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All New Zealand Commonwealth Games athletes live a great life

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All New Zealand Commonwealth Games athletes live a great life

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This is another assumption made that being an athlete is everything you've ever dreamed of. Not saying it's not worth all of the hard work and dedication but what i've learnt from having a Black Ferns player as my teacher is that there is still a long way for sports to go. Although we have came a huge way over these last few decades there is still room for more growth.

The media paints this perfect picture of athletes like the All Blacks where they simply just play rugby and everything else is looked after for them. This is not the case for most of our athletes let alone commonwealth athletes. Having to keep up with a image of never having any problems or having anything wrong with you wold be tiring but thats what the media expects. The expect our athletes to be able to perform regardless of injury and regardless of outside issues because the are New Zealand athletes. The physical growth they undergo i'm sure is very impressive but what interests me more is the mental ability of every athlete that is in our Commonwealth games team. The ability they have to front up to everything thrown their way inspires me.

First of all most athletes sports aren't even funded enough to get them to the comm games without needing to do their own funding. So for some people having to work and compete is the only option. This isn't a terrible thing but it just dose not fit the perfect picture that is portrayed when you think of being an athlete. I personally would hope that all athletes are at least offered some money for being able to not only complete but win events in the comm games as it is a event that holds a lot of importance to New Zealand society.

Another point is that the amount of hours and hard work that goes into become a athlete is hard and built to break the best of people. Learning to be able to be beaten down and broken but still having the ability to front up to anything thrown your way is something that would come with aspiring to be a comm games athlete.

To conclude I am sure being a New Zealand Commonwealth games athletes is amazing. The feeling of representing your country at one of the most important sporting events to our society must feel amazing. However I can't help but feel that it's not all it seems to be. I cant help but feel that a lot of these athletes deserve more and have worked hard enough to be able to paint their own picture of what it means to be an athlete in New Zealand. The media dictates far to much but it cant dictate the undeniable growth coming through strong personalities within every sporting code. The ability to create their own image and brand is something exciting to look forward too.

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https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/mike-hosking-commonwealth-games-anachronistic-nonsense-we-can-finally-put-its-misery

http://www.olympic.org.nz/news/new-zealand-team-welcomed-to-commonwealth-games-village/

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/102771986/2018-commonwealth-games-a-5050-prospect-offering-medal-equality

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/102814562/commonwealth-games-nz-flagbearer-sophie-pascoe-antithesis-of-all-thats-bad-about-modern-sport

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/commonwealth-games/102946690/commonwealth-games-boss-wants-kiwis-to-support-laurel-hubbard

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11303808

https://padlet.com/kristina24/joinmle47vhi
https://sportnz.org.nz/about-us/who-we-are/
https://sportnz.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Community-Sport-Investment-Decisions-2017-22.pdf

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In 2018 Sport New Zealand released guideline rules and understandings that explain the expectations set for New Zealand's athletes. Politically in the Commonwealth  games our funding comes from our government than further endorsement deals are given. The government plays a large role in sports because they are who dictates what is the image of sport New Zealand and it is up to them what is acceptable and not acceptable. It is up to our government to make tough decisions that no one else wants to make. Such as the idea to send a transgender to the comm games. It's things like this that our government is involved with within sport. The Commonwealth Games Federation are in charge of establishing what is accepted in the comm games and what isn't. A few issues or rather just new rules that have been made are by this federation. The new and exciting rules has opened up a new and exciting door for the future of sports and the comm games.

2018 April 3rd a New Zealand sports website explains that this was the first time any commonwealth games had an even amount of medals for men and women. This has been building for a few years now with Glasgow having 48.5% of womens medals. This is showing the world more equality in sports and that there needs to be a change. There are a few female athletes who have commented on the matter and have stood by and supported the encouraging change for the future. Being the first year this new rule has been enforced in the Commonwealth games it leaves an exciting future for the development in both female athletes and sports. By allowing more opportunities to be recognised and competitions for female athletes in various sports there can be expected to be a large growth in these sports. I personally am very happy to see equality being exercised in such a famous and historic event in history. This is yet another example of sports being used as a tool to help the world see further issues that are being ignored. through sport a lot of change can be accomplished and lots of issues can be addressed and we will continue to see this happen. Politically this shows that the growth in the comm games has changed from getting all of our athletes to just compete but to rather exercise the notion of equality.

