BBC Sport Commonwealth Games blog

Reading this comment summed it up for me: I needed somewhere to comment on the nine coverage of the commonwealth games. I think it has been appalling from day one, the opening ceremony was good, the coverage was lousy thanks to the ads and the dim chat.
However, when it comes to the coverage of the games it seems there is only one country taking part, Australia. Going down the pool they just mention the Ozzy swimmers, no need to mention anyone else, not even a name? Nobody interviews the foreign winners they do not even mention them, they just talk about the highest placed Ozzy. Only in the the wieght lifting is there unbiased commentary.

Many people who have migrated to Australia from other parts of the commonwealth must be feeling the same. I am ashamed to be Australian. The coverage Sucks.

Hello all,

I've been lucky enough to have just spent the last five days at Games events, but have still managed to see a bit of the Channel Nine coverage, and it is ordinary, very ordinary.

I'm so glad the swimming finishes tonight - so I don't have to watch any more of it - and now I may actually be able to see some of the other events that are on.

I was at the MCG on Sunday, but I've been told that during that fanstastic women's marathon (the closest one in history - just two seconds between first and second) Channel Nine kept crossing to the pool for HEATS! My mum is on the side of her chair wanting to know what is happening in the marathon and they're interviewing Michael Klim about how he felt about coming third in a heat. Ridiculous.

I went to the lawn bowls on Saturday and, sitting close to the families of the Aussie team, gained an affection for "Dunny" and "Noisy", two of the three ladies in the Australian Women's Triples Team.

I was chuffed when I saw that the gold medal event they had made it to was being shown on Channel Nine yesterday afternoon. The first set was drawn and the second, deciding, set was looking close when Channel Nine cut to a commercial break. When they came back we were at the medal ceremony for the skeet shooting! There was no "we're crossing now to...", no "we'll be back with the bowls in a moment." Nothing. Just - bang - bowls to shooting.

If the fans at the events are anything to go by, we Aussies enjoy watching ALL of the competitors, and we're cheering the winners and the losers. In fact, the ones who come last get some of the biggest cheers. Get with it Channel Nine and give us some variety.

Say what you will and have an opinion.

I love MElbourne, I love living here and Yes I would love to see more of the Brits in the games and yes I understand why we have not however, while watching the womens athletics this evening I was mortified to hear the commentators for channel 9 say "oh No" when the English girl got gold and then went onto complain that the australian girl should have got gold but she was boxed in. The English girl is 22 years of age and has a gold - give her a big hand not an OH NO - that is not sportsmanships and the commentator should lose her job for that.

Unreal

Hey
I'm an Indigenous Australian and I'd just like to say that no matter what country you go to there will always be bias felt towards that country. This is especially true in Australia considering sport is so popular.

Plus any time we want to see the Brits or the Yanks point of view all we have to do is log onto bbc.com and cnn. (I'm not making of anyone)

So good luck to all the countries participating in the Commonwealth Games and Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - Oy, Oy, Oy!!!

Julia (and anyone else who's interested), it's exactly because the BBC is paid for by license-fee payers in the UK that its website and TV coverage is focused mainly on English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish athletes.

And there I was looking forward to a rendition of the national anthem of Papua New Guinea - sorry Ryan, better luck next time!

Oh, stop whinging people. Channel Nine is the only free-to-air channel showing the Games but the local Pay TV operator, Foxtel, has devoted 8 dedicated channels to Games coverage and they are showing plenty of it.

Plus this site, with on-the-spot bloggers providing first hand feedback on what the Poms are doing, with scarcely a mention of the Aussies? Which is fair enough, too. That's what the folks back home want to know, isn't it?

But, really, what's the point of the whinging about Channel Nine? Or this "non-Australian" bit? Surely, you are all out and about enjoying whatever sport takes your fancy live at the venue itself?

