If this were to be the Commonwealth Games' swansong on the Gold Coast in a few weeks, would we really care?
Some see it as an outdated symbol of British imperialism, or just a training run for the Olympics.
In saying that, it is a training run that Australia traditionally dominates, although England did finish on top at Glasgow in 2014 off the back of its heavy investment into Olympic sports in the lead-up to London.
But overall, Australia leads the all-time medal tally with 852 Gold medals, England has won 669 and Canada 469. It drops away dramatically after that.
| Rank | Nation | Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia (AUS) | 20 | 852 | 716 | 650 | 2218 |
| 2 | England (ENG) | 20 | 669 | 670 | 669 | 2008 |
| 3 | Canada (CAN) | 20 | 469 | 476 | 528 | 1473 |
| 4 | India (IND) | 16 | 155 | 155 | 128 | 438 |
| 5 | New Zealand (NZL) | 20 | 144 | 204 | 262 | 610 |
| 6 | South Africa (RSA) | 12 | 117 | 112 | 123 | 352 |
| 7 | Scotland (SCO) | 20 | 110 | 119 | 178 | 407 |
| 8 | Kenya (KEN) | 15 | 81 | 68 | 71 | 220 |
| 9 | Nigeria (NGR) | 13 | 61 | 66 | 85 | 212 |
| 10 | Wales (WAL) | 20 | 57 | 86 | 127 | 270 |
How the Games will play out
The Commonwealth Games generally follows a certain script.
Without the USA, China or Russia, Australia will dominate the swimming. England was more competitive at Glasgow but it is hard to mount an argument that it is a world-class field.
Australia goes well too in athletics. The likes of Jamaica add interest in the sprint events, but there will be no Usain Bolt on the Gold Coast. Kenya is always formidable in middle and long-distance running.
Cycling? It looks like Australia will be strong again, having won 96 of the 180 gold medals on offer since cycling was introduced at London in 1934. England will again be the main rival in the velodrome and on the road.
There is no doubt all this winning is good for the morale of the country, but is it worth the huge investment for a few key moments and fair portion of mediocre competition?
The men's basketball will have just one team ranked in the world's top 20 — Australia.
Source:http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-15/the-commonwealth-games-a-predictable-script-for-australia/9548954