The impact that adding the para-olympics in with the comm games and allowing their medals to count toward the overall medal tally is something that has never been done before and has had a lot of great reactions. Historically this is a pinnacle event that is driven by its values of Humanity, Equality and Destiny. It usually consists of two different games, this years gold coast presents a case for all things being equal. I think that this is very important because it represents the first year the Commonwealth games have combined both able/unable athletes and comes back to the purpose of the games being held which was equality. It shows that the evolution of sports has changed over the years and will continue to go up from here. It shows the unity between all athletes across the globe and hopefully will spark the same decision for the Olympic games. Using one of the biggest sporting events in the world to show case the importance of equality in the world will subsequently grow sports internationally. Now younger non-able people will see that they are no longer seen as a seperate games but rather equal. Giving them hope that they are still seen in our eyes as super heros. For example the impact following the announcement of Sophie Pascoe being named the New Zealand teams flag bearer. In this article he explains how Sophie Pascoe had become a “beacon of hope” to other Paralympic athletes hoping to compete in a elite environment. This is one of the reason for why I chose the background photo I did. I believe in equality and development. Through sports you can achieve both of these things and Sophie Pascoe is an amazing story to represent this.

"NZ flag-bearer Sophie Pascoe antithesis of all that's bad about modern sport", this is said by Kevin Norquay April the 4th 2018 on the New Zealand sport website. This is another ethical point that has addressed at the 2018 Commonwealth games is kiwi athlete Laural Hubbard who made her first transgender appearance to the games.  I personally think that it is fair for opposing athletes and their team, in particular Samoa, to argue the fairness of this because Laurel Hubbard used to compete and competitions as a male weightlifter and be competing with other men. Although I can see where some questions may be asked in regards to her being able to compete and how is it fair I still am very happy to see this being allowed. As it has been said "it'd be great for Laurel to achieve her dreams - it's also great for New Zealand," coming from the Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, David Grevemberg. This is true and very exciting for New Zealand because ethically in the past there has never been a transgender athlete compete at the comm games but due to the comm games federation allowing this to happen we as a country are making history. Being the first country to send a transgender to participate is not only a representation of our country but Laural herself. Not being afraid to be different and have the courage to break the rules, we have shown how we will fight and challenge things in order for the best of someone. Even though a lot of people will say that its not right or its not the 'normal' thing to do, Laural still had the courage to continue doing what she loves and continue to excel with her country backing her. This is a huge part of my ethical and political argument because it showcases both sides perfectly. It pushes the boundaries of it being right or wrong. You can argue or disagree both ways but what it has come down to is Commonwealth Games Federation deeming it acceptable and I think that is a great idea.

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In this unit of work I learnt why we have the Commonwealth games and the impact it has on New Zealand. I have learnt that like every other event the Commonwealth games is held to bring people together and to help people overcome issues that are impacting their country. My final opinion on the Commonwealth games is the message it stands for is an inspiring and the impact it has on New Zealand sport and society is something that I feel has helped us evolve over the years. Time and time again I have said as a country we pride ourselves of our sporting ability and the comm games allows us the opportunity to show case our talents. It allows us to compete with the some of the best international athletes in the world and allows the world to see what we can do. By continuing to compete in these games we are improving and placing ourselves in a pool of countries with some of the best athletes of all time. If New Zealand were to bid to host the comm games a lot of funding will go into building new facilities, accommodation and all around a better New Zealand to show case the world. This can impact us positively because we will be upgrading our facilities and improving our own sports. Also building accomodation and a athlete village allows more places for people in New Zealand to live in after the comm games has finished. It will offer more jobs for people that need work because the sudden need for buildings and facilities will offer jobs. By hosting the games we will be exposing our country to those who are watching and could potentially convince people to either live her or travel to our country. What could be a negative impact from hosting would be the money needed. Where will this money come from and who would be impacted by this. What I have learn't is that there are a lot of positive and negative impacts that come with the comm games. As a country we are impacted by the exposure of our athletes, sports and countries. We tend to do very well for our small population and this is very evident in the comm games. New Zealand has established ourselves as a country worth watching our for in sports and we will continue to prove people how far our countries support and drive will take our athletes. We will continue to prove that its not about the dog in the fight but rather its the fight in the dog.

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The sporting culture within the Commonwealth games has been something that has evolved and develop over the years the game shave been hosted. Historically the culture of the sports has always been about bringing countries together and providing opportunities for people that weren't there for them in there on countries. However over the year the culture around the game has changed. Now we see how beautiful the athlete villages are built and how important it is to the comm games that the athletes are seen staying together and interacting with one another.  The athlete village this year was described as the best environment with top of the line facilities for the event which is good for the culture of the event because it shows the level of care towards to athletes.

