LJ beats best in the world
National Junior Olympics meet coming to Mt. SAC
Up against the world; Local teens to compete in world youth games
EMAAR-MGF to build Commonwealth Games Village

Olympic and Commonwealth Games Champion, Anna Meares, today broke her own World Record for the 500m time trial in the morning session of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup at Sydney’s Dunc Gray Velodrome today.
The 23 year-old Queenslander posted a time of 33.944 sec to take eight thousandths off the mark she set to win gold at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. — cyclingnews.com
Really makes you wonder just how much effort and heart some athletes put into their game. Meares wasn’t just content for achieving something like a world record, she matched it, er, exceeded it the second …read more

… in Paul Johnson’s list.
The Australia’s Top 101 athletes list that was published on Alpha magazine pushed him to mull it over and come up with his own. But instead of listing 101 of them, he picked the top 25 that he thinks is notable.

Steve Waugh – cricket
Shane Warne – cricket
Pat Rafter – tennis
Mick Doohan – motorcycle racing
Layne Beachley – women’s surfing

Australian Commonwealth Games Association chief Perry Crosswhite last night moved to end the saga.
Crosswhite has left it to Jana Pittman to give her gold medal back, like how she has expressed in her letter to the England Team since it is after all her property and it’s her prerogative if she wishes to consumate her offer. But he stressed that Australia would remain in the Commonwealth Games record books as the winner of the 4×400m relay Women event.
Crosswhite’s statement made it clear,
“However, it is also clear their runner made an error when lining up for the changeover. It has been …read more

Australian runner, Jana Pittman sent a letter of apology to England for what had transpired during the Games and offered them her Gold. It may not fully resolve the issue but it can be considered an admirable gesture. Some locals have already expressed positive feedback, should this offer be real, over the whole incident since it is quite a shame to ruin the spirit of the Games and all it stood for.
Team England got disqualified after Australia’s Athletics Team Managers went to the Commonwealth Games officials to complain about a technicality during the 4 x 400 meter relay race. This …read more

Malta Olympic Committee hailed the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games results as the best ever in the history of Maltese sport. Malta had exceeded the number of medals won in the Games since they only won one medal during the Games in Manchester 2002. During Melbourne 2006, the country won one silver and one bronze.
One of the top officials have expressed satisfaction in Team Malta’s performance in the Games:
Maltese athletes had surpassed expectations and calculated that they finished among the top 25 per cent in all the events they took part in.
Regardless of their viewed misfortunes in some events that they …read more

I don’t know how much of this issue has been known to readers of Light the Torch. I heard about it a few days ago and a recent update last night. Let me give you a brief background on what the issue is all about.
It was reported that half of the delegates from Sierra Leone has gone missing. None of them even showed up in the event that they were supposed to be competing in. Mind you, this wasn’t the first time they did this sort of thing. It also happened in the last Commonwealth Games – Manchester 2002. I …read more

The fact that athletes actually party at the end of the Games.
If you’d seen the last part of the closing ceremony either as a live spectator or as a TV viewer, like me, you would’ve noticed how most of the athletes, if not all, came on to the stage while John Farnham was singing. They had their cameras with them, and some even have drinks in their hands. You can see how much they were enjoying themselves with all the entertainment and funfare going on. You can also see athletes relishing in the fact that inspite the competition during the …read more

It’s done. It’s over.
I have to admit the closing ceremony was fantastic! I’m glad I caught it on telly. I missed a few parts of it but I was there to witness some significant parts of it. It was another pyro-extravaganza! It makes me wonder how much they spent on just the fireworks. But man, it was awesome!
It was Prince Edward who officially declared the XVIII Commonwealth Games closed. There were ceremonies of passing on of the Games flag to India, where the next Games will be held — See you. Delhi 2010. The advert they created for it was …read more

The Games are wrapping up. They’re handing out the last of the medals to the winners. So, the final tally of the medals will be up in a bit. Yes. It’s the last day today.
I’m counting down the minutes till they close the curtain on the closing ceremony. They’ve been talking about it a lot the past couple of days, you know, how great the performances will be. They said that the opening ceremony was all about theatre, this time at closing, it will be all about Melbourne. Hmmm. I wonder how that will go. Australian artists and performers are …read more