The more I watch it, the more this becomes so obviously true.

I've called these the Poundshop Olympics, which is flippant and dismissive, but it's clearly true that these games are a lower tier than the Olympics. That's obvious and true for the competitors as well as the observers. Every competitor in the commonwealth games is vividly clear of the games' standings in world sport.

Does that mean they don't care? Should we write off this season's Championship since we know that Chelsea could win it at a stroll if they were allowed to? If Norwich win the championship, should we all just shrug and say "yeah, but it's not a real competition"?

I read recently that the commonwealth games were one of the most "embarrassing" events in sport. Really? Well, possibly, if you've such a shallow frame of reference that you don't really understand "sport" or the concept of embarrassment.

Just look at the kids winning medals. Look at how much it means to them. If all that you can muster is a sneer about how it "isn't the Olympics", that really speaks more about you than it does the games.

Posted By: Arizona Bay, Jul 31, 22:08:27