verified to the satisfaction of the publisher will be corrected in future editions, if any.

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Duncan Mackay

10

Geoff Berkeley

18

New Hosts Needed David Owen

24

The Darkest Day Philip Barker

30

The Friendly Games Mike Rowbottom

34

GAISF Walk The Plank Geoff Berkeley

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TikTok On The Clock!

Vimal Sankar

44

Commonwealth Gaming Elliott Brennan

48

Ten Years Since London Mike Rowbottom

52

Merrier and Less Stern Mike Rowbottom

© and Database Right 2022 Dunsar Media Company Limited All rights reserved.

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HOSTING

WINNERS

Our vision is to make Denmark the ideal host of major international sporting events. Our experience from hundreds of major events over the last decade tells us we are on the right track. Our solution is to fully integrate the rights holder, the national federation and the host city - creating a powerful partnership for success.

Want to know more: sporteventdenmark.com

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The No.1 Olympic news website in the world

DUNCAN MACKAY EDITOR, INSIDETHEGAMES

T

he two P words - pandemic and Putin - have caused massive upheaval in the world of sport but the Commonwealth Games could bring about some much-needed normality.

Birmingham’s hosting of the “Friendly Games” has promised top class sport in front of packed arenas, which would be a breath of fresh air after what we’ve faced over the past two years.

A large number of sporting events have been cancelled or dramatically relocated due to coronavirus or the invasion of Ukraine, with athletes losing the spotlight thanks to decisions that were out of their control.

This happened most notably at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympics and Paralympics, which largely took place in eerie atmospheres behind closed doors.

Some things will inevitably be different in Birmingham, of course, but the Commonwealth Games looks set to be much more like the multi-sport events that we once knew and loved.

That is to be celebrated, but the road to this point has not been easy for organisers in the West Midlands city.

For starters, Birmingham is a stand-in host as the Games were originally awarded to Durban.

When it became clear that the South African city would not be able to stage the event, the English bid came off the substitutes' bench in December 2017 with much less time to prepare.

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If that was not enough of a challenge, organisers then faced the chaos of the pandemic which locked the country down and ultimately led to plans for the Athletes’ Village being scrapped.

In this latest edition of The insidethegames.biz Magazine, senior reporter Geoff Berkeley speaks to Birmingham 2022’s big names to find out how they negotiated the complicated road which was in front of them.

Commonwealth Games Federation President Dame Louise Martin, Birmingham 2022 chief executive Ian Reid and Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward all explain how the dream of “Brum” hosting the event turned into a reality.

When founding the Games in 1930, Canada’s Bobby Robinson said he wanted them to be “merrier and less stern” and distinct from the more overwhelming Olympics.

Chief feature writer Mike Rowbottom explores what makes the Games different, and why they deserve their “friendly” tag.

Alongside Birmingham 2022, the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum will be held as the Movement makes its first dart into what is now a booming industry.

Junior reporter Eliott Brennan finds out about the events and talks to those in charge about what could become a regular feature at future editions of the Commonwealth Games.

Unfortunately, it would be amiss to completely ignore the two P words - which have removed China and Russia from the equation when sports seek hosts for their events. Chief columnist David Owen discovers that the absence of the two countries will have various knock-on effects for everybody involved.

This year marks two significant Olympic anniversaries as it is now 50 years since the Munich 1972 Games and a decade since London 2012.

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Olympic historian Philip Barker looks back on the Games in Germany which were tragically marred by the terrorist attack on members of the Israeli team.

Mike takes us back in time to London and asks if the legacy goals of the Games have been met now 10 years have passed.

Those Olympics have both been and gone, and time could soon be up as well for the Global Association of International Sports Federations.

With the International Olympic Committee pushing for the body to be disbanded, Geoff asks what its role is in sport and questions if there is any hope for its revival.

If GAISF is in the past, social media behemoth TikTok seems very much like the future.

Desk editor Vimal Sankar discovers how sports have embraced the video sharing platform, which has become a new and innovative way of sharing content with the world.

If you enjoy this magazine and our yearround coverage of the Olympic Movement, I would like to invite you to make a contribution to support our journalism by logging on to www.insidethegames.biz/ contribute.

Every donation, however big or small, will help maintain and improve our work across the world in the years ahead.

We believe that Olympic news, and our extensive coverage of events such as the Commonwealth Games, should remain in the public sphere and be free of charge to read.

Enjoy the magazine.

Duncan Mackay Editor

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NO HURDLE TOO HIGH Birmingham had reduced time to prepare for hosting the Commonwealth Games after Durban lost the rights, and then had to deal with the global pandemic.

But as Geoff Berkeley finds out, the city has tackled all of its challenges head on.

S

itting in a room faced with a panel of Commonwealth Games Federation officials, Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward had the chance to sell his long-held dream.

Tension building and nerves jangling, Birmingham-born Ward delivered his wellrehearsed, well-scripted pitch in a bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to his home city.

But there was something missing from his presentation.

“He wasn’t selling it,” said CGF President Dame Louise Martin as she recalled meeting Birmingham’s five-strong team in London.

“When you get four or five people sitting in front of you, deadpan, reading off notes, I am sorry, that’s not what I want to hear.

“These are our Games, full of passion.”

With the interview winding to a close and the CGF delegation yet to be fully convinced

by Birmingham’s bid, Ward was asked for the final time why his city deserved to host the Commonwealth Games.

His answer proved to be the decisive factor.

“At that point I thought I am going to put the script aside and just speak from the heart about the journey I have been on and why I

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think Birmingham should do this and that’s what I did,” Ward said.

“Dame Louise has always said that it was my comments at the end that really convinced them that we had the will, desire and passion to do it.”

Dame Louise added: “Ian just sold Birmingham in 12 or 13 minutes.

“We all just sat back, looked at him and said ‘why on earth did you not start with that?’

“It would have saved everyone half an hour to an hour of our time. It was chalk and cheese.

“Ian is passionate in everything he says and does. He will stand up for Birmingham like nobody else.”

When Birmingham holds the Games from July 28 to August 8, it will be the end of a long road for Ward who knew his city could stage such a prestigious event when he saw Manchester play host in 2002.

Ward was the Council’s cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture at the time and he was invited to watch the Games in Manchester.

The trip fuelled Ward’s ambition to ensure Birmingham was the next English city to stage the Games.

Birmingham has a wealth of experience in

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holding global sporting competitions and it was back in 2003, when the city hosted the World Athletics Indoor Championships, that Ward first revealed his Commonwealth Games goal.

“There was a press conference at the end of the Championships and I said to Dave Moorcroft, who was chief executive of UK Athletics at the time, ‘I can’t go out there and say we haven’t got any ambitions. I am going to say our ambition is to host the World Athletics Championships’.

“Dave said ‘don’t say that as we probably can’t support you on it’, so I said ‘I won’t say that then but what I will say is that we are going to set the ambition of hosting the Commonwealth Games’.

“That’s what I said back then and I have been trying to persuade the city since then that this is something that we should do.”

After years of putting forward his case, Ward managed to get Birmingham City Council to agree in 2016 to bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

A year earlier, South African city Durban was named as host of the 2022 edition at the CGF General Assembly.

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GEOFF BERKELEY SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Durban was set to be the first African nation to hold the Games, but it soon became clear that the city was unable to pull it off due to financial constraints.

Having failed to sign the host city contract, form an Organising Committee or make any payments due to the CGF, Durban was stripped of the rights to host the Games.

With Dame Louise unable to get assurances that the South African Government would financially support the event, which was estimated to cost the country ZAR8 billion, the decision was taken by the CGF in March 2017 to find a new host of the 2022 Games.

It was a major blow to not only South Africa but also the CGF, as it left the organisation with the huge task of launching another bidding process with Gold Coast 2018 just one year away.

Liverpool had already publicly expressed its willingness to step in should Durban lose the rights, before Birmingham announced it was joining the race after switching focus from 2026 to 2022 when it became apparent the South African city could no longer play host.

The Australian cities of Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney had all revealed their interest in replacing Durban as well, along with Victoria in Canada and Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

London and Manchester had also initially considered bidding before the British Government confirmed that only Birmingham and Liverpool had officially applied as candidates by the May 2017 deadline.

Liverpool’s bid centred on creating an athletics track as part of Everton Football Club’s new stadium which is being built on the city’s Bramley-Moore Dock, whereas Birmingham already had one in place with the Alexander Stadium annually staging Diamond League meetings.

“We did have an advantage over Liverpool,” said Ward.

“We knew we would have to upgrade Alexander Stadium, but Liverpool was thinking whether they could put an athletics track in a new Everton stadium which was always going to be more difficult than what we had to do.

“We also had the National Exhibition Centre, the National Indoor Arena and the Convention Centre in Birmingham which gave us ready-built facilities that we knew we could put sporting events into.

“Having said that, Liverpool put together a very compelling bid and we did have to beat them.” www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Ian Ward and Dame Louise Martin during the rennovations at Alexander Stadium. Photo: Getty Images

Dame Louise claimed Liverpool could have “easily” hosted the Games but, considering the shorter delivery time, she felt Birmingham was “further on with facilities” to hold competitions after being won over by Ward’s interview.

“They only had four years to deliver it,” said Dame Louise. “It was going to be very, very tight but we knew it was doable.”

There were jubilant scenes in Birmingham when the city was formally declared as the host of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in December 2017.

“I was absolutely elated, probably the highlight of my political career,” said Ward, who had been elected as Council leader earlier that year.

Once the celebrations had finished, the reality of putting everything in place to host the Games in just over four years soon set in.

Ian Reid has served as Birmingham 2022's chief executive.

Photo: Getty Images

Ian Reid was installed as the interim chief executive of the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee before securing the @insidethegames.biz

role on a permanent basis in January 2019.

The Scotsman, who had been chief financial officer when his home city of Glasgow staged the 2014 Games, had the giant job of overseeing the delivery of the event.

“Normally we would have that six-and-ahalf, seven-year window so it was a little daunting but that said, one of the more reassuring things was that we had a city and a region with existing venues and experience,” said Reid.

“We had people that had been involved in previous Olympics and Commonwealth Games in this country or overseas.

“Looking back there were probably 10 or 12 of us in a Council building in Birmingham who were starting the journey, but it was pretty positive.

“Despite the timeline, we recognised the opportunity that the Games gave to Birmingham.

“I always think with the Commonwealth Games that if you have got a reasonably compact centre that people can walk around you get the real power of these events, in terms of bringing the place to life, and Birmingham is definitely that kind of city.

“You then overlay that with the fact that it is both incredibly accessible for most of the country and has this hugely diverse community that I think the President of the CGF referred to as the ‘Commonwealth City’.

“There was a huge amount of ingredients there that I think led everyone to be really excited by the journey.”

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GEOFF BERKELEY SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Durban was initially awarded the 2022 Commonwealth Games but was stripped of the right due to financial difficulties. Photo: Getty Images

The British Government pledged to inject £594 million into the delivery of the Games, with a further investment of £184 million coming from Birmingham City Council and a number of key local partners.

Central to Birmingham’s plans was the £72 million renovation of the Alexander Stadium which is set to stage the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as the track and field events.

The construction of a new £73 million Aquatics Centre in Sandwell was also proposed despite initial reservations from Dame Louise.

“I said they would never do the Aquatics Centre in four years because the biggest thing is that it has got water and water is the worst thing you can work with,” said the former Scottish international swimmer.

“You have got to make sure that it is the right size, right depth and that there are no leaks.”

Work on both of those sites, as well as the £500 million project to construct the Athletes’ Village in Perry Barr, was well underway when the COVID-19 pandemic www.facebook.com/insidethegames

struck, delivering a massive blow to Birmingham’s preparations for the Games.

In March 2020, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown, ordering everyone to stay at home in a bid to curb rising cases and deaths from the killer virus that was wreaking havoc around the world.

Even before COVID-19 had arrived, Birmingham 2022 knew they were facing a tight turnaround to get ready for the Games but now organisers had to respond to the most challenging global crisis since the Second World War. “I always say to people that when you are organising a big multi-sport event like this the one thing that is really valuable is certainty,” said Reid.

“You want quite a solid foundation and to understand quite quickly the delivery model for things like transport, security and venues.

“As soon as you have something like COVID where the whole country is not sure what is going to happen, that is very difficult.

“That was a challenging time, there is no @insidethegames.biz

doubt about it.”

The pandemic brought nothing but uncertainty as a lockdown that people hoped would only last a few weeks ended up going on for months.

Under the restrictions, people were only permitted to leave their home for essential purposes including buying food or medical reasons, with swathes of businesses forced to close their doors to the public.

“Initially when everything stopped, I knew that if we could not get construction going again, we could be in real trouble,” said Ward.

