David Leggat: Call 'to be there live' falls on deaf ears

As we wait with a growing sense of anticipation for Wednesday's opening ceremony, spare a thought for Margaret Vogt.

Mrs Vogt, an elderly Melburnian, opened her mailbox this week to find a letter from Commonwealth Games organisers, addressed to her husband Ron, urging him to get in behind the quadrennial sports extravaganza.

Support your city's Games, buy a ticket to the opening ceremony on Wednesday - a small matter of about A$590 ($670) a pop - with encouragement from Games boss Ron Walker to "be there live".

The only snag was Ron Vogt died two years ago.

But Mrs Vogt took the upsetting correspondence like - as we're in Games mode - a good sport. These things happen, was the gist of her reaction, although she added if her husband was "there live" she'd be pretty happy about it.

About 40 families in the same situation as Mrs Vogt received the same letter. Cockups happen and if that's the worst to trip up Games organisers this month, they'll probably settle for that.

The Games are a few days away so it's in warmup mode.

Warmup for the thousands of volunteers without whom, etc, etc; warmup for athletes contesting a variety of events designed to fine tune preparations; and warmup for Wednesday's opening ceremony, which apparently involves a giant tram with wings.

I can't tell you any more - in case you were interested - because the Victorian Government, at the request of Games organisers, has slapped a ban on watching or filming the rehearsals because they're concerned at tidbits leaking out.

When a television channel hovered over the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday, production staff responded by moving into position to form a huge expletive.

All of which sounds a bit Big Brother, if only anyone was really bothered.

And there's the problem. Melbourne, for all the tarting up on the streets, the rejigging of the city's traffic routes designed to smooth the flow during the event and the best efforts of the Games' Hot Air Department, just seems distinctly underwhelmed by what's about to happen.

"There's no traction, mate," one Melbourne journalist remarked yesterday.

Things are happening, however, at the main press hub in Melbourne's Exhibition Centre in the city, where support staff - that is, volunteers running everything from the coffee machine to the business centre, the helpdesk and the Tourism Australia office and all points in between - outnumber journalists about 20 to one.

As always, there are quirky touches. The baby changing table in the men's toilets, for example, which seems a shade unnecessary. A case of catering for all eventualities perhaps.

There is a booklet for visitors with a quick guide to the Australian language.

So in the interests of enlarging Herald readers' vocabulary, "fang" means "to drive around at high speed (ie), let's fang up to the beach"; a "bubbler" is a drinking fountain; an "Aussie salute" is the "backward and forward waving of hands before the face to shoo away the flies"; the "Coathanger" is the Sydney Harbour Bridge; and a "bastard" is "a term of abuse, but it can also be one of male endearment. Warning: use it in a jocular way or you may get into a blue".

Less than half the New Zealand contingent of 250 athletes have arrived at the Games village at Parkville on the northern outskirts of the city. All will be in by Tuesday night when the team function will reveal who will be flagbearer for the opening ceremony.

New Zealand have the third biggest team competing, behind Australia and England and hopes are high for a bountiful medal haul. Manchester four years ago produced 45 - 11 gold, 13 silver, 21 bronze - so there's the yardstick.

But the Games need a focal point. Ian Thorpe's gone, so has British marathon star Paula Radcliffe, so the spotlight is likely to fall on the world's quickest man, Jamaican Asafa Powell.

He whistled down the Olympic Park straight in 10.29s on Thursday night in his comeback race, easing off after 60m into a headwind. He's been bugged by injury for the last few months, but looked the goods.

But there's no escaping it's all shaping as a bonzer bonanza for the green and golds.

Now there's a surprise.