Games a chance for development says CEO Kevin Thompson

The Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games takes place on the Gold Coast at Carrara Stadium on Wednesday night.

Australia welcomes more than 6,600 athletes and team officials from 71 Commonwealth nations and territories to the Gold Coast and event cities Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville, to share in the celebration of sport, entertainment and culture.

It’s the biggest sporting event to be staged in Australia this decade and will feature the largest integrated sports program in Commonwealth Games history, comprising 18 sports and seven para-sports.

CEO of the NSW Institute of Sport, Kevin Thompson, sees the Commonwealth Games as a fantastic chance for not just outstanding performances, but employee development.

“A home Games is of course a great opportunity for athletes, but it also opens up opportunities for staff to experience a major international event” said Thompson.

“I am very proud to see that 22 NSWIS colleagues will be working at the Games in a variety of roles including coaching, physiology, biomechanics, psychology and administration.

“A number of our staff bring past experience from the Olympics, previous Commonwealth Games and World Championships across a host of sports, whilst for some this is the first time they’ll be working at a multi-sport event of this size.

“Good luck to all involved – we look forward to cheering on the Australian team over the next two weeks”.

What a lovely looking bunch of Comm Games support staff and experts! Nathan Wall, Mel Mitchell, Kate Tallentire, Leanne Mathieson, Sally Walker, Cherie Walker and Mike Martin all assisting @gc2018 and @commgamesaus in various roles. So proud! #GC2018 #CommGames #CommonwealthGames

A post shared by NSW Institute of Sport (@nswinstituteofsport) on Mar 25, 2018 at 3:41pm PDT

Beach Volleyball, Para Triathlon and Women’s Rugby Sevens will make their Commonwealth Games debuts and for the first time at a Commonwealth Games, an equal number of men’s and women’s medal events will be contested.

The 2018 Commonwealth Games begins on Wednesday 4^th April and runs through to Sunday 15^th April.