“Credit to the construction industry as they came up with a way of working that enabled them to continue working through all the lockdowns.

“That was a moment when we said ‘we can do this.’”

Dame Louise added: “We didn’t know how long the pandemic was going to last and how the workers were going to do their jobs but the two companies that were building the two venues did not down tools.

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VICTORIA The undisputed sporting heart of Australia Victoria is globally recognised as one of the world’s great event destinations. It’s Australia’s major events capital.

With an unrivalled reputation for delivering the very best experience for athletes, officials, media and spectators, Victoria boasts a world class international sporting calendar.

Melbourne will serve as the gateway to a groundbreaking Commonwealth Games across Victorian cities in 2026 – providing a blueprint for a new model of international sporting events, and delivering a legacy that will transform the host cities and inspire generations.

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To discuss a customised partnership, contact Kelly Dickson, Director, Major Events P: +61 (0) 3 9002 2280

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15

The Sandwell Aquatics Centre is a major new venue that has been built for the Games. Photo: Getty Images

“We owe them a great debt of gratitude that they kept the workers on, and the workers stayed on during the whole thing.”

While plans to redevelop the Alexander Stadium and build the Sandwell Aquatics Centre continued despite all the disruption caused by COVID-19, Birmingham’s dream of an Athletes’ Village for 6,500 athletes and team officials was dashed.

A review into the impact of the pandemic found that the complex could not be delivered on time, forcing organisers to come up with an alternative plan.

It was announced in August 2020 that Birmingham 2022 would instead adopt a three-campus model with athletes and officials housed at the University of Birmingham, the NEC Hotel Campus and the University of Warwick.

“I am absolutely convinced that without the pandemic the Athletes’ Village would have been delivered, knowing what has happened with the other venues, but it was always tight so with that level of disruption it was far too much of a risk to carry on,” said Reid.

“We still needed to deliver the legacy of the Games so firstly we were making sure that the project could still be delivered for Perry Barr.

“Those reassurances were given and the funding to support that was in place, so that was really positive.

“Secondly, we had to look at the feasibility of an alternative so where are the big accommodation blocks? Are they available?

“Are universities and other commercial partners able to step up to the plate?

“You are trying to get these assurances before you have got any contracts signed and are relying a little bit on goodwill.

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“Pulling together Village plans is normally a year’s worth of work whereas we had this window of literally weeks to try to put it together.”

With Britain coming in and out of lockdowns in response to the rapidly evolving nature of the pandemic, Reid also faced the challenge of keeping morale high within the Organising Committee as staff worked from home.

Team building exercises included virtual quizzes while athletes also came online to give motivational talks before Reid ushered his staff back to the office as soon as restrictions started to be lifted.

“A lot of people working in the events world understand how big integration is,” said Reid.

“The feedback we have had is that we could not have done a lot of our jobs without physically being here.

“It would have been much more difficult, especially at the back end, doing it virtually.

“There is never a perfect call in these situations, but I generally think the approach that we took was the right one.”

Despite the pandemic, Birmingham 2022 continued to recruit with Reid’s team growing from 70 members of staff heading into the first lockdown to around 1,300 now.

Appetite for tickets for the Commonwealth Games also remained high with thousands being snapped up on the first day of general sale in December 2021.

Organisers expect to sell a record 1.5 million tickets for what is set to be among the first major international multi-sport events to be staged with fans since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I felt desperately sorry for the organisers of the Tokyo Olympics,” said Ward.

“Not only did they have to postpone for a year but even when they did deliver the event it had to take place behind closed doors.

“Looking back, we were saying ‘we have spent a lot of money but is it going to be worth it if we can’t have full stadia?’

“Fortunately, the vaccine programme and scientists working around the world to deliver those vaccines in a record time have got us to where we are now where we are able to host this event with almost all the tickets sold.”

The Queen's Baton Relay visited all 72 countries and territories of the Commonwealth. Photo: Getty Images

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GEOFF BERKELEY SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES

Women's T20 cricket will make its Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham. Photo: Getty Images

While the pandemic made the journey to the Games more complicated than Birmingham’s infamous spaghetti junction as organisers navigated through a series of challenges, including moving the dates forward by 24 hours to adapt to the new sporting calendar, the Queen’s Baton Relay had its own logistical issues to overcome.

Starting its 294-day voyage across the Commonwealth in Cyprus in October 2021, the baton was travelling at a time when the world was still grappling with the virus.

Bearers had to wear gloves and masks when the baton arrived in South Africa in December 2021 - just weeks after the first case of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 was reported in the African nation.

When the baton made its way to Gold Coast in 2018, a dedicated team accompanied it on its journey, but Birmingham 2022 had to change that approach to safely visit all 72 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

“What we have now is a model where you are relying on the Commonwealth Games Associations to take the baton, do the celebration and transition to the next one on their own whereas in the past we would have done all of that with people on the ground,” said Reid.

“That’s given them a much greater level of responsibility, but they have really embraced that.

“The pandemic has been a challenge getting the baton in and out but there was also a battle going through the South Sea Islands when there was a big earthquake. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

“The relay was clearly not their priority but the Governments and CGAs all said that ‘we need this, we need some good stories’.

“They have had to think outside the box on a daily basis and it has been a real success story.”

The baton made a special visit to London at the start of June to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee weekend before returning to England on July 4 for the final stages of its journey to Birmingham.

Excitement is continuing to build as Birmingham is set to stage the first major multi-sport event in England since London held the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

A packed programme of action will see more medals for women than men awarded for the first time and more Para-sports played than ever before.

Women’s T20 cricket and 3x3 basketball are also set to make their Commonwealth Games debuts in Birmingham.

“We are going to have an exceptional Games,” said Dame Louise.

“I believe that we will get the best athletes from the Commonwealth attending our Games.

“We are one big family, and our brothers and sisters are coming to compete with us and then we will have a party afterwards.”

Birmingham has been forced to adapt like no other Commonwealth Games host, dealing with a shorter delivery timeframe and a global health crisis.

But all the major developments have been completed on time and the Games are expected to be delivered on budget, while creating a new model for future hosts.

“To be able to have accommodated all the changes, challenges and issues that we have faced and still be sitting here saying that ‘I can be very confident that the money will be sufficient to deliver the Games’ is a real achievement,” said Reid.

Ward also predicts that the Games will bring an economic benefit to Birmingham and the wider region of £1 billion while the City Council is planning to stage further big events in the future.

“The truth is we could not have afforded not to host the Games,” said Ward.

“If we hadn’t had done it, we would be sat here watching somebody else reap all these benefits.

“I know that I will wake up on August 9 the day after the Closing Ceremony - with a hangover feeling after the event.

“But I am really hoping that on that day people will be saying to me ‘that was fantastic, we need to do something else’. “’What are we doing next?’”

Alexander Stadium is now a world class athletics venue following its refurbishment. Photo: Getty Images

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HOST CITY CONTRACT

NEW HOSTS NEEDED

The absence of both China and Russia as suitable hosts for sporting events in the foreseeable future leaves a massive void for organisers, and significant knock-on effects.

But it could also be a chance for new venues to stake their claim, as David Owen reports.

R

emove two big players from any market and the consequences will be far-reaching. This applies whether you are talking about widgets or reinsurance. It certainly applies to the market for the hosting of major international sports events, which is the subject of this article.

The disappearance from the ranks of possible hosts of Russia and China - two countries which have staged scores of events, including a FIFA World Cup, three Olympic Games and World Championships galore, since the turn of the millennium - is already having a big impact on International Federations and other event owners.

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The two situations are, of course, different. Russia’s exclusion, as a consequence of the war it has unleashed on Ukraine, is likely to be long-term. China’s absence, while it battles COVID, may be less so.

For the time being, though, event-owners are having to get along without both of these sports-hosting giants, and the financial knock-on effects may be profound.

You might think that with more than 200 countries in the world, along with scores of ambitious cities keen to lift their international profiles, there would be plenty of candidates to fill an admittedly large hole.

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DAVID OWEN CHIEF COLUMNIST, INSIDETHEGAMES

Russia has lost the hosting rights to flaghsip events including the Ice Hockey World Championship. Photo: Getty Images

This might well turn out to be the case.

The present situation may even trigger other positive developments. As Lars Lundov, chief executive of Sport Event Denmark, reasons: “It is obvious that the war in Ukraine has led to a large number of scheduled major sporting events being moved away from Russia, including most recently the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship 2023, which is now to be held in Finland and Latvia.

“The unfortunate situation with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine allows new destinations at short notice to host major sporting events.

“Hopefully we will see innovative event set-ups as a consequence of the short action-time. Also, we will see experienced collaborations in Olympic summer sports offering their assistance, for example the upcoming FIVB Men’s World Volleyball Championship now to be organised in Slovenia and Poland.”

But the characteristics of China and Russia as sports event hosts will mean that they are much missed even if replacements do step forward. For one thing, they are immensely experienced. Event-owners could rest assured, on the whole, that competitions staged in either country would be technically outstanding.

The rationale of these two countries for staging sports events so assiduously also contributed significantly to their appeal for event-owners. In short, generating a direct commercial return on their investment tended, so far as one could tell, was well down the list of goals they aimed to achieve via hosting. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Their chief objectives appeared rather to lie in the realm of boosting national prestige, augmenting soft power and sometimes helping to justify and stimulate infrastructure investment. This has served arguably to boost the apparent value of second-tier sports events well beyond the level that the commercial marketplace would suggest was appropriate.

The abrupt withdrawal of Russia and China may hence force event-owners to reconsider how much revenue future events will realistically generate.

The cupboard is not entirely bare in terms of hosts whose objectives seem to extend beyond purely commercial considerations, as the oil and gas-rich nations of the Middle East, headed by Saudi Arabia, remain very much in the market. But there are only so many events they can, or would want to, accommodate.

And just because their objectives may be geared to image projection at least as much as more narrowly commercial gauges such as direct, short-term economic impact, it does not mean that they cannot also be hardnosed negotiators.

Less competition may well lead to them concluding that they can afford to be less generous in the terms they offer to secure the events they want, even if the upsurge in energy prices delivers them a financial windfall.

As Lars Haue-Pedersen, head of global sports practice at BCW, an international communications and public relations firm, sees it: “The consequences for many international event rights holders - both IFs and private promoters - are very serious, in some cases dramatic.

“Both Russia and China have in recent years invested heavily in attracting international sports events, and deals were closed with event owners for a wide range of events. In the case of Russia these were absolutely top tier events like Volleyball World Championships, Wrestling World Championships and Ice Hockey World Championships - and of course the recent

China's "zero COVID" policy, seen by many as being unrealistic, means it is not currently in a position to host sporting competitions.

Photo: Getty Images

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The 2023 Asian Cup was supposed to be a breakthrough event for football in China but will now be held elsewhere. Photo: Getty Images

football Champions League final.

“The rights holders had to rush to find replacements and will face planning issues, but will probably also have to conclude less attractive financial deals.”

China has announced the postponement of both the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and the Chengdu 2021 Summer World University Games, as it pursues an ambitious “zero COVID” policy which has forced cities such as Shanghai into strict lockdowns.

The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games have been postponed but doubts remain on whether they will be held at all. Photo: Getty Images

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This year’s Asian Youth Games in Shantou have also been cancelled completely.

“The situation in China seems to be a constant postponement of events and, at a certain stage, rights holders will have to decide whether to skip the Chinese hosting and move elsewhere,” said Pedersen.

“This was the case with the Asian Football Confederation’s decision definitively to move the 2023 Asian Cup away from China. This decision must have been painful for the AFC, as the 2023 event had been positioned for years as a breakthrough for football in China.”

I doubt that any IF has turned to Russia and China to host its events more frequently in recent times than the International Chess Federation.

By my count, the men’s Chess World Championship has been held in Russia four times since the turn of the millennium. Over the same period, the Women’s World Chess Championship has been staged no fewer than seven times in Russia and twice in China. In addition, the two nations have co-hosted the women’s event twice, in 1999 and 2020 when the event was shared between Shanghai and Vladivostok.

This is not really surprising: chess @insidethegames.biz

permeates the soul of Russia as rugby permeates the soul of Wales or cricket that of India. I experienced this first-hand all the way back in 1984, when attending the World Championship match between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov in Moscow’s 18th-century House of the Unions. The atmosphere among the chess connoisseurs who thronged the ornate building was electric.

When I approached David Llada, FIDE’s chief marketing and communications officer, he acknowledged that the financial implications for his organisation were “considerable”.

First, Llada said, FIDE “decided to cut ties with most of our Russian sponsors - all those that are state-owned. With some of them, like Gazprom, we had signed long-term agreements for several years”.

