The Commonwealth Games have a cherished place in the memories of many Britons. In 1954, there was the so-called ‘Miracle Mile’, when Roger Bannister, who earlier that year had become the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, defeated Australian John Landy, the world record-holder, in the first race when two men broke four minutes.
In Edinburgh in 1970, there was the victory of Scotland’s Ian Stewart in the 5,000m over Kenyan Kip Keino. In 1982 and 1986, there were the consummate 1,500m victories of Steve Cram.
At the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 – the last time a British city hosted the Games – capacity crowds saw such dazzling performances as Paula Radcliffe taking the 5,000m title, Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe setting a world record in the 400m freestyle and Jonathan Edwards finishing first in the triple jump, while the superbly appointed Velodrome provided the launch-pad for the subsequent Olympic triumphs.
However, with the growth over the last four years in the number of world championships in individual sport as well as gala meetings, such as the Grand Prix, the Games seem to have lost some of their lustre. For many countries, the hosting of the Commonwealth Games brings the problems in hosting the Olympics – the need for facilities, including a main stadium –but with few of the financial advantages. The gargantuan television and sponsorship revenue of the Olympics dwarves the Commonwealth Games.
So far Glasgow seems to have coped admirably with many of the difficulties of hosting the event this summer and, unlike in 1986, when Scotland last staged the Games, there does not seem any chance of a boycott spoiling the spectacle. However, when the 11-day Games open on 23 July, one hopes that the event will resonate with the international public. This has depended largely on whether two men take part and, at the time of writing, one remains uncertain.
The uncertain one is Usain Bolt, the only man to have won three sprint titles in two successive Olympics and is perhaps, thanks to the reach of the modern media, the most famous athlete in history. Because of a foot injury, he has delayed his start to the competitive season, pulling out of the Rome Golden Gala on 5 June. The organisers are keen for him to take part in the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix in Glasgow on July 11 and 12 and particularly in the Games themselves, even if only in one individual event, possibly the 200 metres.
The other athlete, who has now confirmed his appearnce, is Mo Farah, also a double Olympic and world champion. With heptathlete Jessica Ennis absent because she is expecting a baby, Farah is the most recognisable Briton at the Games. He will take part in at least one distance race, where the opposition of the Kenyans will make compulsive watching.
Yet even if Bolt fails to take part, one hopes that the public outside Scotland, where the Games have certainly been warmly embraced, will enthuse at many of the outstanding competitors participating in the 17 sports and 261 events.
The Games are known as ‘the Friendly Games’ because they lack the intensity of the Olympic Games. Apart from the Commonwealth Conference, they remain the only public manifestation of the Commonwealth itself, joined by historic ties over hundreds of years.