Enough complaining about the television coverage already. For those of you getting on your soap boxes and complaining about how biased the coverage is (either pro Australian or pro English etc.), I can assure you that you might want to start writing letters to television executives and producers across the world. For instance did you know that during the Athens Olympic Games the French had the hide to run stories on the success of the French Team, during the UEFA cup networks Greece covered the fortunes of their national team and during the recent winter games the Italian networks had what some you might consider, too much content on the Italian team. I know, I was in those countries during these events.

Rather than complain how you have been wronged by those evil television executives and producers, you might want to consider that television networks generally cover what most people in that country want to see. This is especially the case for commercial free-to-air television networks whose income comes from the sale of advertising space. If a majority of people didn’t like what they saw on television, they wouldn’t watch it and companies wouldn’t pay money to advertise. While the BBC is funded through television licensing fees, they still have an obligation to report issues considered to be in the national interest.

So for those of you who have been offended by the apparent one sided coverage, you can take comfort knowing that your eternal suffering is not in vein. Rather, millions of people in a number of different countries are watching something they are actually interested in.

Hi Brain Zeal

Thanks for your comedic advice but I will continue to find out what happens in the world via the BBC website - there is no other balanced source available here. Channel 9 make millions of dollars in profits producing the worst - why would they bother investing any more to produce the best?

Apart from that the games are terrific!

Hello Tello

FYI "Home Nations" in the UK actually refers to England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland.

Sorry for being so arrogant

Well said Brony, JO and Brian. You have to accept that you are living in Austrlia. We are Australians and we want to see Auusie competition and medals. To all the people complaining..mostly ex-pat from Britain..or is it England...by the way what is your national anthem? How come when the England football team play the play "God save the queen"...but an Englishman winning a medal here they don't...very confusing...good job you Britts have Scotland!...Oh and my original point...Don't like Chanel 9...GO HOME! becaus eif you are not whinging about the Aussies you are whinging about the Germans or the French...real theme emerging here. I sure the BBC would love to welcome you back at Heathrow...OH, but you love our weahter....then better start loving our Aussie Ahtletes and our beloved CHANNEL 9. RIP Kerry.

Well Mr James Burrows.. Don't like channel 9, but love the BBC. I think you know the answer. Don't miss your flight! You are the weakest sportsfan...good-bye!!!!

As an Australian living in Melbourne--I want to hear the national anthem of some other countries who win gold!! I've not been surprised at the focus on our silver and bronze winners at the ceremonies--but I would love to get a look at other gold winners and flags without having to brave entering the CBD to actually take a gander (or a duck, maybe?) for myself.

In the medal count the Australians are well ahead, but perhaps once the swimming events are over the coverage may get a slightly more rounded flavour? I vaguely recall the Kuala Lumpur coverage here, where once the 'pool domination' was over we did get to hear other anthems and it was well worth tuning in.

And on 'biased coverage' I've noted that on the front page of the BBC's site there'd not been any links to the Games coverage for a while until I checked in just now--for a fully-rounded view, it really helps to, well, not just look at one country's coverage.

(As an aside, the upshot of the Commonwealth Games is after years and years of 'What are the words to our national anthem again? Hm, we have a second verse??' it seems like Aussies have finally got it!)

I was in the UK during the Manchester commonwealth games and can assure you I felt the same frustrations that Brits feel in Oz about the local coverage.

I'v just checked the BBC site and there's no mention of the World Record set my Liesel Jones (Aust) in the 100m Breastroke. Surely this is an important achievement in the context of the Commonwealth games.

I was in the U.S. when Pat Rafter Played Goran Yvanisovich (excuse spelling) in the finals of Wimbledon a few years ago and it wasn't even televised.

get over it.. It's only natural that a local media outlet is going to pander to it's customer base.

If you want unbiased coverage of anything, don't go anywhere in particular. If you want to hear coverage with UK bias, visit BBC. But don't expect to hear a blanced report of achievements outside of those from the UK.

P.S. By last account, Aus athletes had more than twice as many medals as England... Don't expect to see that on the front page of the BBC's web site.

