The Official XVIII Melbourne Commonwealth Games Thread

[Titanium_BD1103]

YAY it is only around 11 hours till the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games from Melbourne...

Australia has a great chance of sweeping the pool at these games and making history in many sports, and there is a good chance we will see some very special performances from Australians and non-australians alike.

The opening ceremony looks really promising and very interesting from the glimpses I caught on TV last night... and I am looking forward to this immensely...

So here is the thread to post up the details of anything happening in the Commonwealth Games, results, articles, questions of who is medal chances, or even just a run down of your favourite sporting star.

I look forward to seeing us all Green and Gold with Pride and screaming GO AUSTRALIA as would be said by the Nova Network over the next 12 days.. and may Australia win plenty.... :win: :win:

Mod note: The question was meant to read GOLD MEDALS.

[Dakink]

Nice - I stickied the thread so we can keep an eyeon the updated tally as we go along.

Looking forward to seeing some of the nations and athletes you dont normally get to see in bigger events like the WC and Olympics.

[Dakink]

Do you mean Gold medals in the Poll? I read in the paper today that they hoped to win 88 gold alone!!

[Titanium_BD1103]

Dakink I am too... like Samoa and the Solomon Islands and the fastest man in the world in Asafa Powell... he will be great to watch...

Some details about the opening ceremony.. well in particular Delta singing in the opening ceremony..

from heraldsun.com.au

Delta Goodrem to star at opening ceremony
Cameron Adams
15mar06

Goodrem has written a stirring new song for the big occasion, Together We Are One.

While the spotlight is on Delta, boyfriend Brian McFadden ? who co-wrote the song ? will be watching from the crowd.

"I just want to give the best performance I can," Goodrem said yesterday.

"I am an adopted Melburnian so I'm just so proud.

"I wanted to give something back to a city I absolutely love.

"It feels like home to me."

Goodrem lived in Port Melbourne while filming her role as Nina Tucker in Neighbours.

Her Games ballad harks back to the positive theme of her 2002 No. 1 Born to Try.

Goodrem wrote the song as a tribute to the staff and volunteers behind the Games.

"There is no doubt in my mind these Games are going to be the best ever," she said.

"But to make them successful takes the most phenomenal effort.

"Having been involved in the opening ceremony, I've seen a slice of what it takes to put an event like this on ? from the people backstage, to volunteers, staff, officials and, of course, the athletes.

"I wanted to write a tribute to all those people, to say after all the toil, and the blood, sweat and tears, the time has finally arrived for them to be rewarded. We're all united by this moment."

Together We Are One will be available on the opening ceremony album, which will be sold at the MCG tonight and in stores from tomorrow.

"I just hope it's something that people enjoy. It's aspirational," Goodrem said.

"It's my favourite kind of song to write. The lyrics are just so inspiring ? together we are one. The message is so perfect for the Games."

Goodrem and McFadden wrote the song with British musician Guy Chambers.

"I had known about the Games for a while and they had asked if I could write a song," Goodrem said. "I had a couple of songs I was working on, but I just wasn't sure about them.

"Then, a couple of weeks ago, Brian and I went into a studio with Guy in London and got this done in one day.

"It's just such a wonderful message about putting our differences behind us and all coming together.

"The lyrics are very special and I just love this song."

Chambers co-wrote songs on Goodrem's Mistaken Identity album and McFadden's Irish Son album. He came to prominence as Robbie Williams' songwriting partner.

Goodrem and McFadden reached No. 1 in Australia exactly one year ago with the duet Almost Here. Their relationship has since blossomed.

It will be Goodrem's second MCG appearance. She performed at the AFL Grand Final last year amid controversy.

After a mix-up by organisers, Goodrem was double booked with local singer Silvie Paladino to sing the national anthem.

A gracious Goodrem sang I Am Australian instead.

[Titanium_BD1103]

Oh and here is the song..

From: heraldsun.com.au

Delta Goodrem's song

15mar06

The song Delta Goodrem will sing at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. It was written by Goodrem, Brian McFadden and Guy Chambers.