He explained that FIDE had also lost “many potential bids” as Russian cities and institutions are “always willing to host important FIDE chess events”.

However, as Llada also pointed out, chess is currently benefiting from what he called a “sweet moment”.

“A combination of factors has sparked a ‘chess boom’ in the past couple of years,” he said.

“The rise of esports, Twitch, and other

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Russia hosted the FIFA World Cup as recently as 2018 but is now being frozen out. Photo: Getty Images

streaming platforms, which chess fits perfectly, [has helped], and this trend received a huge push during the lockdowns resulting from the pandemic.

“The global success of The Queen’s Gambit

by Netflix has also brought chess to millions of people who, all of a sudden, developed a strong interest the sport.”

Oil-rich nations in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, could be poised to benefit from Russia and China's absence. Photo: Getty Images

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FIDE, Llada said, was “confident that all this interest will generate a new influx of income and hosts that will quickly fill the void left by Russia”.

The statement of income and expenses in FIDE’s 2020 audited financial statements seems to bear out these trends. On the one hand, net income from online events amounted to more than €673,000 against just €100,000 budgeted. On the other, donations and sponsorship brought in around €1.47 million, versus €2.3 million budgeted.

According to FIDE director general Emil Sutovsky, whereas in 2019, the “better half” of FIDE income came from sponsorship and events in Russia, by 2022 this proportion should be more like 25 per cent.

The largest contributions to the budget, Sutovsky explained, came through “the agreements with online platforms chess.com and chess24 acquiring broadcasting rights for FIDE major events”.

He concluded: “FIDE terminated all contracts with Russian state-owned and controlled companies - which did cost us quite a bit of money. But luckily we have

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diversified our partnerships and the loss of this sponsorship did not have a critical impact on our operations.”

The present situation in sport, with a number of events needing to be relocated at short notice, contains risks for those host cities and nations which step into the breach as well as for event-owners.

At the time of writing, it remains to be determined whether reduced preparation time was in any way a contributory factor to the crowd chaos at the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool.

This was ultimately staged at the Stade de France just outside Paris after the European football body UEFA decided to move the match from Saint Petersburg in Russia.

The episode has for now tarnished France’s hitherto strong reputation as a frequent host of high-calibre international sports events.

Needless to say, this has not come at the best of times, with the French capital set to stage the next Summer Olympics and Paralympics just two years from now.

Then again, it provides an opportunity for current systems and methods for handling

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DAVID OWEN CHIEF COLUMNIST, INSIDETHEGAMES high-profile international events on French soil to be scrutinised with a view to assessing whether improvements are necessary.

BCW’s Pedersen believes that the relatively extended nature of Russia and China’s probable absence from the market is likely to raise other issues.

“In addition to solving urgent replacement issues, the fact that Russia and China are effectively out of the international event hosting market for 2022 and - at least 2023 - will also have longer-term consequences because rights holders will be forced to rethink their ‘going to new markets’ strategy,” he said.

While he believes that the “winners” from this situation could be the “already very ambitious” countries in the Gulf region, he also hopes that rights holders - “not least the IFs” - may view it as “an opportunity to reach out to, and engage with, more African and South American countries in terms of event hosting”. He would view such an approach as an example of “never letting a good crisis go to waste”, as the saying goes.

Pedersen also surmises that Russia and China’s absence from hosting duties could have consequences for the degree of influence wielded by the two countries in sports politics generally.

As he sees it: “An interesting side-effect of Russia and China being out of international event-hosting could be a reduction of the two countries’ influence on

Chess has often turned to Russia and China in the past but now must think of new ideas. Photo: Getty Images

international sports politics, because such influence is often closely connected with such event-hosting.

“Both countries have been very active on the international sports politics front, running for - and in several cases succeeding in securing - IF leadership positions.

“In the case of Russia this is obviously suffering as a direct effect of the current, somehow unofficial, boycott. But China could also see its position weakened because

The crowd chaos at the Champions League final at the Stade de France came after the game was moved from Saint Petersburg. Photo: Getty Images

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of its diminishing role in the international event scene.

“The less a country is active in eventhosting, the less important it and its sports leaders become.”

Many would argue that it can do international sports bodies nothing but good if they are obliged to steer clear of Russia and China when determining where future international events are to take place.

Better by far, they might say, to team up with societies with Western standards of freedom of speech and democratic values, even if it costs event-owners a few dollars in projected cash flow.

It is easy to sympathise with such views and to acknowledge that, in the long run, yes, it may well be to international sport’s advantage to have its pinnacle events bracketed with national and civic leaders who embrace the principles of Western-style liberal democracy.

However, the short-term disruption for event-owners if the value of their competitions starts to be set by the commercial marketplace, consisting of entities which need to see a real dollars-andcents return on any sums invested, may in some cases be substantial.

And this at a time when corporations and sports consumers alike are having to cope with new sources of turbulence and uncertainty. On event-hosting, as with many other aspects of the sports industry at present, the road ahead looks anything but straightforward.

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THE DARKEST DAY Fifty years have now passed since the world was stunned by the terrorist attack at Munich 1972.

Philip Barker looks back on the events which changed the Olympic Movement forever.

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ven today, 50 years after it happened, the events of the 1972 Munich Olympics cast a long shadow over the city.

Throughout this year there have been a series of commemorative occasions to remember those who came to compete in friendship but then never returned home.

Those who only watched on television will still be able to recall the grim bulletins over two nightmarish days, when 11 Israeli team members were killed.

A Munich police officer and five members of the Black September group, which had unleashed the deadly terrorist attack, also perished.

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Munich was the second occasion that the Summer Olympics had been staged in Germany.

The Games were famously, or perhaps infamously, held in Berlin under the ominous shadow of Hitler and the Nazi swastika in 1936.

Munich 1972 organising chief Willi Daume was determined to present a friendly and welcoming face and put on “cheerful” Games, which would as far as possible erase the bitter memories of Berlin.

The International Olympic Committee selected Munich in 1966, ahead of rival bids from Montreal, Madrid and Detroit.

A vast site on the outskirts of the city was transformed into an Olympic Park, and a large stadium and sports complex, complete with a tented roof, was designed by Frei Otto.

The Athletes’ Village was built close by and was used for housing after the Games.

As with many Olympics, the build-up to the action was mired in political controversy.

Apartheid-era South Africa had been banned in 1970 but there were calls from many African nations to exclude the Rhodesians as well, because of their similar

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discriminatory policies.

Even so, an agreement was brokered in the days leading up to Munich which allowed the Rhodesians to compete.

The conditions stipulated that they were to compete as Southern Rhodesia, the name by which the country was known when it was a British colony, before its declaration of independence in 1965.

The team duly arrived in the Olympic city and took part in the traditional welcome ceremony at the Village.

The old flag of Southern Rhodesia was raised, and the British national anthem God Save the Queen was played.

Team members wore green blazers with the single word “Rhodesia” below the crest, but the agreement for them to participate was deemed to have been infringed as they carried only Olympic identity cards and not British passports.

This was a technicality, but it gave the Ethiopians, Kenyans and others the ammunition to call for Rhodesia’s expulsion.

It did not help that a member of the

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PHILIP BARKER HISTORIAN, INSIDETHEGAMES delegation had flippantly suggested that “we will compete under any flag, even that of the boy scouts”.

Eventually, the IOC voted on the question and, when President Avery Brundage announced the result, 36 had voted to expel the Rhodesians with 31 voting against.

This episode was to have unexpected resonance following later events, but most other teams had arrived in Munich in good spirits.

They found arenas decorated in pastel colours with a festive look, created by the German designer Otl Aicher.

Staff at all the venues and the Village were dressed in the same colour scheme.

Design work included pictograms, and the Munich 1972 logo was based on the blue and white colours of the locality.

This was all widely acclaimed at the time, and last year the work featured in an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institute, a testimony to its enduring place in graphic design history.

The Games opened on a glorious summer afternoon in late August, with the parade of nations.

First into the stadium were the Greeks, with their flag carried by Mediterranean Games pole vault gold medallist Christos Papanikolaou.

A soundtrack of folk music, appropriate to each team, was specially arranged by Kurt Edelhagen and his orchestra.

There was much interest in the entry of East Germany.

For more than a decade they had competed uneasily in a joint team with their Western counterparts, but now, on West German soil, the German Democratic Republic entered under their own flag.

This was the German tricolour with the addition of a communist coat of arms, and it was carried by 1968 boxing gold medallist Manfred Wolke.

Although the women wore a variety of colours, the men donned jackets which were almost identical to the sky blue ones worn later by the West German team.

In what was a much simpler Opening Ceremony, the parade was followed by what was described as a “greeting from the youth”.

Dancers in yellow, green and blue performed to the music of Sumer is Icumen In, a medieval tune thought to date back to the 13th century.

Brundage made a speech with some words spoken in faltering German, before West German President Gustav Heinemann made a simple declaration to open the Games. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Kenya's Kip Keino was one of the stars of the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. Photo: Getty Images

The Olympic flag was carried by members of the victorious 1968 German men’s rowing eight, which had won gold in Mexico. They did so to a brisk arrangement of the Olympic Anthem.

In those days, the official handover of the ceremonial Olympic flag took place at the Opening Ceremony.

It was therefore 1968 host Mexico City which entrusted the decorated silk flag to Munich.

Their group entered while accompanied by a mariachi band and dancers.

Mexico City Mayor Octavio Sentíes Gómez passed the flag to Brundage, who then passed it to Munich Mayor Georg Kronawitter as local performers cracked whips to celebrate.

The Flame which had been lit in Olympia was brought overland through Europe by some 6,200 Torchbearers, with the journey lasting for almost a month.

It entered the stadium in the hands of 18-year-old Günter Zahn, the winner of the 1500 metres at the German Youth Championships.

He was described by organisers as "a young, unknown runner as a representative of future generations”. Zahn was escorted by athletes from four other continents, including marathon runners Derek Clayton of Australia and Japan’s Kenji Kimihara.

They were joined by 1500m world record @insidethegames.biz

holder Jim Ryun of the United States and Kenya’s Kip Keino, who won Olympic gold over the same distance in 1968.

The taking of the athletes’ oath was also a significant moment.

Long jumper Heidi Schüller became the first woman to do so at a Summer Olympics, and equestrian judge Heinz Pollay, resplendent in a bright green uniform, took a similar oath on behalf of the officials.

This had only been introduced earlier in the year at the Winter Olympics in Sapporo.

Many felt that the Games had become too unwieldy and that the time had come for them to be reduced in size. It was a plea which fell on deaf ears.

A member of the Black September terrorist group stands on a balcony in the Olympic Village. Photo: Getty Images

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Swimmer Mark Spitz was the standout performer of the Games, winning seven gold medals. Photo: Getty Images

Among the new events included on the schedule was canoe slalom, which was staged on an ambitious new course in Augsburg.

It was said that the East Germans reproduced the course in exact detail at Zwickau, and they certainly reaped the rewards after winning all four gold medals on offer.

Indoor handball was included as a sport for the first time, but only for men, and Yugoslavia won the first gold medal.

Archery made its return after an absence of 52 years, in the picturesque surroundings of Munich’s Englischer Garten.

Olga Korbut was an instant hit in the gymnastics hall.

Photo: Getty Images

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Its return was in no small measure due to the promptings of Inger Frith, the President of the International Archery Federation and at the time the only female leader of an Olympic sport.

A huge computer processed results from all of the Games venues.

Nowhere was busier than the Olympia Schwimmhalle, where the feats of American swimmer Mark Spitz made him the outstanding performer of the Games.

He won no fewer than seven gold medals, a record for a single Games until the rise of fellow swimmer and compatriot Michael Phelps.

The women’s competitions brought three gold medals, one silver and one bronze for 15-year-old Australian schoolgirl Shane Gould.

The fifth and final day of the men’s modern pentathlon was held in the stadium.

In those days, the competition began with riding and ended with a 4,000 metre run.

Football was the first sport staged in the main stadium and East Germany later beat their West German counterparts 3-2. This was the first Olympic encounter where East and West directly opposed each other at the Games.

The football gold ultimately went to Poland, who beat Hungary 2-1 in the final.

Kazimierz Deyna scored both goals and the squad also included Jerzy Gorgoń, Robert Gadocha and Grzegorz Lato, the core of the Polish team which played superbly and finished third at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. @insidethegames.biz

The gymnastics hall was nearby and attracted great attention in the first week, largely because of a 16-year-old Belarusian born athlete called Olga Korbut who was transformed into a world superstar.

She won three gold medals and her personality endeared her to those watching on television.

It was said she inspired millions of young girls to take up the sport.