As an Australian watching the channel 9 coverage of the games, all I can say is that the coverage is shocking. If someone watched the channel 9 coverage not knowing what the games were about, they would no doubt think only Australia was competing. By watching channel 9, not once did I hear the national anthem of a country other than Australia be played until today. Even during the medal presentations, in some instances, only the presentation of the Australian athletes receiving their medals was shown. Channel 9's coverage is painful even for Australians to watch, let alone the non-Australians living here. If only I had known, I would have subscribed to Foxtel's Commonwealth Games package.

Anyone would think those complaining about Channel 9's coverage had never been out of Britian before - Just imagine the Home nation covering their own athletes? (and I mean home nation as in Australia, not the "Home Nations" whatever that might mean - another piece of startling arrogance) I have been watching the BBC coverage and have not heard the Australian anthem once, let alone seen all the gold medals covered (unless at 4am)The BBC did grudgingly show Liesel Jones breaking a world record, then responded by saying that it was only in answer to critics who have noted that they are covering the British athletes only. It would seem the "appalling" Channel 9 are not the only channel with a biased, myopic view of these games.

Stop your moaning. Aussies have always been like that. what do you expect, really.considering that a majority of the golds have been won by Aus. of course the non aussie events were going to be dumped on to pay TV.

Firstly, well done to Australia they are a nation of athletes.

I know being an English person living in Melbourne I am naturally going to want to see more coverage of the British events, particularly the ones that we are winning medals in, I would love to hear the English national anthem at least once. I have come to terms with the fact that thid is not going to happen. What I can not accept however is that the commentary on Channel 9 is so appauling and to be honest, the coverage should be renamed THe Austalian participation in the Commonwealth games.

WAtching the traiathalon in St Kilda the other day I was moved by the crowds response to all athletes particularly those from the Solomon ISlands, however the tv coverage featured none of this. No wonder Australians are so full of themselves when it comes to sporting confidence (don't get me wrong I also think they are fabulous but so are many other athletes). I would like to have seen more coverage of the EAD events especially when the games are supposed to be fully integrated - obviously someone forgot to tell Channel nine (oh apart from a few swimming events - ofcourse!!)

All the athletes participating are just fantastically elite athletes who deserve recognition - if only nine was doing that.

A big thumbs up to all the magnificent volunteers too they are doing a narvellous job.

I think we all understand the blanket coverage in Australia - however I think most non Australians visiting and watching the Channel 9 coverage will be very surprised at the manner in which the coverage is being carried out.
Not withstanding that well done to Australia and all the competitors and supporters for a so far brilliant games!

Darrel Eastlake (the excitable one for the weight-lifting) is like that for pretty much everything, and everyone. There has been a running tab since the Sydney Olympics as to when he will next either a) pop a lung or b) push himself into a heart-attack!

As for the coverage, what do you expect? I was in the UK for numerous sporting events, and, as is the case here, the only coverage was of English (or British) competitors ... and where none were performing to a high enough level it was simply not shown at all on commercial TV.

... Of course this is also made easier by the fact that the Australians so far seem to have won more medals than the next three teams combined ... exactly how many medals are they giving out nowadays for swimming anyway????

Sorry Brian Zeal but your comment that the BBC is no different to Channel 9 is the funniest comment I've heard in ages! I have been (unfortunately) watching Channel 9 and the coverage is so one sided and so amateurish it is embarrassing. The BBC's coverage has always been balanced and impartial - Channel 9 is just "Aussie Aussie Aussie!". Nicole Livingston's obvious chip on her shoulder regarding the English has been about as subtle as an Australian Party Political debate!

As an Australian, disappointed is an understatement in regards to the TV coverage. The radio broadcast is much better in comparison, having more colour and flare to the games action. I still don't understand why AFL ex-players are covering the Commonwealth Games but at least the English cricket commentator gives more intellect to what would be a dull and bland piece of 'journalism'.

I would have rather watched a coverage of the Malawi victory over Jamaica(?) in the Netball where Malawai won by a point, rather than watching an hour and a half of lawn bowls.

Hello,

To answer some of your questions - Paula Radcliffe withdrew from the Games with a bruised foot. But she was only going to run in the 10,000m in Melbourne as she is preparing to defend her London Marathon title in April.