Together We Are One

Here we are
Sharing our lives
We made it through
The good and bad times
And still we stand
With hope in our hearts
No matter what
We will play our part
And now we've come so far
One chance to touch a star
Go higher ... and higher
Find your guiding inspiration
In a place where dreams are made
With a lifetime's preparation
It's no time to be afraid
Put our difference behind us
While you shine like a sun
See what we've all become
Together we are one
Inside, your heart and soul
You reach so high
To reach your goal
And her we stay
With everything
You gave it all
Till there is nothing left
Seek out the strength to win
No thoughts of giving in
Go higher
Then higher
Find your guiding inspiration
In a place where dreams are made
With a lifetime's preparation
It's no time to be afraid
Put our differences behind us
While we're shining like a sun
See what we've all become
Together we are one
Find your guiding inspiration
In a place where dreams are made
With a lifetime's preparation
It's no time to be afraid
Put our differences behind us
While we're shining like a sun
See what we've all become
Together we are one

I reckon this is a nice song... it encapulates the idea of striving to achieve your best goals and going for gold.. but I still like Nollsy Shine song more.. that would have been cool to have...

[Titanium_BD1103]

Oh yeah Dakink.. LOL sorry I stuffed that up.. YES PEOPLE GOLD MEDALS NOT ALL MEDALS... ... because we are, as the media is stating said to win 88 gold alone..

[Titans#1]

I vote for a humble 60-80... can't be TOO good... lmao

[Eel 33]

I think they will fall just short of the 100 mark. The rest of the commonwealth will want to knock us off in our own backyard.

[Titanium_BD1103]

Some insight into the Opening Ceremony..

From news.ninemsn.com.au

Melbourne puts its stamp on 18th Games
Wednesday Mar 15 22:56 AEDT

Frolicking koalas, a flying tram and a duck have starred in a Commonwealth Games opening ceremony that celebrated the city of Melbourne.

From the football code born in Melbourne to the creation of one of the city's most recognisable cartoonists, the Victorian capital shared the ceremony with 4100 athletes and 75,000 onlookers.

Australia's premier sporting arena, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, was turned into a stage for a ceremony that officially starts the 18th Commonwealth Games.

From cricketers Max Walker and Simon O'Donnell to Australian football legend Ron Barassi, the ceremony was filled with elements of Melbourne.

Melburnians themselves became part of the event, yelling out a countdown of previous Game host cities before the ceremony got underway.

It started with a Melbourne icon, a W-class tram which winged its way down from the top of the MCG's Great Southern Stand.

John Brack's famous painting "Collins St, 5pm" proved the inspiration for the crowd leaving the tram, throwing off their overcoats to reveal colours in every shade of the rainbow.

A creation of cartoonist Michael Leunig, a duck, shared the stage with 12-year-old Melbourne schoolboy Sean Whitford in one of the ceremony's key components.

Leunig's short poem about the duck, and of keeping one's innocence, were central elements to the story played out in the centre of an arena more used to cricketing and football champions than singing and dancing children.

But it wasn't just the MCG. The nearby Yarra River was instrumental in the ceremony.

Huge fish images, which have floated on the Yarra for the past fortnight, came to life, brightly lit before they sprayed water.

The Games baton was passed down the centre of the river by captains from the AFL's 16 teams, cheered on by tens of thousands of members of the public.

Surfboats were rowed up the Yarra, each bearing the flag of the past 17 countries to host the Commonwealth Games.

After appearing to walk on water, Barassi went up a set of stairs that appeared from out of the river to carry the baton up to the Swan St bridge where he handed it to running great Herb Elliott.

Even Melbourne's central business district was not left out of the ceremony - pyrotechnics leapt from a range of buildings, chasing their way towards the MCG.

Melbourne's Arts Centre spire materialised at one stage: another icon to make its way into the event.

There were elements of past Australian opening ceremonies. Instead of Brisbane's giant kangaroo Matilda, a giant inflatable koala battled above the MCG with other marsupials including ones on a giant thong - similar to the one that featured in the Sydney Olympics.

While there was plenty of focus on Melbourne's recent past, ceremony organisers ensured the nation's first inhabitants were also recognised.

Actor Ursula Yovich played a woman in bark canoe, rowing herself to the centre of the MCG as Aboriginal culture, its stories and history were celebrated.

Two hours of new music was created for the ceremony, but it was a popular hit of the past - The Church with "Under the Milky Way" - that was used as a backdrop to one of the ceremony's highlights.

As motorcyclists did tricks, members of the Australian Ballet Company were elevated into the air, dancing in mid-air.

There were large rounds of applause as the 71 nations and territories entered the MCG, with Scotland, South Africa, India, Canada, Fiji and New Zealand all enjoying strong support.

