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You
can catch all the swimming, diving and synchronised
swimming events at the Manchester Aquatics Centre.
Australia are red-hot favourites to win the most
swimming medals. Superstar Ian Thorpe is hoping
to win the most Commonwealth medals ever this year.
Good luck Ian!
Elite athletes with a disability will be swimming
in the main competition for the first time in any
multi-sport Games. |
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Athletics
is split into 3 sections:
• Track (e.g. sprinting)
• Field (e.g. long jump)
• Road (e.g. marathon)
One of the most exciting athletics events is the
decathlon. Athletes have to score points in 10 events
to win!
You can watch the marathons and walking events for
free. Look out for them on Manchester’s streets. |
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All
the badminton events will be held at the Bolton
Arena.
Badminton is one of the few sports where men and
women compete on the same level. Several of the
games’ stars are English.
It was invented 150 years ago in the great hall
of an English stately home. |
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You
can see the early rounds of the boxing in Wythenshawe
and go on to watch the finals at the MEN Arena.
Boxing is one of only 3 all-male events in the 2002
Commonwealth Games.
The first recorded organised fighting events date
back 6,000 years to the time of the Egyptians.
Boxing is one of the few sports that has featured
in every single Commonwealth Games since they began
in 1930. |
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There
are 3 different kinds of cycling in the Commonwealth
Games:
• Track cycling
• Road cycling
• Mountain biking
The road cycling and mountain biking will be held
at Rivington, while the track cycling will be held
at the state-of-the-art Velodrome at Sportcity.
Mountain biking is a first for the Manchester 2002
Games. |
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Gymnastics
was one of the fastest selling events when tickets
went on sale in October 2001.
It’s one of the oldest sports on record, dating
back to ancient Greece.
British gymnasts are now performing better than
ever and have a real chance of winning medals in
Manchester. |
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Hockey
is the oldest ball and stick game in the world.
It’s over 4,000 years old!
Australia won both the men’s and women’s
finals in the last Commonwealth Games held in Kuala
Lumpur. Their women’s team beat England 8-1!
Did you know the hockey ball used to be cube shaped?
This is only the second time hockey has been played
in the Commonwealth Games. |
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Judo
last featured in the Commonwealth Games in 1990
when England won 14 of the 16 gold medals!
A judo bout lasts only 5 minutes.
Judo contestants will always bow to each other as
a sign of respect before beginning.
Judo contestants aren’t allowed to punch each
other or bend each other’s fingers back! |
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The
most famous bowling game ever took place in 1558,
when Sir Francis Drake refused to stop play for
the Spanish attack on England!
Bowling is played in 40 countries.
11 of William Shakespeare’s plays mention the
sport!
Bowling is another of the sports where elite athletes
with a disability will compete. |
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Netball
is the only all-female sport in the Commonwealth
Games.
England have only ever beaten Australia once in
their history.
10 countries will take part in the netball competition
to be held at the MEN Arena.
England player Tracey Neville has two famous brothers:
England and Manchester United footballers Gary and
Phil Neville! |
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Rugby
Sevens is a quicker, shorter version of the game
played with 7 men on each side.
A ticket to the Rugby Sevens includes admission
to several games, not just one, because a game only
lasts 14 minutes.
The Rugby Sevens final will be the final event of
the Commonwealth Games, finishing just hours before
the closing ceremony begins. |
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The
shooting events will be held at the special National
Shooting Centre in Bisley, Surrey.
There
are 3 different kinds of shooting at the Commonwealth
Games:
• Clays
• Open rifle
• Small bore/air pistol.
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A
brand new building has been built at Sportcity to
host the squash competition.
The first game of squash was played in a jail in
19th century London, when prisoners began hitting
a ball against a wall because they were bored!
Squash was one of the most popular sports at the
last Commonwealth Games.
Over 20 million people worldwide play squash. |
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Over
180 countries play table tennis, making it one of
the most popular sports in the world!
This is the first time table tennis has appeared
at the Commonwealth Games.
Table tennis is one of the fastest ball sports on
the planet.
The rules have recently been changed to make it
more exciting for spectators. |
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Triathlon
is made up of 3 parts: swimming, cycling and running.
Manchester 2002 will be the first time triathlon
has featured in the Commonwealth Games.
Triathlon is a relatively new sport but is rapidly
growing in popularity. |
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There
are more than 10,000 weightlifters in the world.
Surprisingly, weightlifting is one of the Queen’s
favourite sports!
There are 2 different ways to lift the weights:
the snatch and the clean and jerk. |
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Wrestling
at the Commonwealth Games is nothing like the staged
performances you see on TV – it’s really
tough stuff!
Two competitors wrestle each other on a square mat
until one wins by pinning his opponent’s shoulders
to the floor for just 1 second. |
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