The long-running Commonwealth Games will bring something new.
The quadrennial event, starting Thursday in Birmingham, will be the first multi-sport international conference to host more medal events for women than men, and is underway with its largest para-sport event to date.
When the 11-day Commonwealth Games, which began as the British Empire Games in 1930, are staged in England for the third time, 136 gold medals will be awarded to women, 134 for men and 10 gold medals in mixed events.
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Shelley-Ann Fraser-Price may line up for one of them, just weeks after she won the 100 meters World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The 35-year-old Jamaican, a five-time world champion in the 100 and three-time Olympic gold medalist, has never claimed an individual gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Fraser-Price won a medal for Jamaica in the 100 at the World Championships, in front of Sherrika Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Hera. She finished second behind Jackson in the 200, with Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith taking the bronze to prevent back-to-back sprint sweeps for Jamaica.
After Jamaica finished with a silver medal in the women’s 4×100 relay, Fraser-Price posted a message to fans on Facebook: “See you at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham!”
Asher-Smith had already started thinking about Birmingham when it won the bronze medal in the 200.
“Can’t wait to go to the Commonwealth Games next week, half the world!” she said in a post-race interview with the BBC. “I still think the crowd at the Commonwealth Games will be amazing… better, because I’m a Brit.”
The Indian contingent suffered a setback on the eve of the Games when Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra withdrew from the team after doctors recommended that he focus on rehabilitation for a groin injury he suffered at last week’s World Championships. He was on his way to winning a silver medal.
“Needless to say, I am hurt by not being able to defend my title and missing out on another chance to represent the nation,” Chopra said in a statement posted on Twitter. “I am particularly disappointed about missing out on the opportunity to be the flag bearer of Team India at the opening ceremony, an honor I’ve been waiting for.”
A highlight of the Games is the inclusion of women’s cricket for the first time, and World Cup champions Australia will be looking to add to their recent dominance.
The Australians are considering whether they will march at the opening ceremony, which is the night before their big opening match against India.
The opening ceremony ends at 10.30 p.m. and their first match begins at 11 a.m. Friday, with a huge crowd expected at Edgbaston.
Australia coach Shelley Nitschke said on Tuesday that the team’s priority is to continue the winning streak in major events.
“(There) is great motivation. This is the first one,” she said. “We are really looking forward to putting our best foot forward and hope to add a gold medal to the mix.”
A medal is also the main target for India, Australia’s runners-up in the last T20 World Cup.
“This tournament is very important for us,” India Captain Harmanpreet Kaur said. “This time we are playing for medals. We have grown up watching them… and this time we are glad that we are also getting an opportunity to be a part of this big event.”
In swimming, English champion Adam Peaty will be looking for a third Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 100 breaststroke when he returns to the pool from the World Aquatic Championships in Budapest in June following a fracture in his leg.
The world record holder and Olympic champion joins the star-studded roster of swimmers from across the Commonwealth.
Australia is expected to lead in the six-day meeting starting Friday.
The Australians finished second in the medal tally at last month’s World Championships and will be strengthened by the return of Tokyo Olympic stars Emma McCann and Ariane Titmus.
But Australia would be without top-order backstroker Isaac Cooper, who was sent home from a recent training camp in France for disciplinary reasons including drug abuse.
Like all major events in the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be around 5,000 participating athletes from 72 countries or territories affected by Covid-19.
Dr Peter Harcourt, Commonwealth Games medical adviser, said around a dozen athletes had tested positive every day after arriving in the village from 1,200-1,400 daily tests.
a positive test for coronavirus does not automatically preclude an athlete from competing. Decisions will be made by each team’s medical staff based on a combination of factors, including a cycle limit (CT) to determine vaccination status and shedding levels.
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