Welcome to sport in the rain

By DAVID LEGGAT at the Games

Bleak, drizzly Manchester did not have its welcoming face on as the last of the New Zealand contingent arrived yesterday.

The Games are supposed to be staged with the sun on the back, sunglasses in place and sunblock strategically placed.

But Manchester and glorious sunshine are not words which trip off the tongue in the same sentence.

The efforts to spruce up the inner city have only worked to a superficial degree.

Yes, there are leafy patches of parkland, but architecturally the centre of the city is a mix of Victorian and modern.

The weather might change, of course, but no less easy to read is the attitude of Mancunians to the 17th edition of the Commonwealth Games.

True, flags and posters are out in the central city and inquiries are met with politeness.

But a casual poll of the locals yesterday revealed a mixed bag of interest, ranging from the enthusiastic to the moderately interested, through to those who insist Rio Ferdinand's British record £30 million ($100 million) transfer from Leeds United to Manchester United is all that matters.

In this neck of the woods, you get the feeling the Games are an intriguing distraction from the real sporting business, which starts next month when the English soccer premiership kicks off.

Even the Manchester Evening News three nights before the opening ceremony restricted itself to two Games stories, on English boxing hopes.

The special buzz you would expect just before the start of a multi-sport extravaganza - setting aside the quality of competition alongside the Olympics or myriad individual world championships for a moment - is not here.

Will it catch on? Watch this space.

As for the New Zealand contingent, the last 86 athletes have arrived, all reporting fit according to team management, apart from discus thrower Ian Winchester, who is out with a pulled shoulder muscle.

Full coverage:
nzherald.co.nz/manchester2002

Commonwealth Games info and related links