Highly organised Games end with formal but colourful ceremony

Press, 14 August 1978, Page 1

Highly organised Games end with formal but colourful ceremony

Scenes of colourful chaos and confusion marked the end of the XI Commonwealth Games in the $2 IM Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, last evening. The traditional national costumes of many Commonwealth nations mixed with the track suits of competitors and the uniforms of hosts and hostesses in a mad swirl of colour on the arena where some of the world’s finest athletes had been locked in battle a short time before.

The Games, in which more than 2000 competitors took part in the previous nine days, ended the way they began ' — on a high, if slightly artificial, note.

The rain stopped and the sun burst through the clouds as if to give a special sign of approval to the Games organisers for a job well done. However, there was not quite the same unrestrained joyousness which was so obvious at the closing ceremony of the Christchurch Games at Queen Elizabeth II Park four years ago. The ceremony was mostly a formal one and great care was taken to ensure that nobody interrupted. There was no opportunity for athletes to amuse themselves by standing underneath the ceremonial flag as it was being Mounties marching behind the flag bearing party lost

his hat, and somebody presented Prince Philip with a giant artificial tomato, but the high-jinks were severely restricted. Most athletes were forced to sit in the stands while an official and four representatives from each team took part in the formal ceremony. The New

Zealand captain. Neil Lyster, carried the flag ahead of the New’ Zealand manager, Mr J. D. Prestney. The three athletes w’ho marched behind were the shooting gold medallist, John Woolley, the weightlifter, Brian Marsden, and the badminton player, Alison Branneld.

New’ Zealand shared the honour of leading the marchers into the stadium w’ith Canada and Australia, which will be host to the

next Games in 1982. The mass of the athletes were invited on to the arena only when most of the formal ceremony was completed. An innovation w’as the performance of a visual arts programme by artists and performers from 27 Commonwealth countries. This w’as staged as a tribute to the six regions of the Commonwealth — Asia. Oceania, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and

America. Among the most popular items was a poi dance and songs by the Maori concert party. But there was no indication over the speaker system or on the scoreboard of w’ho was performing what. Spectators were left to guess which country the various performers in their traditional costumes represented.

The constant noise of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s helicopter,

never far away during the Games, was also a constant source of irritation.

However, the organisation of the Games throughout was excellent. There were problems, but the organisers always tried to put these right. Fears expressed at the outset that the Games might be overorganised proved largely unfounded. The people of Edmonton clearly enjoyed the experience of playing host to the nations of the Commonwealth. If they are a little too proud of the exploits of their owm performers, that can be accepted.

The Canadians won 45 golds in a total of 109 medals, far exceeding any of the visitors.

England, with six golds in the final athletics session, surged into second place in the medals table with 27 golds, 28 silvers and 32 bronzes. Australia had 24 golds. Once again these three nations dominated the Games. At the previous Games in Christchurch in 1974, Australia won 29 golds to England’s 28 and Canada's 25. The Kenyans took seven golds, six silvers and five bronzes, leaving New Zealand fifth over-all. marched away, as happened in Christchurch. The inevitable ball appeared, one of the red-coated

F Rom ROD DEW 1 in Edmonton

1 . THE PRESS Sfe at Edmonton

’•• - I