The Commonwealth games is a platform for the rest of the world to witness a small glimpse into New Zealand's culture. Being a big stage we are able to show case one of our most deadly weapons, our haka. The traditional war cry of New Zealand, the haka has been around for generations and holds a significant importance in our society. Watching our athletes either performing a haka or having a haka performed to them is an incredible thing to see. For the older part of New Zealand seeing a haka performed on live television with thousands of people all over the world watching would've sounded like a dream to them. But lucky enough for us we are able to witness this history.

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Would you still support them if they didn't win?

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Would you still support them if they didn't win?

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The assumption that sports is about winning and not fairness and participation
Are our All Blacks respected because of the athletes and game style they have produced over the years or is it because of the wins. Have the Silver Ferns let New Zealand down because they didn't win a medal at the Commonwealth Games or have they let us down because they wont import players. Is rowing going to be more important than netball in the future because of how well they're doing now and not because of the hard work that has gone into developing the sport.

From another point of view I can see why people would believe that New Zealand thinks participation and fairness is more important than winning. As kiwis we have an undeniable charism that forces us to be loyal to any team that wears a fern. Although we may lose some and win some we still bleed black and white regardless and I believe that this is a valid point to this assumption.

As New Zealanders we pride ourselves of being the home of the mighty All Blacks, the most dominate and fierce rugby team the world has every seen. But would we hold them on this high pedestal if they weren't as successful. I think that we wouldn't. An example of this is the 2018 NRL Warriors, in 2017 the Warriors looked like a team full of undeniable talent but horrible work ethic and scandals surrounding them. In New Zealand's eyes they were just another team to occasionally support and watch if they happened to come on the tv. In the current day today the 2018 Warriors have turned things around and seem to be an exciting team to watch in the NRL. Not only have they improved in their playing ability and team work but they seem to have developed a better brand.

Another example relvent to the com games is the Silver Ferns who were critiqued over their performance this year. Being the first year we have not won a medal in netball at the Commonwealth  games, the ferns have faced a tough wave of media. A more recognisable incident is the interview shared between Katrina Grant and Jenny May-Clarke where Clarke asks if there is any honour in wearing the dress after suffering from a loss. This shows me that although netball in the world has developed over the years and internationally netball has seen an amazing growth. If our silver ferns lose it immediately means their is no longer honour in wearing the dress. We don't acknowledgement the hard work of other countries and athletes towards netball but rather we just straight away say our netball teams is useless. Because they didn't win gold we automatically decide that it is no longer one of our strongest sport and therefore just proving the assumption that winning is the most important part of sports in New Zealand.

There will be an ongoing argument about wether or not winning is important in sports in New Zealand. I believe that we do pride ourselves as a country of our love for sport. But we do leave out our love for winning and due to our competitive nature as kiwis it is something that is not going away anytime soon.

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This assumption is made because we in general believe that people love sports because of how we do in sports. We tend to do very well for how small our population is and due to this we are very proud of everything we accomplish. We pride ourselves of being a country that can beat the odds and being able to 'punch high above our weight class'.

There are two ways to look at this assumption, for and against.
The image sports has in the New Zealand eye has evolved and changed over the years for both good and bad because that just what happens now with social media.

I personally don't think that every kiwi loves sports. In fact i'm positive that there are kiwis out there that don't watch rugby every day but rather have other interests. Being kiwi isn't just about bleeding black and white and doing anything for the fern. It's about the people we are. A kiwi is a person who is caring, funny and a wicked great person. The whole idea of sport being apart of who we are has just evolved over the years as has sports in New Zealand.

Athletes in New Zealand will always be seen as the most important people. The reference to be an All Black is close to being a god within New Zealand. However this is not for everyone. I find this extremely intreating and refreshing because it shows that there are still people out there who care more about the sporting ability of someone but also the person within them. Athletes are more than just athletes and New Zealand is more than just sports. We are a country filled over talented people in various areas. We are awesome people with a wicked sense of humour and we don't need to rely on spots defying who we are anymore.

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The economic impact the Commonwealth Games has had on New Zealand follows the amount of funding and publicity that follows. It's clear to me that as a country we invest an enormous amount of money into our sports.