As athletics began, Uganda’s John Akii-Bua devastated the rest of the field, including Britain’s defending champion David Hemery, to win the 400m hurdles gold in a world record time of 47.82sec from the inside lane.

Keino demonstrated his versatility as he proved unstoppable in the steeplechase, but his 1500m crown went to Pekka Vasala as the Finns won every other long distance track event.

Vasala’s compatriot Lasse Virén, a policeman from Myrskylä, completed an impressive distance double.

His 10,000m time of 27min 38.35sec broke a world record which had stood for seven years and was achieved despite a fall.

There was home delight as 16-year-old Ulrike Meyfarth soared to win high jump gold, and Heide Rosendahl leapt to victory in the long jump and 4x100m relay.

Rosendahl also claimed silver in the women’s pentathlon. This proved to be an epic struggle and was eventually won by Mary Peters from Belfast, competing in British colours.

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There was last-gasp controversy in the basketball final between the United States and the Soviet Union. Photo: Getty Images

In the sprints, Ukrainian Valeriy Borzov, wearing the red vest of the Soviet Union, won the men’s 100m and 200m.

It was a feat emulated in the women’s events by Renate Stecher, in a foretaste of the dominance that female athletes from East Germany would enjoy over the next two decades.

American Dave Wottle surged through to win the men’s 800m in a sensational finish.

He had been back in fourth as the field entered the last 200m of the race, but he sprinted through to win by three one hundredths of a second.

It was a late finish which perfectly summed up his nickname of “The Head Waiter”.

Wottle wore a baseball cap while running and had to be consoled after realising he had forgotten to remove it during the medal ceremony.

Favourites Eddie Hart and Rey Robinson were both disqualified from the quarter-finals of the 100m after not reporting in time, having both been around world record pace.

It emerged that American team officials had been working from an outdated schedule.

When the marathon reached its climax, the computer showed that American Frank Shorter was leading the race.

But the first runner who appeared was student Norbert Sudhaus, wearing number 72.

It turned out that he had sneaked onto the course just outside the stadium, but television commentators and fans were soon wise to his hoax. Soon afterwards, Shorter entered for his moment of glory.

Unfortunately, the sport on show also included some displays of petulance.

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American pole vaulter Bob Seagren, the 1968 Olympic gold medallist, was told he could not use his new fibreglass pole, known as the “Cata-Pole”. He angrily remonstrated with official Adriaan Paulen, later to become the supremo of world athletics.

The gold medal went instead to East Germany’s Wolfgang Nordwig, and it was the first time that an American had failed to win the event since its introduction at the first Modern Olympics in 1896.

The American winning streak in basketball could be traced back only to 1936, but that too evaporated after an extraordinary finale to their match against the Soviet Union.

When the klaxon sounded the US thought they had won, but officials then ordered an extra three seconds to be played.

In that time, the Soviets launched one final desperate attack and Alexander Belov scored the basket which gave them a 51-50 victory. Despite American protests, the result stood.

They refused to attend the medal ceremony and, to this day, the silver medals have never been presented.

American captain Ken Davis has even written a clause in his will forbidding his family to ever accept the medal.

There was also trouble at the medal ceremony for men’s hockey.

West Germany had beaten Pakistan by a single goal in the final, but Pakistani players were unhappy with the umpiring during the match.

They refused to wear the medals or even face the flags during the presentation.

“Grave sanctions” were announced by the

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IOC and 11 players were eventually given life bans, although these were later rescinded.

The IOC also acted to punish American 400m gold and silver medallists Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett.

They stood in a casual manner on the podium to protest against racial discrimination back home in the US. Their gesture was described by the IOC as an "insulting display", and it threatened to withhold medals in the event of future protests. The pair were expelled from the Games, and the US could not field a team in the relay as a result.

The names of all medal winners were recorded around the stadium, but there is also a plaque at 31 Connollystrasse, a street named after James Connolly, the first Olympic champion of the modern era in 1896.

It was here that the Israeli team was staying during the Games. Security at the Village was deliberately low key, and the terrorist group wore tracksuits to appear as athletes before infiltrating the site.

Maps of the Village were also freely distributed to journalists who were covering the Games.

For more than a day, television and newspapers showed terrifying images of hooded terrorists on the balcony after they forced their way inside and made their way to the Israeli team’s base.

Two were killed in the initial assault, and a tense siege followed the next day.

Prankster Norbert Sudhaus appeared at the front of the marathon field. Photo: Getty Images

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The Olympic flag flies at half mast in memory of those who died in the terrorist attack. Photo: Getty Images

It emerged that the terrorists had demanded the release of more than 200 prisoners in Israel and of Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof, who were imprisoned in Germany.

Eventually, late at night, the terrorists and their hostages set off for Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base on the outskirts of the city.

Volunteer snipers were called for, but it appeared the police had not been told how many terrorists there were.

A firefight followed at the airport, and all of the remaining Israeli hostages were killed when a grenade exploded in the helicopter where they were being held captive.

The police officer and the five terrorists were also killed.

In a macabre twist, a media conference had claimed that the rescue operation had been a “success”, shortly before a further announcement a few hours later which confirmed the worst.

“They’re gone, all gone,” was the memorable announcement by American television presenter Jim Mackay.

By now, the sport had been halted and a memorial service was hastily arranged.

Flags were lowered to half-mast and some 2,000 athletes filed quietly into the stadium.

“The Olympic Games stand still,” declared www.facebook.com/insidethegames

BBC commentator David Coleman, his voice breaking with emotion.

“The whole world bewildered and appalled by the bloody chaos at Fürstenfeldbruck.”

Daume described it as a “day of unbounded sorrow”.

“Even in the world of crime there are still taboos, a final boundary of brutality, that makes people shrink back,” he said. “Those at fault in the Olympic Village have broken through this boundary.”

As the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra played the funeral march from Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, the Israeli Chef de Mission Shmuel Lalkin rose to recite the names of those who had died.

"Shaken to the core, we mourn the barbaric profanation of the Olympic spirit caused by the malicious raid by terrorists,” Lalkin said.

Brundage said that “every civilized person is dismayed by this barbaric and criminal raid on the peaceful Olympic site by terrorists”.

“With our Israeli friends, we mourn the victims of this brutal attack,” he added.

“It is a sorrowful fact in our imperfect world that the greater and more important the Olympic Games become, the more they become the victim of economic, political and now criminal pressure.” @insidethegames.biz

Brundage was later widely criticised for comparing the attack with the dispute over the participation of Rhodesia.

“The Games of the 20th Olympiad have been the target of two terrible attacks because we have lost the struggle against political repression in the case of Rhodesia,” he said.

“We control only the force of a great ideal. I am convinced that world opinion agrees with me that we cannot allow a handful of terrorists to destroy this core of international cooperation and goodwill which the Olympic Games represent.

“The Games must go on! We must proceed with our efforts to keep them pure and praiseworthy, and to carry the sportsmanlike conduct of the athletes into other spheres.

“We declare, therefore, this day as a day of mourning and we will continue all events as planned, one day later.”

The Games did go on, but without joy, and they left a legacy of greater security at all future major events. Watching sadly was legendary athlete Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals when the Olympics were held in Berlin.

Owens later said that the Games were a place “to break bread with the world”.

The 11 Israelis who came to Munich would do so no more.

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S E M A G Y L D N E I R THE F The Commonwealth Games evoke a cordial spirit that the much larger Olympics can never hope to match. Mike Rowbottom takes us through the history of The Friendly Games, a sporting event like no other.

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he Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary political association of 54 member states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire.

Currently, 15 of them recognise Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state, while five have their own monarchs and the rest are republics.

Member states have no legal obligations to one another, but are largely connected through their use of the English language and historical ties.

The Commonwealth Charter defines their shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, as promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games.

This unique event began as the British Empire Games in 1930, before becoming the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954. From 1970, it was the British Commonwealth Games, before the name Commonwealth Games was settled upon in 1978.

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The Olympic Games’ smaller and homelier relation - self-styled as the Friendly Games - is about to take place in England for the third time after the 1934 edition in London and the 2002 event in Manchester. This time, Birmingham is preparing itself to host.

The Pierre de Coubertin figure for the Commonwealth Games was, fittingly, a more down-to-earth character. His name was Bobby Robinson, and he was the manager of the Canadian athletics team at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

Robinson was also sports editor of the local newspaper in Hamilton, Ontario, and enabled the first Games to take place there after persuading the local authorities to contribute towards the teams’ travelling expenses.

Staggeringly, in a time of worldwide economic recession, he persuaded the powers that be to shell out $30,000.

After earning a reputation as a hard bargainer on behalf of local fruit and vegetable growers in the face of attempts at price-cutting from

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wholesale buyers, Robinson was what might nowadays be known as a “can-do man”.

He was also a man who reacted badly to the words “no can do”. And he didn’t like bullies.

In his absorbing book The Commonwealth Games - Extraordinary Stories Behind the Medals, my colleague Brian Oliver describes how, in 1927, Robinson discussed with Howard Crocker, a respected Olympic figure who had managed the first Canadian team to attend a Games in 1908, how home athletes could be given more opportunities for top-class competition.

“Crocker mentioned the Festival of Empire, hosted by London in 1911 and featuring an international sporting championship,” Oliver writes.

“He also told Robinson of an earlier suggestion, from the Englishman John Astley Cooper in the early 1890s, to stage a ‘Pan-Britannic Festival’ of culture and sport.

Robinson liked what he heard and began planning immediately.”

What gave Robinson’s preparations added impetus, Oliver adds, was his anger at the perceived lack of respect Canada was given at the Olympics in Amsterdam.

The Toronto Star reported that meetings to discuss the Empire Games were held in the Dutch capital “as a direct result of the dominance, real or attempted, by Germany and the United States at the Olympic meet”.

“Robinson finally boiled over and, after consultation with other Canadian officials, met representatives of the other British teams,” Oliver said.

Canada lodged an official complaint at the Olympics, citing a number of incidents including the lack of a national flag when Percy Williams received his 100 metres gold medal.

The fact that American athletes were allowed to train on the track but Canadian athletes were not was another sticking point, as well as a disputed judging decision in the women’s 100m.

The Canadians felt their sprinter had been wrongly denied victory in favour of an American, and further alleged a direct insult to a team official by Avery Brundage, then the most influential United States member of the Olympic Movement and a future International Olympic Committee President.

The Toronto Star wrote of “serious trouble brewing between the Canadian and US teams and between the Canadian representatives and the IOC”.

At one point Robinson told one IOC member: “We know the Canadians are getting the run-around here and we don’t like it!” www.facebook.com/insidethegames

He wanted the Empire Games to be about “sport for sport’s sake, devoid of petty jealousies and sectional prejudices”.

“The event will be designed on an Olympic model, but these Games will be very different,” he added.

“They should be merrier and less stern and will substitute the stimulus of a novel adventure for the pressure of international rivalry.”

In his introduction to Oliver’s book, Brendan Foster - who won 1500m bronze at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, 5,000m silver at the 1974 Games in Christchurch and 10,000m gold at the 1978 edition in Edmonton - offered his own assessment of the event’s particular merits.

“The thing that sets the Commonwealth Games apart is that everybody speaks English, so you can have a chat with your rivals and sink a beer after the race,” he said. “Kip Keino came and congratulated me when I won that medal in 1970 - that would never have happened in the Olympics, and not just because the other runners didn’t necessarily speak English.

“When your rivals were from the Soviet Bloc they were not even allowed to be friendly.

“Nationalism is not such a big thing as it is at the Olympics. Calling them ‘The Friendly Games’ is absolutely spot-on.”

It was essential for this new, spirited venture that the first Games should go well. They did.

Bevil Rudd, a war hero and the winner of gold, silver and bronze on the track at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, covered the 1930 British Empire Games for the Daily Telegraph in London. He reported that they were

Canada's Bobby Robinson was the founding father of the Commonwealth Games. Photo: CGF

“without doubt an unqualified success, a significant beacon in empire relations”. He added that they must be repeated.

Four years later they were - in London.

Four years after that it was Sydney that played host.

Canada, England and Australia have remained mainstays of the enterprise throughout, and the overall medals table reflects that, with Australia top on 2,415, of which 932 are gold.

England are second on 2,144, with 714 gold, and Canada have 484 gold in their total haul of 1,555.

The other major medal winners in Games history are India, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, Kenya, Nigeria and Wales.

The ties of empire, still felt so fiercely by many back in 1930, have cooled and transmuted. As the name changes have underlined, the perception of empire has changed to the point where it is now not mentioned. Indeed, in recent years, Britain has been called upon to apologise to those nations profoundly affected.

