NZ chase glory at trimmed-down Commonwealth Games

The skinny Less is more. And the 2026 Wegovy Games, er, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, will deliver less when they get under way early Friday New Zealand time . We are getting a budget, scaled-down version of the Games this time around. The Grudging Games have been reduced to 10 sports — down from 19 in 2022. We are lucky to get that. The Scots stepped in on short notice to save the event when Australia tried to cancel the Games because no-one in the State of Victoria could count. They thought they could fund the whole shebang with a couple of sausage sizzles outside Bunnings and got burnt. The actual bill was approaching $A7 billion ($NZ8.35b). They ran out of sausage fingers at $A2.6b. The Games had to be consolidated. And by consolidated we mean the likes of hockey, rugby sevens, wrestling, diving, squash and road cycling have been bumped from the programme. There will still be some caber tossing somewhere in Scotland, though the tossers might not be officially recognised on the medal table or in public. This time four years ago we described the Games as “a colonial relic in existential crisis — an iceberg sitting off the coast of Bermuda” then tuned in to watch all of the action. We will have the boot on one foot and our eyes on the screen again this time as well, because despite all the concerns about the event’s relevance and its viability, it remains a source of inspiration. The gold standard Reigning Olympic champion Hamish Kerr leaps to the top of the list of New Zealand gold medal prospects. The Dunedin-born high jumper won gold in Birmingham and is part of a quality athletics team that includes shot putter Tom Walsh, who is chasing a third consecutive gold, and Geordie Beamish, who is among the favourites in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. Dunedin darling Anna Grimaldi is a clear favourite in the T47 100m, and double Olympic champion Ellesse Andrews is back to defend the three golds she won on the bike four years ago. Assets Pole vaulting trio Eliza McCartney, Imogen Ayris and Olivia McTaggart must return with at least one medal between them because they make up approximately 110% of the field. That is just basic maths. The Silver Ferns are banking on Grace Nweke dragging them through to the gold medal match. The men’s 3x3 basketballers, featuring Otago Nuggets small forward Christian Martin, are targeting a medal. Zoe Hobbs has podium potential in the women’s 100m but will face some stiff opposition from the English and Jamaicans. Former Dunedin swimmer Erika Fairweather and Lewis Clareburt will lead the charge in the pool. Fairweather is entered in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, and is in the 4x200m women's freestyle and the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay teams. Popular weightlifter David Liti is hunting a third consecutive medal at the Games Bryony Botha will anchor the women’s team pursuit and push for individual glory as well, while Ally Wollaston is a strong contender in the women’s points race. The men’s endurance team is also expected to be among the medals. Liabilities (only joking) Don’t you just love those team-naming press releases that finish up by saying “so and so” round out the team. We all know what that means. “James Steyn and Nick Southgate round out the team in the men’s hammer and pole vault respectively’’ — Athletics New Zealand. “Rounding out the team are the backstroke duo of Amber George and Savannah-Eve Martin, with both set to line up in the 50m and 100m distances” — Swimming New Zealand. Gymnastics New Zealand got a little more creative with “For Jun McDonald and Sienna Shields, Glasgow 2026 will mark their Commonwealth Games debuts’’. The bottom line New Zealand collected 50 medals — 20 of them gold — in Birmingham. But we had a team of 233 and there were 19 sports. This time the team is half the size and there are about half the events. That means we will need a return of 25 medals, including 10 gold, or we start cutting your funding and deporting you. Got it? adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz