The 2014 Commonwealth Games is about to begin and it is set to be a fantastic series.
This year, the games are being played in Glasgow, Scotland and will be the largest multi-sport event Scotland has ever had. The country has hosted the games previously in 1970 and 1986, both events being successful.
If you want to tune in to this years’ Commonwealth Games, your best source of coverage is by watching Channel 10, One or by using TenPlay online. One will be covering most of the games live during all hours, Channel 10 will have the highlights playing and by using TenPlay online you can catch up on all of the action that you may have missed. If you aren’t sure how to watch catch up TV using TenPlay, click here.
Be watching Channel 10 at 5:30am AEST Thursday 24 July to see cyclist Anna Meares carrying the Australian flag at the opening ceremony.
Glasgow already had 70% of the necessary venues in place when they won the bid to host the games. The venues in Glasgow that will be hosting events include; Hampden Park and Celtic Park (main venue for athletics, opening and closing ceremonies), The Emirates Arena (track cycling, badminton), Glasgow Green (field hockey, road cycling), Tollcross park Aquatics Centre (swimming), The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (wrestling, judo, bowling, netball, gymnastics), Kelvingrove Park (bowls, table tennis, squash), Ibrox Stadium (rugby sevens, mountain biking, marathon start and finish, track and field). There are only two events being held outside Glasgow and these are the diving, which will be held at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh (72km out of Glasgow) and the shooting, which will be held at the Ministry of Defence near Dundee.
The below table indicates what events are on when so you can make sure to tune in to the TV when your favourites are on… Just remember that we are around nine hours ahead of Glasgow so factor that in when you are planning your TV time.
The exciting news is that Australia has some favourites (based on betting statistics) to win in some great events so make sure you are watching the following…
Australian Men’s Hockey Team (The Kookaburras)
The Aussie men and champions of the 2010 games are tipped to win the competition and bring home the gold medals. The hockey is running the entire time throughout the games so be sure to tune in daily to find out how the team is doing.
*Hockey running from 24 July to 3 August
Australian Women’s Hockey Team (The Hockeyroos)
Just like the men, the Aussie women will be defending their 2010 gold medal as they are also tipped to win the hockey competition.
*Hockey running from 24 July to 3 August
Australian Women’s Netball Team (The Diamonds)
Our Aussie girls came second in Dehli after losing to New Zealand in a nail biting final. But, this year they are the favourites to take home the gold medals. The last time they won the Commonwealth Games was in 2002 but the talented team under the leadership from superstar captain Laura Geitz is hoping to come home with a win.
*Netball running from 24 July to 3 August
Sally Pearson – Women’s 100m hurdles
Our golden girl, Sally is tipped to take out the gold medal in the 100m hurdles. She is one of the 55 female athletes in the athletics team of 102 people. Sally and three of her teammates, Kim Mickle, Dani Samuels and Alana Boyd are believed to contribute up to 20 medals for their events.
*Athletics running from 27 July to 2 August
Cate Campbell – Women’s 100m Freestyle
Cate at only 22 is expected to bring home the gold for the 100m freestyle event. With Olympic experience she is familiar with large scale competitions and should do exceptionally well.
*Swimming running from 24 July to 29 July
James Magnussen – Men’s 100m Freestyle
James is a previous world champion who is also in favour to win the gold medal in his pet event, the men’s 100m freestyle. In total, the Sports Commission estimates that the swimming team will win a total of 55 medals.
*Swimming running from 24 July to 29 July
So there you have it! Your low down on the favourites, a little bit of information about the venues and the details on how to watch and enjoy the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
What events will you be watching this year? Who will you be cheering on? Tell us in the comments below…