The Commonwealth Games reach corners of the globe that other events do not. Photo: Getty Images

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MIKE ROWBOTTOM CHIEF FEATURE WRITER, INSIDETHEGAMES But, somehow, the friendliness has remained, despite Robinson’s proposed “merriment” being conspicuously absent at some moments in Games history.

Most notably was when the Games returned for a second time to Edinburgh, after a period of 16 years, in 1986.

The attitude of Margaret Thatcher’s Government towards British sporting links with apartheid-era South Africa prompted 32 countries, largely from Africa and the Caribbean, to boycott the event in the Scottish city in protest.

South Africa had not been present at the Games since 1958, and would not be welcomed back until 1994, but every day the list of those boycotting grew.

Bermuda withdrew on the day of the Opening Ceremony, with their team turning up in blazers before learning that they would not be competing.

Eventually, more than half of the Commonwealth nations stayed away, and there was talk that the Games might even have to be cancelled entirely given the perilous lack of sponsorship and funding.

Up stepped Robert Maxwell, then owner of the Daily Mirror, who described himself as the “saviour” of the enterprise to anyone who would listen. This included, on one exalted occasion, Queen Elizabeth II herself.

Exactly how much money Maxwell actually put into the Games was never made clear. Oliver writes that, by the final reckoning, he paid less than £300,000 towards the final deficit of nearly £4 million.

His friend Ryōichi Sasakawa, a Japanese businessman of enormous wealth and very dubious reputation, was introduced at one of Maxwell’s trumpeting pre-Games press conferences.

Aged 87 at the time, Sasakawa told reporters - of whom, dumbfounded, I was one - that he was 27 years old and would live to the age of 200.

Back in the real world, Sasakawa did donate £1.265 million to the Edinburgh Games and it should be acknowledged that Maxwell’s ego trip had the additional effect of bringing much-needed publicity.

Maxwell also reduced the losses by negotiating with creditors, among them two local councils.

From that nadir the Games rose to a more joyful place four years later when they were held, with huge success, in Auckland.

That said, even those Games were shadowed by the possibility of another African boycott until shortly before they opened, when it became known that the famed anti-apartheid www.facebook.com/insidethegames

The small Pacific island of Niue is an example of the diversity of the Commonwealth Games. Photo: Getty Images

campaigner Desmond Tutu, then Archbishop of Cape Town, would be arriving in the early hours at Auckland airport.

Only a few reporters, and a TV crew, were waiting for him. He was exceedingly polite and helpful. He said that there would not be a mass political boycott of the Auckland Games such as the one that had afflicted Edinburgh, and indeed there wasn't.

From the Opening Ceremony, where Māori women sang an enchanting song of welcome to all, to the Closing Ceremony, where a formal acceptance of the Commonwealth flag from the next host city, Victoria, was witnessed by the Queen, the 1990 Commonwealth Games were a wonder.

The closing also included exuberant activities by thousands of children, while Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sung the beloved New Zealand hymn Now is the Hour.

In the pool, Britain’s Olympic 100m breaststroke champion Adrian Moorhouse finished more than a second and a half clear of his nearest opponent and Australia’s Karen van Wirdum set a Commonwealth record of 56.48sec in the women’s 100m freestyle.

Britain’s 21-year-old Richie Woodhall earned light middleweight gold, part of his preparations for annexing the WBC super middleweight title from 1998 to 1999.

At Mount Smart Stadium, Britain’s Peter Elliott, outsprinting Kenya’s Wilfred Kirochi, earned the gold medal his talent merited, while Kirochi’s illustrious compatriot John Ngugi, the Olympic 5,000m champion, suffered a rare defeat after making up 35m on the pack following a fall. He established a 40m lead at the bell, only to be stalked and beaten on the line by Australia’s Andrew Lloyd.

The course of the Games was re-set. @insidethegames.biz

Victoria, Kuala Lumpur, Manchester, Melbourne, Delhi, Glasgow, Gold Coast - all were animated by the Friendly Games spirit.

The 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games succeeded in bringing together professional athletes and amateurs in much the same manner as big city marathons.

The Olympics, with their stringent qualifications, would not have offered someone like Candace Blades the chance to contest the heptathlon. Yet this 18-year-old schoolgirl from Belize, a novice to the event, memorably stayed the course with the motherly encouragement of Britain’s world number one and soon to be Olympic champion Denise Lewis.

Those same Games saw the introduction of a hugely popular sport that, in 2016, made its way onto the Olympic programme - rugby sevens. The spectacle was hugely enjoyed by crowds that packed out the 5,000-seater Kelana Jaya Stadium where, eventually, the great Jonah Lomu romped victoriously in celebration of New Zealand’s gold.

The 2006 Games in Melbourne were glorious - a Commonwealth version of the Sydney Olympics held six years earlier. Those Games had a motto: “Elite sport is only half the story”.

The other half was provided by competitors from the likes of Niue, a Pacific Island of fewer than 2,000 people. Or fellow Pacific island Nauru, effectively one large phosphate mine, that once again sent weightlifters seeking to maintain the medal-winning tradition of Marcus Stephen, who took a gold and two silvers at those Auckland 1990 Games.

That kind of diversity is something the Olympic Games - which long ago pinched some of Robinson’s best ideas, including medal podiums, volunteers and Athletes’ Villages - is still striving to achieve.

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The Global Association of International Sports Federations has had a chequered history but is quickly running out of road with plans to disband the body.

As Geoff Berkeley reports, many see this as an IOC power grab.

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an the International Olympic Committee gain any more control in the world of sport?

This is a question Patrick Nally asks when discussing the potential dissolution of the long-established Global Association of International Sports Federations.

Nally, who is widely acknowledged as the founding father of sports marketing, has been involved in GAISF for almost 50 years, helping the umbrella body for Olympic and non-Olympic sports secure permanent headquarters in Monte Carlo in 1976.

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But GAISF now faces the looming threat of liquidation in what is being considered as an attempted power grab by the IOC. “Unfortunately, sport does attract people who want personal gain and empowerment which gets rather distracted from the real need to have sport managing itself in a better manner,” said Nally, who is head of the International Federation of Match Poker - an observer member of GAISF. “If those that are currently managing it aren’t up for the job then let’s change them.

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“It is not in the IOC’s interest for every single aspect of sport only going to their door as that means the need for them to make decisions on recognition and other things that have got nothing to do with the Olympics.

“It is going to put all sorts of pressure that they won’t want, so my message would be ‘stop, think again and don’t dissolve GAISF’.

“I think the IOC will suffer with the loss of GAISF, not benefit.”

Patrick Nally is a staunch defender of the Global Association of International Sports Federations. Photo: Getty Images

After 55 years of acting as the gatekeeper to the Olympic Movement and the first port of call for International Federations wanting to gain formal recognition, GAISF could be shut down later this year.

GAISF President Ivo Ferriani, an IOC Executive Board member, has confirmed that an Extraordinary General Assembly will be called in September to decide on the dissolution of the organisation.

“Why close it?” said Nally. “It is absurd.

“There is a very distinct need and role for that organisation and if it has the right Board, it will manage itself very well and be collaborative with the IOC.” Nally has a wealth of experience within the Olympic Movement, working with major governing bodies including the IOC and FIFA. The British entrepreneur was responsible for bringing Coca-Cola into football and created a blueprint which sports marketing is based on to this day.

Nally understands the value of GAISF, viewing it as a “trade union for all sports”, and does not want to see the body go.

“GAISF does not get much credit but my goodness if it hadn’t been there many, many things that have all evolved would never have done so,” said Nally.

“The Olympic Movement would never have moved forward, and activities would never grow.

“GAISF is a very, very important and valuable body and if it is properly managed it www.facebook.com/insidethegames

should provide an invaluable service to sport as a whole.

“There is not any other entity that does that or can do that but unfortunately some of this has got lost in translation because people have tended to look at it politically.

“It’s all become manipulative with individuals wanting this and that.

“Because of the lack of understanding of what is going on there is a danger that this will be quietly slipped through without people really understanding the implications.

“The bulk of the International Federations are not being spoken to, none of them are being informed about the true motivation and what it is being replaced with.”

GAISF was founded in 1967 following a meeting involving 26 International Federations in Lausanne in Switzerland, with Australian William Berge Phillips named as its first President.

The move came amid mounting frustration among IFs at what they perceived as the IOC’s condescending attitude and failure to take many of their concerns seriously.

Two years after the formation of GAISF, Thomi Keller, head of the International Rowing Federation, took the helm.

During the Swiss official’s 17-year tenure, GAISF developed into a powerful defender of IF interests at a time when the IOC was much weaker than it is today.

His forceful leadership came at a crucial period when the commercialisation of elite sport via broadcasting rights and corporate

sponsorship was beginning to get up a head of steam, but this provoked friction with the IOC. South Korean Un Yong Kim, who eventually succeeded Keller as GAISF President, once said that his predecessor’s philosophy was that the IFs should be in charge of sport while the IOC is solely responsible for organising the Olympics.

However, the picture changed when Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch replaced Irishman Lord Killanin as IOC President in 1980.

Samaranch wanted both the Olympic Games and sport under his control and spotted a key weakness in GAISF’s armoury as he looked to reduce the body’s influence.

What the IOC had over GAISF was income from the Games through rising television broadcast deals that generated significant funds for Olympic IFs. Samaranch created the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations and Association of International Olympic Winter Federations which proved to be the IOC’s weapons to cut GAISF down to size.

The 1980s also saw GAISF launch its own multi-sport event, called the World Games, in a bid to gain independent income.

Like the Olympics, the World Games would be staged every four years, but they would not include any Olympic sports with the International World Games Association created to run the event.

The first edition of the World Games took place in 1981 in the Californian city of Santa Clara and featured 16 sports, including

The astonishing attack by Marius Vizer, left, on IOC President Thomas Bach, right, remains as the organisation's most dramatic moment.

Photo: Getty Images

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GEOFF BERKELEY SENIOR REPORTER, INSIDETHEGAMES badminton, karate and taekwondo which went on to secure their place on the Olympic programme.

GAISF’s membership continued to grow with Dutchman Hein Verbruggen in the hotseat. The World Association of Kickboxing Organizations, the International Federation of Muaythai, the World Darts Federation, the International Dragon Boat Federation, the International Federation of Sport Climbing and the Commonwealth Games Federation were among the organisations to become members in the 2000s.

The body was also renamed SportAccord in 2009 before reverting back to GAISF eight years later, but tension with the IOC never went away.

That frustration boiled over at the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit in April 2015, which is arguably the most infamous moment in GAISF’s history.

Speaking at the gathering in Russian city Sochi, SportAccord head Marius Vizer launched a scathing attack on the IOC and its leader Thomas Bach.

Vizer used his speech to accuse Bach of trying to block projects he tried to introduce, criticised the launch of the Olympic Channel as a waste of money, accused the IOC of a lack of transparency and claimed that Agenda 2020 had brought "hardly any benefit" to sport.

The International Judo Federation President also called for IFs to be given a greater say in the future of the IOC and for a fairer distribution of money.

Bach hit back by claiming Vizer's views were out of step with SportAccord members as the animosity between the two officials became clear.

Vizer’s explosive speech plunged the organisation into a crisis as IFs from 22 Olympic and seven non-Olympic sports subsequently withdrew or suspended their membership, while AIOWF and the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations suspended their ties.

Peruvian capital Lima also withdrew as host of the SportAccord-organised World Combat Games, which had been due to take place in 2017, before Vizer resigned barely a month after his outburst.

Gian-Franco Kasper took interim charge before another Swiss in Patrick Baumann was elected as the new President of the body.

GAISF regained some of its prominence under Baumann, until his death at the age of 51 during the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in Argentina in October 2018. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

The body has since been led by Raffaele Chiulli, who took on the role before being succeeded by International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation President Ferriani in November last year.

There is now a strong Italian influence in the Olympic Movement with Ferriani heading up AIOWF, Chiulli leading ARISF and Francesco Ricci Bitti in charge of ASOIF three bodies that hold a combined total of 83 members.

A further 40 International Federations form part of the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport, led by Germany’s Stephan Fox. GAISF is made up of 97 full members and 20 associate members, but Ferriani claimed the organisation’s services were no longer needed and is proposing for it to be closed down.

“ASOIF, AIOWF, ARISF and AIMS are doing more for their members than ever before and this is certainly a positive,” said Ferriani.

"At the same time it’s rendered GAISF services less useful and increased the risk of unnecessary duplication.

"This has resulted in an evolution where the activities conducted under the GAISF in contrast to those implemented by SportAccord have been significantly reduced.

"The reduction in GAISF activities bring us to a point where we have to question whether it is necessary to maintain an entity in parallel to SportAccord.