As the New Zealand Herald website states that the sports funding is not evenly spread out throughout the sports. Depending on how well your sport does determines your funding. As you can see the highest amount of funding went to Cycling which earned $4.3m due to winning 15 medals (6 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze) and the lowest amount of funding went to table tennis, gymnastics, diving, wrestling and judo. Although gymnastics won a bronze, wrestling also won 2 bronze medals and judo won 2 silver and 3 bronze medals. I think that this would be reflected in the increase of funding towards these sports in the 2018 funding chart however I have not been able to see this chart yet. What dosent surprise me is the amount of money going into all of these sports that earn media praise but these other lesser known sports are having to provide their own financial support just to compete at a highly established event like the comm games. We funded our male hockey team $1 million dollars in 2014 and they didn't win a medal. I am not saying that because they didn't win a medal they don't deserve funding but rather was it nesscary to give them all of this funding and let other sports that did receive medals no funding.

The picture below shows the increase in funding over the years and how the development of both the sport and their media coverage has been rewarded with money. As you can see our 4 most funded sports are rowing, cycling, yachting and athletics. Due to the success and exposure on a world stage these four sports have been able to showcase their potential and attracted interest from other people. Our athletes do well completing in the Olympic game athletics therefore the comm games seems to be where they are watched closely and are actually regarded as being able to compete with top flying athletes. The americas cup gives our rowers the opportunity to be seen in an international setting and increases the interest in New Zealand rowing.

TVNZ has screened every Commonwealth games. ‘Inspiration for New Zealand’

$5Million loss. Sky TV contesting for broadcasting rights has showed the economical impact the games has held on our broadcasting systems. TVNZ had made a bold decision to create this channel to allow people in New Zealand to view this event and although it had a lot of benefits it had a lot of financial backlash and media backlash. TVNZ faced a lot of backlash regarding that the ads played during the events were there as 'the price to be paid to air free shows' and that a lot of the TVNZ aired events missed some important parts.

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Sport is a big part of who we are as New Zealanders. It's apart of our history culture and our identity. 

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Sport is a big part of who we are as New Zealanders. It's apart of our history culture and our identity. 

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Disadvantages of having the Commonwealth games

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Disadvantages of having the Commonwealth games

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The amount of money that is funded into sports in New Zealand is huge. Going of the numbers that have been released from the 2014 Glasco com games New Zealand funds millions of dollars into sports for the comm games. Also going of these numbers from the New Zealand Community Sport (core) I also fund hundreds of thousands of dollars every year into sports. Is it all worth it? Is not being able to afford to build more homeless shelters or hospitals more important the sports. I think that the amount of funding for certain sports is acceptable as the hard work that has gone into creating international brands with such respect as the All Blacks and Black Ferns deserves the recognition they deserve. However I can help but question the amount of money funded every year into sports when it can be used else where.
It is no doubt that the amount of pressure to win is huge on our athletes. If you n come back not a winner are you really a New Zealand athlete? Yes, you are. The negative impact comm games has on New Zealand society is the informed pressure to be able to beat countries with 10x the population we have because we want it. We want to be the best in the world and don't like being looked down on. These creates our athletes to have a burden on their shoulders as they performance. I'd say that a good 75% of New Zealand just admire our athletes for competing but the other 25% want absolute dominance established.
The pressure our silver ferns are under and how much back lash netball new Zealand had because we didn't win a medal this year. This being the first year that we haven"t won a silver or gold medal. This dosent mean that our silver ferns are disappointments but rather we are just not the best in the world anymore.

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Positives of having the Commonwealth games: 

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Positives of having the Commonwealth games: 

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A huge positive to having the Commonwealth games follows the exact reason for why these games are held and that is to untie people together. Through using sport we are able to see our favourite athletes interacting with one another. We are able to see
Another positive is the exposure and opportunities that the games offer. Exposure to develop both athletes and sports. This benefits sports and athletes that aren't as commonly known or struggle with exposure to the world. To elaborate, the Commonwealth Games attracts a large amount of media exposure and further exposure to the world. Due to one third of the worlds population competing in the 2018 Commonwealth Games this brings lot more attention from people all over the world which creates exciting opportunities for everyone. It creates the opportunity of a sport gaining more exposure to the world therefore benefiting by having more people interested in competing. It gives opportunities for small countries like New Zealand to get our name out there and to compete with other countries in an elite and competitive culture.
Another positive of having the Commonwealth games is that it is a platform for athletes to express themselves or help fight for things they believe in. Personally I believe that it is so inspiring seeing the journey athletes go through and the strength they have in allowing people to see the struggle they go through. Being able to open up about racism, same sex and gender equality has been sued through sports as a way to opening up to the world. Athletes use events like the com games to be able to help people. By standing up for issues that matter and forcing their voice to be heard the Commonwealth games allow real issues to be dealt with. This benefits anyone that watches these athletes. Just being knowing that there is someone else out there that might be going through what your going through is a powerful thing. The strength it takes for a person to stand in front of the world in a venerable state and say how they feel is incredible.
The com games is a powerful event that attracts lots of media and attention. The are part of our history and there are only two occasions where minority events such as weight lifting, diving and gymnastics receive the media coverage and recognition that they deserve.

