Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

NZ has a large team of athletes at the 20th Commonwealth Games which opened 2 days ago. The Games will continue for 10 days. Glasgow is a city in Scotland with 1.3 million people. The opening ceremony had a Scottish theme and most Scottish performers wore tartan clothes. The Queen attended the opening ceremony. The New Zealand shot-putter, Valerie Adams, carried the New Zealand flag.

Commonwealth countries all recognise Queen Elizabeth II as their queen. There are 53 Commonwealth countries, most of which were once British colonies, part of the British Empire. They come from Asia (e.g. India), Africa (e.g. Kenya), the Caribbean (e.g. Jamaica), Canada, the Pacific (e.g. Australia and New Zealand) and of course Britain. The Queen has probably visited all 52 countries (she lives in Britain) during the 61 years of her reign. Every 2 years, the Commonwealth Heads of Government meet to discuss matters of interest. The next meeting is 2015.

Every four years, 2 years after the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games is an opportunity for athletes from Commonwealth countries to meet together for competition. It is a much smaller event than the Olympic Games but still costs the host country a great deal for new sporting facilities and accommodation for the athletes.

New Zealand cyclist Sam Webster won two gold medals in the first two days. Three NZ judo athletes also won medals, two silver and a bronze.

Vocabulary

• theme – artistic idea
• tartan – woollen fabric with a design of stripes crossing each other at right angles
• the women’s shot is a 4kg metal ball; a shot-putter puts (throws) the shot

Grammar

Note: Although there are many games, the Commonwealth or Olympic Games can be singular, like one event e.g. the Games is … the Games costs