Influnentual figure Patrick Baumann led GAISF until his death in 2018.

Photo: Getty Images

"Organisations must serve a purpose and they do not exist for their own sake.

"GAISF has long served a useful function and purposes in the present situation but in view of the reduction of activities it is no longer justified to maintain its self-limited purpose.

"As a Council we have come to the conclusion that the logical consequence has to be addressed.

"This is why we have announced that an EGM will be called in September to decide on the dissolution of GAISF. "Dissolution will be an opportunity for GAISF to serve one final useful purpose by reinforcing SportAccord, transferring its remaining assets and providing it as well as other umbrella organisations with an increased means to develop its core activity and develop projects in the interest of sport and stakeholders.

The World Games, for non-Olympic sports, was born because of GAISF. Photo: Getty Images

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Events such as the World Combat Games will reportedly continue, even if GAISF is dissolved. Photo: GAISF

"Our proposal will not weaken but on the contrary reinforce the organisation of the global sport movement, making it linear and more focused.

"It will also give it a better basis to deliver sport worldwide, building good cooperation between all the stakeholders."

Ferriani is also head of SportAccord, that features Ricci Bitti, Belgium’s Ingmar de Vos and Canada’s Luc Tardif on its Executive Committee.

The organisation annually runs global gatherings, including the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit, Regional SportAccord and the IF Forum that bring together representatives from more than 125 IFs affiliated with ASOIF, AIOWF, ARISF, AIMS and GAISF. “When I was elected, I received the statement from the working group which was released in April 2021 and that said there was no more raison d'être for GAISF to exist,” said Ferriani.

“When I received this document in December the first thing I did was analyse the situation to see if it was right to either dissolve GAISF or dissolve SportAccord.

“The resolution was to move GAISF to SportAccord.

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“Be sure that everything has been deeply analysed since my election, so we are moving in the right direction with the right purpose.”

It was reported at GAISF’s recent virtual General Assembly that the body has assets worth CHF5.66 million and it forecast an income of CHF1.38 million this year.

Vincent Jäggi, of Swiss law firm Kellerhals Carrard, was present at the meeting where he discussed the winding up process which could be completed by the end of 2022.

He said a liquidator would be appointed following the dissolution of GAISF in order to relocate the assets to SportAccord and other umbrella organisations.

A series of workshops and explanatory sessions led by a legal working group are expected to be held over the coming weeks where members will be given the chance to voice any concerns.

"Transparency and good governance throughout this entire process is essential for the relevance of a reshaped organisation,” said Ferriani.

"This is why it is important to have independent external experts to ensure that the dissolution follows the required Swiss legal principles associated with it.”

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GAISF also organises the World Combat Games, World Urban Games and World Mind Games.

Fox, the vice-president and multi-sport games chairman of GAISF as well as head of AIMS, insisted dissolution would not affect these events, while claiming they were still generating plenty of interest from potential host cities.

Arguably the biggest question among members is how IFs would gain recognition once GAISF has been liquidated.

Ferriani claimed at the GAISF General Assembly that this process would be conducted

by SportAccord, insisting that “clear criteria” would be put in place.

Ricci Bitti then announced in June that there were plans to create a new commission to consider recognition for sports under the umbrella of the IOC. “It’s a sort of pipe from the beginning to the Olympics,” he said.

“This group should analyse the qualities, the universality based on many criteria, and then produce a proposal for the IOC Executive Board as it was in the past.

“In terms of formal recognition, we are going to have a committee with a very precise term of reference.

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“We are very tough on that.

“There is a veto as we have to defend the right of existing, very established sport in front of the newcomer, and of the other side to recognise the sports that have some level of universality and some level of success.”

De Vos, an IOC member who is President of the International Equestrian Federation, is on the GAISF Council along with Ferriani, Fox, Chiulli, Spain’s Marisol Casado, Britain’s Kate Caithness, Serbia’s Nenad Lalović and Italians Riccardo Fraccari and Bruno Molea.

The Belgian official argued that GAISF “did not fulfil any longer the role that it had to play in sport”.

“The most important role is the recognition of sports and IFs, where should that go?” said De Vos "And in the end we believe the best place to go is in the IOC because the IOC is anyway involved in the commissions with representation of the organisations in this pyramidal structure.”

The point of that pyramid, as De Vos put it, will be the IOC, becoming the almighty body in the world of sport - a move that Nally fiercely opposes.

“Sport needs to have its own union, its own governing body that GAISF is meant to be so this whole approach to dissolution is more about control and ownership,” said Nally.

“As long as GAISF has got people at the helm that care about sport as a whole and not necessarily about themselves as individuals, then I think it can be very well run.

‘Why kill something if all it needs is a bit of love, care and attention and it should be the very effective body that it has been, can be and will be again?”

Nally believes the GAISF’s approach to changing Presidents every two years has harmed the organisation, with Ferriani, under current rules, due to remain in charge until 2023 before being replaced by the AIMS representative.

“This rotational policy was put in place to try to avoid one individual becoming dominant and leading GAISF in some manner that might be in conflict with the IOC,” said Nally.

“But this means that GAISF has not been given to people like Patrick Baumann who was really enthusiastic and solid behind the whole concept of an International Federation of sport.”

GAISF brands itself as “One Voice for all Sports”, but Nally fears the lack of noise among International Federations in opposition to the dissolution, due to www.facebook.com/insidethegames

The sport of lifesaving has aptly led the charge in the fight to rescue GAISF. Photo: Getty Images

concerns that those views may hamper their Olympic ambitions, will allow the body to slip away in silence.

It is in need of a rescue plan, and it seems apt that this could come from the International Life Saving Federation - a body that is used to pulling off heroic acts.

Dissolution would require a two-thirds majority of GAISF’s 97 full members, meaning it would take 33 votes to block it in the event of a 100 per cent turnout.

Harald Vervaecke, secretary general for the ILS, wrote to GAISF members in November last year, calling for IFs to voice their opposition.

“I am writing at this pivotal time in sport to throw-up a red flag, as what is transpiring without our community is morally reprehensible,” said Vervaecke.

“Our members need more than ever to have an autonomous platform like GAISF to represent their interests and not allow minority groups to control the majority.”

Since Vervaecke’s letter, no IFs have publicly expressed their disapproval to the move to dissolve the body, but the ILS official claimed that at least 60 per cent of GAISF members were against liquidation.

Asked why those IFs have not made their opposition public, Vervaecke said: “It is all @insidethegames.biz

related to ‘how can I keep my sport out of the danger zone [with the IOC]?’.

“When we say that the ILS is willing to enter the Olympic Games in Brisbane in 2032 because life-saving is a really popular sport in Australia, people would say to me ‘don’t mess with the IOC otherwise they will vote against us’.

“But that’s not my philosophy. It is not a problem for me to head up [an opposition group] if that is logical.

“For me it is logical that you don’t disband an organisation like GAISF. “You cannot hand this power to the IOC. They cannot handle this.

“You have to look at sport from the root to the top and it goes to GAISF, not to the IOC.” Vervaecke said he would only vote in favour of a move to change the name of GAISF but is strongly against the body going under the IOC’s control.

“I would not care if this was not related to the four groups - ARISF, ASOIF, AIOWF and AIMS - as they are composed by the IOC,” he added.

“That means you don’t get a General Assembly that decides on who enters.

“You need a vote at a General Assembly or else you are just bound by the International Olympic Committee which is not an appropriate system.”

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The International Olympic Committee has a youth obsession and video sharing platform TikTok looks set to play a crucial role. Vimal Sankar charts the rise of the latest social media phenomenon.

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orniness inside the Olympic Village has been an open secret for many years.

From the hundreds of right-swipes on Tinder at the infamous Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics to the recordbreaking 450,000 condoms distributed at the Rio 2016 Summer Games, there have been plenty of stories to support the rumours of debauchery.

It is quite natural that these athletes, among the fittest people on the planet and at their physical peak, tend to get frisky when they come together every four years, especially considering the enormous pressure they are under to deliver.

That they are all humans first, with urges like everyone else, is a fact often forgotten in the quest for glory.

This is why, when Tokyo hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games last year in unprecedented circumstances because of the

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coronavirus pandemic, organisers were very specific about the social distancing protocols.

It meant that athletes had to avoid "unnecessary forms of physical contact", which was a new and indirect way of telling them to keep it in their pants.

Another new element at the Tokyo Games was the presence of the hugely popular Chinese social media platform TikTok, a video sharing app and something that a majority of the International Olympic Committee’s beloved Gen Z fans live and breathe by.

Together, the two new elements may have played a vital role in setting a trend for the consumption of Olympic Games content in the years to come.

It all started with the rumours of cardboard beds, dubbed as the "anti-sex beds", at the Tokyo Athletes’ Village.

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TikTok is a huge hit with the IOC's targeted younger generation. Photo: Getty Images

While the cardboard frames and polyethylene mattresses were a move targeted at sustainability, the fake news that it was designed to stop athletes from being intimate unsurprisingly spread quickly, until sports stars started debunking the myth.

One of them was American women's rugby player Ilona Maher.

The 25-year-old posted videos of herself and team-mates performing CPR and doing yoga poses and WWE-style slams to test the beds.

Maher ended the video on TikTok by saying: "And for this last take, Nicole and I will be having sex."

Whatever happened afterwards is not for us to worry about, but the video generated 1.7 million likes on the social media platform.

Maher's post was among the many viral videos from Tokyo, where athletes gave fans a different spin on the Olympic Games.

More and more joined in with the trend to give the public a glimpse of life inside the Village.

Australian water polo player Tilly Kearns, with more than 380,000 TikTok followers, posted a video explaining what Olympians ate during the Games.

From sanitising rules to all the cuisines in the world that one can think of, Kearns' video provided a peek into the cafeteria for those who were wondering.

While the most popular athletes on TikTok may not be the most-decorated stars on the field, the platform brought together a community that wanted to know the happenings behind the scenes.

This is something that the IOC thinks could bring out the most unique and interesting aspects of the Olympics.

"TikTok is a platform that is really driven by community content," Leandro Larrosa, the digital engagement and marketing director of the IOC, said.

"We saw this play out during Tokyo 2020 www.facebook.com/insidethegames

- where athletes were filming and sharing their individual experiences as well as interacting with the Olympic community.

"At the same time, we saw fans, followers and stakeholders from across the Olympic Movement joining in via user generated content in huge numbers.

"With people unable to travel to Tokyo due to COVID restrictions, we saw the space become a place for athletes, supporters and stakeholders to come together and share the experience - for example, through curated hashtag campaigns such as #OlympicCountdown and #OlympicSpirit."

With 5.2 million followers, the official Olympic TikTok channel’s description is very apt - “The Olympics, like never before”.

The rise of TikTok indeed is providing content like never before.

Since the anti-sex cardboard bed rumours, it is not just Olympic athletes who have dominated TikTok and other social media spaces.

Compilations of Olympic video content from television stations and other media platforms have been trending with the hashtag #Olympics.

A clip featuring comedian Kevin Hart and rapper Snoop Dogg’s commentary on equestrian events at Tokyo 2020, on NBC Universal's streaming service Peacock, must be up there with the best.

Describing a video where a dressage rider is competing, Snoop joked about the horse doing a “crip walk” and said: "This horse is off

the chain! I’ve got to get this m**********r in a video."

The official Olympics page is concentrating on making the most of its exclusive content, such as “did you know” pieces and facts, as well as training routines, dance trends and highlights. The many side pages, sharing their content, could also be a gamechanger for the IOC. “We have tailored our approach and content to reflect the uniqueness of the platform,” Larrosa said.

“On TikTok, our emphasis is on creating a shared space that highlights and celebrates the people at the heart of the Olympics.

“We do this through taking our uniquely Olympic content and creating around popular TikTok trends, sounds and hashtags.

“Collaboration and co-creation is also key for us, with Olympians, fans and the wider Olympic family.

“As early adopters of the platform, this also applies to TikTok itself, where we work closely with the team to build engagement opportunities.

“For example, our global collaboration with TikTok has now spanned two back-to-back Olympic Games, bringing together the Olympic Movement including official broadcasters, National Olympic Committees, Organising Committees and Olympians through the #OlympicSpirit challenge and a bespoke hub the community could access when they searched for Olympics.”

Ilona Maher became a TikTok celebrity at Tokyo 2020. Photo: Getty Images

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Tilly Kearns took TikTok viewers into the Athletes' Village restaurant in Tokyo. Photo: Getty Images

While the IOC’s idea was to create a unique space to “celebrate and support their favourite athletes”, TikTok has also become a platform for speaking up on more serious issues.

At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, ski jumper Anna Hoffmann of the United States hit out at organisers for making female athletes use a different-sized hill compared to men, even though men and women had competed on the same large hill all season, including at the World Championships.

