Commonwealth Games: Team sports should get more joy in Delhi

When the curtain fell on the Beijing Olympics two years ago there were plenty of reasons to feel cheerful about New Zealand's showing, highlighted by gold medals to Valerie Vili, the Evers-Swindell twins and Tom Ashley.

But there was one jarring note for New Zealand Olympic Committee secretary-general Barry Maister - the performance of the team sports.

"You'd have to say the performance of our team sports has been disappointing," the former national hockey rep said on the day of the closing ceremony.

"The men's [hockey] should have qualified for the semifinals. They were the best-prepared team to leave the country and had enough talent."

The let-down factor in team sports was more acute in Beijing than it will be in Delhi by virtue of the fact that the team programme is smaller.

In 2008 the NZOC sent men and women's teams in hockey and soccer and a women's basketball team to China, the 80 athletes making up more than half the team, yet not one progressed out of pool play.

The teams story should have a happier ending in Delhi. The sevens team are favourites to four-peat, the Silver Ferns are virtually guaranteed of a medal, though anything less than gold will be disappointing.

Which just leaves hockey ...