But the biggest cheer of the night was saved for the Australian team, headed by walker Jane Saville who carried the Australian flag into the MCG.

The ground almost physically shook as the crowd took to its feet, widely applauding the Australians as they marched, skipped and rolled their way into the arena.

The adulation for the Australian team was almost matched by the support Dame Kiri Te Kanawa received as she sang Happy Birthday to Queen Elizabeth which seamlessly segued itself into an upmarket version of God Save the Queen.

Former Olympic greats Cathy Freeman, Ron Clarke and Marjorie Jackson-Nelson were last but one to carry the baton.

Queen Elizabeth, who received the baton from Victorian Governor and running legend John Landy, said the Games were a chance for all members of the Commonwealth to come together, no matter their differences.

"Tonight we celebrate the value of sport as a means of bringing together people from 71 nations and territories, and from a wide range of cultures, traditions and beliefs," she said.

The Queen also paid tribute to Australia, highlighting how other cities had held previous Empire and Commonwealth games.

"I would like to remind you of the very successful games at Sydney in 1938, in Perth in 1962, and in Brisbane in 1982.

"Together they underline the impressive contribution that Australia has made to the successful development of the Commonwealth, and to the encouragement of good sportsmanship and friendliness throughout the Commonwealth."

And with that, the Queen declared the Games open.


?AAP 2005

I thought the opening ceremony was impressive... I loved the athletes coming out so happy and cheerful, how Barrassi walked on water and the song Delta sung.. very inspirational IMO..

The start however was a bit confusing.. too melbournised I have heard the media say.. I reckon maybe not.. maybe just a bit too focused on showing Victoria to the world instead of Australia.. But very cool none the less.. I loved the thong and the magic of the duck.. even if I didn't understand it entirely...

Well done Melbourne and bring on the competition.. LET THE GAMES BEGIN

[Super Cronk]

I watched a bit of the ceremony last night....and i just have to ask, was the guy that planned it on acid or some type of other drugs?

Also what is with every Australian event we have to have a kid flying around in the air..

[Queenslander]

I watched a bit of the ceremony last night....and i just have to ask, was the guy that planned it on acid or some type of other drugs?

Also what is with every Australian event we have to have a kid flying around in the air..

The opening cermony didnt offer anything new to me; flying kids....people dressed up as koalas; it was like a big circus!......It was a big disappointment IMO.

[Go_The_Doggies]

well tbh, leading up to the games...i didnt really care...i was only interested in the sevens and the netball....

but last night before the ceromony...they had a thing on tv...with dave dobbyn singing his awesome song 'welcome home' at the thingy where hamish marshall was announced flag bearer *respect*....lol i had soo much kiwi pride then haha....then when they showed the massive as haka the nz mens basketball team recieved...it was soo cool lol.

[Queenslander]

Aussies post first win in lawn bowls
March 16, 2006

AUSTRALIA'S women's triples have become the first lawn bowls combination to win a match for the host nation at the Commonwealth Games.

Noi Tucker, Roma Dunn and Ceri Ann Davies overcame a slow start to defeat Samoa in straight sets in their opening round-robin match 13-10 21-3.

Heavy rain overnight and early this morning failed to delay the start time as an enthusiastic capacity crowd filled the Darebin International Sports Centre.

Davies was later pleased with the win, saying a change in strategy after the first set to play longer ends had worked to the Australians' advantage.

"We didn't get off to a very good start and that shows we still have a lot of work to do," she said.

"You really can't afford to take anyone lightly at this level.

"In the second set we found our rhythm playing the longer ends."

The women's triples play again later today against the Cook Islands.

AAP

[Go_The_Doggies]

lmfao..imo..lawn bowls shouldnt be there...but hey...

[Titanium_BD1103]

From: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=91723

Australian teenager wins bronze medal
Thursday Mar 16 16:40 AEDT

Australian teenager Erika Yamasaki has won bronze in the women's 48 kilogram weightlifting.

India's Kunjarani Nameirakpam won the gold medal, the first of the Games.

Nameirakpam lifted 94 kilograms in the clean and jerk to post a total of 166 kilograms, edging Canada's Marilou Dozois-Prevost into the silver medal position by one kilogram.

Yamasaki took the bronze with a total of 153kg.

CONGRATS to Erika, you have done Australia so proud by winning in a sport we don't normally go well in... Bronze is a fantastic effort and Australia is so very very proud of you...