For an organisation with a focus on gender balance and equality at administrative and other levels, questions of this sort can make life difficult.

Activism is another part of the Olympics on TikTok. For instance, American rower Kendall Chase regularly uses the platform to engage with fans of the sport, providing both rowing and LGBTQ+ based content.

With many athletes coming out in recent times, such videos could inspire more to do the same.

However, only a few years ago all of this would have been tricky.

The IOC’s strict copyright policy meant that athletes and officials were not allowed to post photos from the Village, and any content had to be pre-approved by the organisation.

All of that changed before the Summer and Winter editions of the Olympics in Tokyo and Beijing. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

“Athletes and others holding accreditation to the XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 are encouraged to share their experiences with their friends, family and supporters via social and digital media and to preserve the memories of their attendance at the Olympic Games,” read the IOC’s social media guidelines.

This social media indulgence and dominance is not surprising.

While Instagram stories took over Pyeongchang 2018, it was TikTok’s time to shine from the Tokyo Games onwards.

By then, the app had already surpassed Instagram in terms of popularity, especially among Gen Z. And the Chinese platform bodes well for the IOC’s obsession of “attracting youth”.

For years now, it has been preaching on why it wants to focus on the younger generation.

With TikTok, it seems to be on the right path.

“We work with the world's biggest media and broadcasting platforms to allow as many people as possible to experience the Olympics,” Larrosa said.

“With a largely millennial and Gen Z community, TikTok is an important space for us in continuing our ambition of directly connecting with younger audiences.

“The Olympic TikTok channel launched in December 2019.

“Since then, it has become one of our fastest growing social media handles.

“We have seen huge global fan engagement particularly with the #OlympicSpirit, which launched ahead of Tokyo 2020 and continued to run through Beijing 2022, reaching 9.2 billion views.”

With more urban sports being planned for future Olympic Games programmes, it looks like TikTok athletes are in for a great ride.

Kick flips and 360s in slow motion are certain to attract a fair few views.

The foundations to use the platform successfully have been laid by the IOC and TikTok, like any other type of social media, is a powerful medium that can bring about change.

On the other hand, there were multiple reports which suggested that hosts China had hired influencers during Beijing 2022 in a bid for positive coverage. This was reportedly to boost its image with regards to alleged human rights abuses, such as the crackdown on Uyghur Muslims and a reported mass surveillance programme.

While there is no doubt about the reach of TikTok, the question of what to believe does not have a simple answer.

How long until pressing issues such as the war in Ukraine, carbon footprints, mental health, doping and transgender policies are discussed frequently on TikTok? This is something to ponder, with the IOC’s stance on many of these topics debatable.

But for now, seeing the goofy and human side of these athletes is certainly refreshing to Olympic fans around the world.

TikTok has allowed fans to see the Olympic Games in a different light. Photo: Getty Images

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COMMONWEALTH GAMING

England

Scotland

Australia

Canada

COMMONWEALTH GAMING The Commonwealth Games Federation has opted to embrace esports at a time when gaming’s place among more traditional sports remains up for debate. Eliott Brennan discovers that Birmingham is positioning itself as an esports capital.

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he Global Esports Federation is due to reach a major landmark in August when the eyes of the Commonwealth turn to esports for the first time in history.

The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Forum and Commonwealth Esports Championships, both of which are due to be held at the International Convention Centre, will run alongside the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as separate events.

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Paul Foster, the chief executive of the GEF, explained that the Forum, scheduled to be held first on August 5, will open the celebrations with people from across the community gathering to discuss the future of esports as well as the role it has in society.

Topics covered will stretch from health and well-being to youth and education.

Several keynote speeches and a series of panel discussions are also expected to dive into varying topics, such as what esports means to the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the players.

Attention is also expected to be drawn to the place of esports in business, innovation and technology.

The Championships will take place across the following two days and, according to Foster, as many as 27 countries and roughly 250 athletes could take part.

The competition will be independent of the Birmingham 2022 sporting programme, meaning it will have its own branding and medals.

Dota 2, the eFootball series and Rocket League have been confirmed as the games

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for the Championships, with each title featuring an open and a women’s category.

None of this would have been possible without the signing of a strategic partnership between the GEF and the Commonwealth Games Federation in May 2020, which laid the foundation for the Forum and Championships to be staged.

It is hoped that the inaugural occasion will offer the chance for esports to stamp its ground, while making waves of impact and establishing a formidable legacy.

Foster said he hopes the events will create a “closer understanding” between esports and those who may remain sceptical of its place among other more traditional disciplines.

“I remember a time, maybe even a year or so ago, where we used to talk about sport and esports as two different universes almost,” he said.

“What we have realised during the pandemic, where we have been forced to come together and connect, is this notion that we are more similar than different.

“As humans we are not single tasked people. We like to do lots of different things.

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The West Midlands has signed a 10-year partnership with the Global Esports Federation. Photo: WMGC

“If we are able to achieve that level of understanding, that would almost be a great human and community legacy besides the physical legacy that will come from bringing people together and creating opportunities within industry and business.”

Esports proved its audience potential at the Singapore 2021 Global Esports Games, with the flagship competition attracting in excess of 500 million viewers.

However, the GEF is not lying back and simply sitting on this figure.

It is aiming bigger for this year’s edition of the Games in Istanbul, and has set an ambitious viewer target of one billion.

Capitalising on every opportunity, including the upcoming Forum and Championships, will be key for the GEF if it is to be successful in growing esports as rapidly as it aims to.

This means breaking into new markets and convincing people that they are, in some way, part of the community even if they may not realise it.

Swimming Olympian Alice Dearing exhibited her passion for esports at the signing of the West Midlands Esports Alliance event in June, which saw the British www.facebook.com/insidethegames

region and the GEF launch a 10-year strategic framework agreement.

In a short speech, she described esports as “the next big form of entertainment” and insisted there are plenty of people “who are gamers but don’t realise they are gamers”.

She highlighted the mobile sensation Candy Crush Saga as an example of this.

Foster predicted that the Championships and Forum will “organically” create a space for the media to talk to the GEF about esports and for the wider community to interact with gamers.

“The staging of those events will create its own momentum and excitement,” he said.

“What we have experienced is that people in the community, once we have created that space, they will shape it for themselves.”

The GEF is not the only stakeholder looking to leave a meaningful legacy, as the West Midlands aspires to use the Championships and Forum as a pivotal moment in their long-term investment in esports.

The region has been a major destination for sporting events in recent years, with the World Indoor Athletics Championships, the World Gymnastics Championships, the Cricket World Cup and the All England @insidethegames.biz

Badminton Championships among the competitions to have been held in the area.

Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward told insidethegames that the ambition is “to see the technology industry grow in the West Midlands” and for Birmingham to become a “force of nature” in hosting esports events in the future.

“The potential of these events is huge given you get literally hundreds of millions of people watching online from around the world, so it is again another opportunity to place this city on the international platform,” Ward said.

The decade-long deal between the West Midlands and the GEF, which is led by the West Midlands Growth Company, will give the region a major boost in both of Ward’s goals, it is hoped.

As a part of the agreement, the West Midlands will be given the chance to stage the Global Esports Tour from 2023 to 2026, and it may bid to host the Global Esports Games in 2027-2028.

It has also resulted in the region joining the likes of Singapore, Dubai, Istanbul and Los Angeles in the network of global esports hubs.

A range of initiatives concerning education, health and the future of work

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Birmingham could soon turn into an esports capital. Photo: Getty Images

are due to be launched alongside a regional GEF Innovation and Research Centre, in a bid to drive collaboration between West Midlands universities and the private sector.

There are plenty of reasons for the area to be keen to push the esports and gaming industry, given the size of it in the region.

It is the home of developers like Ubisoft, Playground, Codemasters and Sega Hardlight, and it produces a quarter of the United Kingdom’s output in the sector.

A total of 130 games companies are based in the West Midlands, with the sector employing more than 3,000 games professionals.

The UK gaming market was valued at £7.16 billion in 2021, around 3.5 per cent of the global value.

Esports can lead to the creation of new jobs and skills.

Photo: Getty Images

Worldwide value reached $198.4 billion last year, and it is anticipated to grow to an eyewatering estimated figure of $339.95 billion by 2027.

The sector is even more enticing as 37 per cent of Birmingham’s population is under the age of 25 - meaning it is one of the youngest cities in Europe.

“The very fact that we have a very youthful population, a population that is very innovative, means that this is a real opportunity for us to grow the industry here across the city region www.facebook.com/insidethegames

and to create additional jobs in the future because Birmingham is a growing city,” Ward said to insidethegames.

“We expect to have 150,000 more Brummies by the end of this decade than we have now.

“We’ve obviously got to lead in investment and create the jobs for those extra people that will be living with us in 10 years’ time.

“This is an industry that I believe has huge potential to grow.”

For athletes from travelling countries, the Forum and Championships present a different type of opportunity.

This is certainly the case for Malaysian Esports Federation President Dato Ananth S.Nathan.

Malaysia, who made their mark at the delayed Hanoi 2021 Southeast Asian Games in May by claiming three bronze medals, is one of the nations due to compete at the Commonwealth Esports Championships.

Their ambition is ensuring that gamers encounter various distinctive sporting and cultural experiences, which will hold them in good stead for the future.

“Any experience is educational, be it good or bad,” Dato Ananth said.

“They are both experiences.

“The events are a platform for everyone to exhibit the best of their talents.

“The target is to show your best, to experience your best and to share your experience for the future upcoming generations.

“Our athletes may have had the experience of playing their neighbours in their states or neighbouring states or neighbouring countries.

“For instance, we were in Hanoi for the Southeast Asian Games.

“There they had the experience of playing internationally. But there, the culture, the food, the environment and the climate is much the same.

“There is a similarity in language as well. @insidethegames.biz

“If you bring them across to the other part of the world, it is actually a fresh exposure.”

Moving forward, a successful showcase of the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships and Forum could turn the wind in the GEF’s favour as attention eventually switches to Victoria 2026.

The CGF committed to more engagement with esports in its Commonwealth Sport strategic roadmap for 2026 to 2030, although it is unclear what exactly this entails.

For the moment, Victoria 2026, the next Commonwealth Games in Australia, can be put to one side as esports seeks to enjoy its current prominence.

Foster is especially under no illusions of what the considerable spotlight means to esports and its community.

“It has been an incredibly exciting opportunity for the CGF and also the GEF to bring the two communities together and see them in parallel,” he said.

“What is true is the inaugural edition gives us the opportunity, like esports does, to evolve, to change and to grow.

“What we have discovered though is the incredible enthusiasm from the community, and different parts of the community, right around the Commonwealth.

“That has frankly taken me by surprise and delight.

“I knew the esports community would rally behind this chance to stand on such a brilliant stage in the centre of Birmingham, but to see the engagement of all the communities on the road to Birmingham has been really exciting.

“Particularly at this time of challenge for so many of us around the world, to give everyone, large and small, around the Commonwealth something to look forward to and to cheer for.”

Esports has featured at the Southeast Asian Games, among other events. Photo: Getty Images

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Ten Years Since London London 2012 captured the hearts of a nation and left a warm feeling in both the host country and the Olympic Movement.

Mike Rowbottom looks back with fondness, a decade on.

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or many Britons, the Platinum Jubilee celebrations held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II in June had the effect of a time warp.

Fleetingly, headily, it felt like the summer of 2012.

Watching the perfect “70” formation of planes fly over the royal balcony, and a Mall dense with Union flag wavers, prompted similar warm feelings to those evoked a decade ago at London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Queen even replicated the astonishing James Bond interlude from the Olympic Opening Ceremony, with another charming Buckingham Palace vignette involving much-loved children’s character Paddington Bear.

It also has to be said that, for many, such emotions had a painfully nostalgic element given the path Britain has trodden internationally since that period of reaching out and embracing nations from around the world.

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In retrospect, the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics remain what they appeared to be at the time - one of the great Games. Something to look back upon with pride and affection.

Everyone will have their own recollections of those momentous weeks during which the capital reprised the role it had served in 1908 and 1948.

Here are some of mine.

For me, the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, as for so many other Britons - although definitely not all - was surprising and special, a reflection and an expression of our own country.

On that evening I was inside the Olympic Stadium, and I felt the exaltation of a huge event arriving. It was like being lifted off your feet and carried forward by an immense wave.

It was the same when the Sydney 2000 Games got underway.

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Jessica Ennis was one of Britain's stars on Super Saturday.

Photo: Getty Images

In the space of four hours, Danny Boyle, the Oscar-winning film director in overall charge of the ceremony, created a fresh sense of wonder at Britain’s transition from a pastoral to an industrial society.