And yes we do hope to get down to some of the netball as the competition progresses. The event here is world class with the world's top eight teams here in Melbourne.

Thanks!

Sarah

Myopic, self-congratulatory and, for all non-Australians, very frustrating. That is the call from the ex pat armchair viewer watching through free-to-air TV. I know all countries are guilty of a bit of parochialism, but this is one Gold Medal the Aussies have well and truly got sewn up.

Got to say guys...this is the same in every country and something that we have to live with until the end of the world. I was in the UK for the last Commonwealth Games...and the dear old BBC were no different from Channel 9 in Australia. I never saw one Australian medal ceremony and basically just got all "red and white"....which really is how it should be. So stop complaining and accept what we have and be thankful.

Auzzie, Auzzie, Auzzie... enough, enough, enough CHannel 9! I can understand that they are an Australian broadcaster and sure the BBc no doubt is focusing on UK athletes but you would be forgiven in thinking this was the Australian Trials! Have they forgotton that they are the Host nation and thousands of Athletes and tourists from all round the world now in Melbourne would like to hear about other Nation's achievements??? If i knew the bias was so strong i prob would had paid the $65 for Foxtel's interactive coverage! Channel 9... doing its best in supporting Foxtel!!!!

Of course you'd expect the Australian media to concentrate on the Aussie performances - that's just as it should be. But the Channel 9 coverage over here is so biased it's beginning to turn me off watching altogether. The periodic news roundups of the day, for example, are simply reports of Australian performances, with other competitors only mentioned if they happen to get in the way. If they were advertised as such (Aussie progress reports) this might be acceptable, but they're not. This is much more like American domestic coverage, where anything that happens to non-Americans simply doesn't exist - except perhaps for the occasional "humour" pieces about the kooky ways of foreigners!
Channel 9 should realise that Australia is predominately a migrant country - people come from all over the world and have a wide range of interests. And I can remember that one of the charms of Games coverages in the past (both in England and in Australia) was hearing the national anthem playing for an emotional athlete from some country I'd hardly heard of. There's none of that any more.
Strangely enough, one of the most enjoyable commentaries is from the weightlifting pair(Darrel Eastlake and Dean Lukin)- they support the Aussie competitors, sure, but they also seem to be just having a great time: simply enjoying the performances and the drama of it all, regardless of where the competitors are from. As for the others... well, I'm even beginning to have my doubts about Phil Ligget, and I never thought I'd be saying that!

Hi Katie,

It's Matt here in Melbourne. Sarah and I are endeavouring to cover every sport out here which proves tricky between the two of us. We'll make sure to head to the netball before the Games are finished.

Regards,

Matt

PS Dougie, Paula Radcliffe pulled out of the Games a couple of weeks ago with a foot injury

Hi, I go to King Edward VI Camp Hill school for girls in Birmingham and I'm really enjoying the Commonwealth Games this year. I think it would be a great idea if archery was introduced into the Games, if it isn't in it already, as it is the sport I do and really enjoy. Thanks. Becky

It is right for the Aussies to be on their own teams side via the media.In this country, England, we should just think of it like this...in some far off country some of our relatives are getting coverage for doing something right, noy wrong, if you see what i mean!

Where was Paula Radcliffe in yesterday's ladies marathon

As an expat Brit living in Australia I have also been disappointed with the Channel coverage, showing only the medal presentations relating to Aussie wins, even to the extent of showing the bronze won by the Aussies, but not the silver or gold won by Scotland and England in the cycling. Radio is not much better sometimes with one commentator heard to say the flags in a medal presentation "looked untidy" when there was an Aussie trifecta in swimming which dead heated with South Africa for the Bronze.

Hello I am a 14 year old pupil at St Teresa's school in Effingham and I love netball. I was wondering if you could do more coverage on Netball as I don't think it has the coverage that it deserves.

Thank you for your time reading this message

From Katie

Enjoying the coverage via BBC website - the Australian TV coverage is (perhaps understandably) parochial.

Keep up the good work.

S.