Commonwealth Games: Channel 7 expert Bruce McAvaney breaks down Australia’s rich history ahead of Glasgow

Australia’s relationship with the Commonwealth Games has endured for nearly a century. This elite competition between nations has been woven into our sporting psyche, producing moments of excellence and champions that are now part of our national identity. There’s a moment that underlines the beginning of our deep connection with the Games and it came in Sydney, in 1938. It was the first time Australia selected a women’s athletics team and West Australian sprinter Decima Norman took that opportunity to prove she was world class. Decima won five gold medals at the SCG and became a national celebrity — at home, on Australian soil, long before we’d hosted an Olympic Games. The post-war years strengthened the bond between Commonwealth nations and the Games provided a platform for excellence in performance — and national pride. Hosting the Olympics of 1956 in Melbourne was the highlight of a golden era where Marjorie Jackson, John Landy, Herb Elliott and Dawn Fraser became household names. They still are. The Commonwealth Games had a personal impact on me in 1966 when I was just 13. I will never forget the thrill of listening to South Australian sprinter, Di Burge, win gold in the 100 metres, 200 metres and the 4x100-metre relay in Kingston, Jamaica. The power of broadcast – communicating to Australians the performance and at the same time the thrill and lift of the crowd has forever stayed with me. From the ABC in the early days to the commercial broadcasters that followed, to our dedicated approach at Seven; we understand how much it matters. Cities that have staged the Commonwealth Games are forever transformed. In 1982, the spotlight shone on Brisbane. Followed closely by the international Expo ‘88, that big country town grew quickly to become a vibrant international city where we’ll see Australia’s third Olympic Games. There are unique rivalries that can only be contested at the Commonwealth Games. We’ve always relished a chance to compete against England and in netball, our battles against New Zealand take on added intensity. The list is already long: the Miracle Mile in Vancouver – Roger Banister v John Landy, England v Australia — to Raelene Boyle’s final triumph, Cathy Freeman’s breakthrough, six golds to Susie O’Neill and Ian Thorpe, and most recently Olli Hoare’s unforgettable victory in Birmingham. Add in nail-biting netball finishes against New Zealand, Robert de Castella’s triumph through the streets of Brisbane and that unforgettable moment when another marathoner, the late Kerryn McCann, ran into the stadium at the MCG 20 years ago. The team we select is our best because this is elite competition and we have a reputation to uphold. If there’s an event I’m most looking forward to, it’s the return of the men’s and women’s mile. The men’s mile had the perfect entree following the historic performance of one of Scotland’s favourite sons, Josh Kerr. Just days out from the opening ceremony, Kerr broke one of the oldest records in athletics in running the mile in 3.42:66. The decision to reintroduce the mile for the first time in 60 years has been remarkably fortuitous. What a contest. Australia’s 20-year-old Cam Myers against three men who have all won world championships — and now one of them is the fastest of all time. A great clash has been made even greater. Kerr is now the obvious favourite but Cam Myers has a fighting chance. Championship racing is different and in his last two Diamond League performances he’s learned how to win at this level. Myers is trying to emulate Herb Elliott and win the mile at the Commonwealth Games at just 20 years of age. If the 1954 race was the Miracle Mile with Landy and Bannister. Let’s just say Glasgow has the Marvellous Mile with four headliners. And standby for the women’s mile, because I think the Australian women are going to finish first, second, and third. Can Jess Hull get that elusive gold medal? Can she hold off fellow Australians, Abbey Caldwell and Claudia Hollingsworth? We’ve got three slightly different generational athletes here, Claudia versus Abbey versus Jess. And I think it’ll come down to the last ten or fifteen metres between our three. Commonwealth Games moments sit comfortably alongside our greatest Olympic memories because they’ve shaped Australian sport in the same way. They’re authentic, they’re emotional, and they’ve become part of the story we continue to tell from one generation to the next. We feel united at these Games in a uniquely familiar way. At a time when so much around us feels uncertain, there’s something comforting about going into competition with countries that we are attached to and familiar with. Australia has always embraced the spirit of the Commonwealth Games and our record speaks for itself. We’re one of only six nations to have competed at every one and remain the most successful team in history with more than 1000 gold medals. We approach Glasgow 2026 with strength and ambition, preparing to add a golden chapter to Australia’s remarkable legacy and enduring relationship with the Commonwealth Games.