The spectacle raced through history. It tipped its hat en-route to British Army veterans and Chelsea Pensioners marching proudly in parade, the Pearly Kings and Queens and the arrival in the 1950s and 1960s of West Indians who came to be known as the Windrush Generation.

Among the other striking features of the ceremony was a celebration of the creation and expansion of the National Health Service.

Volunteers dressed in classic 1940s nursing uniforms arrived pushing beds and equipment, and formed a dancing centrepiece before giving way to the airborne arrival of umbrellapowered Mary Poppins figures.

Speaking personally, these were details I had not expected to see that evening, although I was also surprised when I saw the Queen apparently parachuting into the stadium from a helicopter, in company with James Bond.

Sitting alongside me that evening was a dear friend and colleague. During the extended NHS sequence I turned to him and saw tears in his eyes. He was deeply moved by this evocation of what many British people regard as one of the defining virtues of their society - and his feelings were deepened by the fact that his father had been an NHS doctor for all of his working life.

“We hope, too, that through all the noise and excitement that you will glimpse a single golden thread of purpose,” Boyle said in his programme notes.

“The idea of Jerusalem - of a better world.

The world of real freedom and true equality, a world that can be built through the prosperity of industry, through the caring nation that built the welfare state, through the joyous energy of popular culture, through the dream of universal communication. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

“A belief that we can build Jerusalem. And that it will be for everyone."

Just as Sydney 2000 had its Magic Monday, when 400 metres runner Cathy Freeman, who had lit the stadium cauldron, won home gold on a night of stellar athletics competition, London 2012 had a Super Saturday.

In the space of less than an hour on August 4, the host nation won three - yes, three - of the five track and field gold medals on offer at that evening’s session. Jessica Ennis in the heptathlon, Mo Farah in the 10,000m and, rather more unexpectedly, Greg Rutherford in the long jump were all crowned as Olympic champions.

“For Britain to win three gold medals on one night was absolutely unbelievable,” said Ennis.

“And we have still got a lot of really good medal prospects still to go. I think it will definitely, or hopefully, lift the next generation. I think it’s going to have an effect for many years.”

As things turned out, only one more athletics gold arrived for the host nation as Farah completed his double with the 5,000m title a week later.

Four years earlier, Ennis had flown home early after pulling out of an international heptathlon meeting in Götzis in Austria. She learnt that the reason her ankle hurt so much was because it had suffered a stress fracture. Her Olympic ambitions in Beijing were over, but fate had a very big consolation prize in store for her.

Skip forward an Olympiad, and the 26-year-old Sheffield athlete delivered the first British Olympic gold medal on a home athletics track since the last day of the 1908

London Games, July 25, when Wyndham Halswelle won 400m gold.

London 2012 organisers released figures on the decibel levels reached during key events in the stadium. The Super Saturday level, at its loudest for Farah, was a soaring one, but not the loudest.

That distinction was claimed by the crowd that witnessed home sprinter Jonnie Peacock’s victory in the Paralympic men’s 100m T44 final in 10.90sec. It was a very different crowd from that which had filled the stadium for the Olympics - less used to witnessing major sporting events.

The chants before the race got underway, touchingly sincere, could have come from a Games of the 1920s, with the most obvious of them being the simple chanting of “Pea-cock, Pea-cock, Pea-cock”. We were only one stage off “two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate!” And yet there it was - the biggest hoo-hah, officially, of London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

One of the legacies of London’s 1908 staging was the marathon distance of 26 miles and 385 yards. As the story is told, Queen Alexandra requested that the race start on the lawn of Windsor Castle - so the Royal children could see it from the window of their nursery - and finish in front of the Royal Box at White City Stadium. Thus, the length of the course was settled, and so it has remained.

After London had stepped up to host the first Olympics after the Second World War in 1948, some argued that the legacy was nothing less than the continuation of the Games.

Fireworks light up the London sky at the Olympic Opening Ceremony in 2012. Photo: Getty Images

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Sixty-four years on, Boyle’s references to building Jerusalem were stirring indeed. But how do those material efforts, in terms of London 2012’s legacy, stand up?

In proposing the idea last month that London should bid for the 2036 Games, Mayor Sadiq Khan made clear his confidence in the enduring benefits of 2012.

"If it’s the case we want to have a world that is green, that is sustainable, but also includes having Olympics that are sustainable - not building stadiums that sit empty but re-using stadiums and facilities that already exist,” he said.

"We've got the facilities in London so the cost wouldn't be humongous, and we could have the greenest Olympics ever.”

My colleague Duncan Mackay has questioned the ease with which another Games could be accommodated in London, pointing out that the 80,000-capacity Olympic Stadium is now the 60,000-capacity London Stadium, home of Premier League football club West Ham United.

He added that discussions are underway for UK Athletics, which signed a postOlympic 50-year deal to host flagship events there, to exit that contract. The deal appeared to flounder last year over the staging of a Diamond League meeting, but ending it would leave the capital once again without a working major athletics venue.

The Aquatics Centre, which once held 17,500 people, has been repurposed as a communityuse pool with space for just 3,800 fans.

The Basketball Arena and Water Polo Arena were both taken apart and recycled after the Games, while Earls Court Exhibition Centre, which hosted volleyball, was demolished five years ago.

“Replacements for these venues could be found but the loss of the Athletes’ Village, which accommodated 17,000 competitors and officials and has since been converted into 3,000 new homes along with restaurants, shops and schools, will be harder to overcome,” said Mackay.

That said, there is a strong case to be made that the London 2012 Games legacy was largely and successfully delivered, irrespective of whether the Games will come back or not.

Making this argument is Ian Edmondson, who was a project manager for the London 2012 bid team before becoming the head of major events at London and Partners, the economic development agency of the Mayor, during the Games. www.facebook.com/insidethegames

Performers pay tribute to the National Health Service at the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. Photo: Getty Images

Now an independent advisor on legacy and the evaluation of sports events, Edmondson told insidethegames: “We were going to commit to building an Aquatics Centre whether we were successful in getting the Games or not, and there was a big design competition won by Zaha Hadid which produced an iconic venue.

“It was also obviously about committing to building a stadium - and the big question was about whether it should have permanent use for athletics built into it or not, and keeping that use was always a key part of the vision of the legacy for the Games.

“And there was the velodrome planned on the site of the outdoor closed road circuit for cycling that Bradley Wiggins had already trained on.

“So we were potentially having three new arenas - the rest would only be temporary.

Those were all commitments in the candidate file when it was submitted in November 2004.

And then we showed the International Olympic Committee people the park, and then the Games were won.

“The Olympic Delivery Agency got its budget and then we started to transition to create the Olympic Park Legacy Company.

“The big challenge post-Games was who would be the tenants in the permanent venues - who would be opening the doors and cleaning the toilets for those facilities?

“It was a bit more straightforward for the Aquatics Centre and the velodrome. They always had strong partners. In the case of the velodrome it was the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and in the case of the Aquatics Centre a tender process led to the appointment of the trust that was given charge of the venue. @insidethegames.biz

“Then it came down to the main Olympic Stadium. At the end of the day it was quite a good conclusion. It has been used regularly.

There are big concerts held there regularly.

There is regular use by West Ham, who have gained a lot more season ticket holders as their new stadium is far larger than their old one at Upton Park.

“Athletics has been able to get in to hold Diamond Leagues, and the Anniversary Games, and the highly successful 2017 World Championships.

“All infrastructure on the park, all the 2012 venues, comes at a cost. There is always a cost to the public purse in running built infrastructure.

“But in the balance of what we are left with and whether we have created an environment which citizens both local and throughout London use generally, I think London 2012 delivered on its promises.

There are not many things that haven’t gone well from the London 2012 point of view.”

Edmondson added that the use of the park has gone beyond anything envisaged at the time of the Games.

“We have ABBA performing digitally at a temporary venue in the park until May of next year,” he said.

“The Victoria and Albert Museum has outgrown its old building and will soon be coming to the park as its new home.

“Meanwhile, University College has announced plans to build a massive campus next year, next to the Orbit.”

Ten years on, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is still a happening place.

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Merrier and Less Stern The anxiety caused by burning flames at the Olympics would never be seen at the Commonwealth Games, as Mike Rowbottom explains.

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or a start, we want no naked flames at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Like millions of other TV viewers, I recently watched the Buckingham Palace balcony celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, with the “perfect in powder blue” matriarch leaning only slightly on her stick as she acknowledged the intense affection being radiated towards her by thousands of flag waving Britons jamming The Mall.

Standing at her right hand, face almost as scarlet in the heat as the gilded uniform covering his no longer polo-lissom body, her eldest son, now 73, must have viewed the familiar scene with resignation.

In a way, all of Prince Charles’ life has been about waiting.

So, he will have been in his element during the Opening Ceremony of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games as he stood by - and continued standing by - to receive his mother’s words of wisdom contained in the Queen’s baton, which had come to the end of its long and winding relay journey through her realm.

"Very much connected" was the key phrase awaited.

It was certainly apposite at that moment.

The baton, for several awkward seconds, refused to yield as the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Dame Louise Martin, sought to open it.

"The ancient stories told by the people of Australia tell us that even though we are far away, we are all very much connected," the Prince was eventually able to announce, setting the 21st Commonwealth Games in motion.

Four years and one pandemic later - we earnestly hope - the event that came into being 92 years ago as the British Empire Games is about to start for the 22nd time. It will be in England for the third time - on this occasion in Birmingham.

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Prince Imran and Chris Hoy struggle with the baton during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Photo: Getty Images

The 1930 British Empire Games were held in Hamilton, Ontario with the dictum approved by the event’s instigator Bobby Robinson - that, compared to the Olympics, they "should be merrier and less stern and will substitute the stimulus of novel adventure for the pressure of international rivalry".

If you were seeking an emblem of contrast between the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, you need look no further than that Opening Ceremony, where the awkward hiatus was greeted by the chairman of Gold Coast 2018 Peter Beattie with laughter so merry that he almost fell backwards off the presenting dais.

The incident epitomised the longstanding characterisation of the Commonwealth Games as the "Friendly Games". It is hard to imagine an Olympic faux pas being received in similarly relaxed fashion.

Inevitably, minds went back to the weirdly similar occurrence at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony in Glasgow four years earlier, when the then-President of the CGF, Prince Imran of Malaysia, managed to cut his thumb open as he struggled for 30 seconds or so to release the Queen’s message from the baton that had just been passed to him by Sir Chris Hoy. The beefy cyclist had attempted to help in the operation as the Prince, who insisted afterwards that he had practiced opening the baton "two or three times", continued not to do the trick.

The Queen gave little away as she awaited - and eventually received - her own message.

"I had a little bit of a problem, there was a little bit of collateral damage," the Prince said at the next day’s media briefing. "I cut

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my thumb on that wonderful piece of Scottish engineering, but it was my fault. I’m not sure Chris Hoy helped but all’s well that ends well. I raised a laugh."

In my experience, Olympic Opening Ceremonies have been occasions of high anxiety. The first I attended, at the Barcelona 1992 Games, had intricately arranged for the Olympic cauldron to be lit by a flaming arrow loosed from the bow of renowned Spanish Paralympic archer Antonio Rebello Liñán.

Personally, I was tense. I strongly didn’t wish for anything to go wrong. I actually resented why the whole thing had to be made so convolutedly difficult, in fact. What was wrong with the old idea of applying a flame directly? He could have done it with his flaming arrow as far as I was concerned.

Anyway. It worked perfectly. And it was only some time afterwards that I discovered that, while this was indeed a feat, it had been aided by the fact that there was a wide target area of streaming gas at which to aim.

I could have done with knowing that at the time.

Eight years later in Sydney, Olympic organisers, perhaps taken with Barcelona’s idea, went even bigger on flames in their Opening Ceremony. At one point poster girl Cathy Freeman appeared in imminent danger of immolation, which would have spoiled her chances of winning the women’s 400 metres gold.

Standing in a pool of shallow water, Freeman leant down to place the end of her torch around the surface, igniting a surrounding ring of fire. For a while, in fact for what seemed like a long, perilous, worrying while, she just stood there as the flames rose around her. Like Joan of Arc. Imagine the panic. Imagine the thumping pulses and shaking hands as someone, somewhere, somehow, got the mechanism to work and the inner circle on which the beloved athlete stood finally slid downwards and away from what was by now a flying saucer of flame.

You don’t see that bit in the recordings - but the relieved smile on Freeman’s face as it slips to the safety below offers an enduring clue…

I trust no flames will be involved in the Birmingham 2022 Opening Ceremony. And that, if anything does go wrong, everybody will keep their collective wig on.

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