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As New Zealanders we identify ourselves as a country that thrives off sports. We firmly believe that the evolution of sports and influence it has on our society is what will shape our youth for the future. We value sport icons in New Zealand as if they are gods. We constantly support and back any team that has the honour of wearing a fern because that's just what we do. It’s just who we have become as a country. We enjoy watching the com games because it is amazing to see little old New Zealand going up against big countries like South Africa and Australia and comparing our athletes to theirs. We are so eager and passionate around supporting our athletes at the com games this year that TVNZ even created a channel that allowed our country to watch every event we participated in from home. Although there was a lot of opinions around whether or not this was a good idea it just further shows the importance that sports plays in New Zealand. The number of people that viewed the TVNZ program this year was 1.3 million live stream views of the opening Ceremony. Also 275,000 live views simulationously throughout the day. This shows the level of support that we offer as kiwis and our eagerness to witness our athletes succeed. This is has both a positive and negative impact on New Zealand society because it allows our nation to watch our athletes. It allows people the opportunity to watch these games who were not able to be their in person. However by opening this new tv channel it has also opened a lot of issues around the

In New Zealand the expectation for our more known athletes or sports to succeed is huge. As kiwis we pride ourselves of being a competitive country of such small population and we enjoy being able prove people wrong. It's in our nature to go up against the biggest countries and show them what we are made of. However tis comes with a massive impact on New Zealand society because it forces pressure and expectations on our athletes that sometimes can't be fulfilled. A prime example from the 2018 com games is the Silver Ferns. Struggling with being in a 'development phase' where former ideal ferns have retired and new ones do not have enough experience to yet match an international team. The ferns went over to the com games already dealing with a devastating loss to Jamaica under their belt and a very criticised team. We put a lot of pressure on our athletes and this impacts our society because we over look their hard work. It impacts sports in New Zealand because of the repercussion that follows, the down fall of the ferns has forced New Zealand netball to re think themselves and to focus on strengthing our netball. This has left a negative effect on netball in New Zealand.

Although it seems that everyone is very happy about New Zealand participating in the commonwealth games there are people who don't agree with them and the video down below explains this. For example Mike Hosking is a radio host who has expressed his feelings towards the comm games. He said "the Commonwealth Games is an anachronistic nonsense that we can finally put out of its misery". Although I don't agree with this comment I can see where he is coming from in regarding with the impact it has on New Zealand because isn't the penuchle for every sport anymore but rather the Olympic games.  Although I understand the importance of the comm games and its impact on New Zealand society I can't help but agree with some points regarding its dominance as an international event.

Also the Commonwealth games only had one bid from a country to host in 2022, this tells me that there is either a lack of financial need or real desire  to host the comm games. Countries that didn't bid either were not financially in the right place to bid for the games or just generally have put more of their effort into getting ready for other events.

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History of the Commonwealth Games and New Zealand in the games

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History of the Commonwealth Games and New Zealand in the games

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The Commonwealth games are an international multi-sport event that involves athletes from the Commonwealth of nations. The first Commonwealth games to be established was in Hamilton, Canada in 1930 and has been successfully run too this day. The reason behind the Commonwealth games initially was founded by values such as opportunity, community, freedom, humanity, destiny and equality. These values are to reincorporate the initial idea that a single event has the power to bring together countries and people. The idea that sports is more than just a game and that when used properly sports can make a significant impact on society. There were 4426 athletes competing in the Commonwealth games this year and 251 of them were New Zealanders. New Zealand has been participating in the games since 1930 and we have generally done well considering our small population and resources. New Zealand has hosted the Commonwealth Games three times. 1950 in Auckland, 1974 in Christchurch and in 1990 once again in Auckland. These three times that we have hosted the games we have finished 3rd and 4th on the final medal total which is our highest placings to date. In the 2018 Commonwealth games New Zealand finished 5th on the medal tally. This is higher than other countries with a much larger population such as Wales, South Africa and Scotland.