Sydney, Australia | AFP | A number of African athletes who went missing from the Commonwealth Games last month have resurfaced seeking advice on gaining asylum in Australia, refugee advocates said Tuesday. More than a dozen were suspected of fleeing during the showpiece event on the Gold Coast. Among them …
Read More »Life after Bolt: new-look Jamaica fail Commonwealth test
Gold Coast, Australia | AFP | As sprint legend Usain Bolt partied into the early hours and hung out with movie stars at the Commonwealth Games, it wasn’t so much fun for the Jamaica track team he left behind. At their first major competition since Bolt retired after a decade …
Read More »Athletes from Uganda and Rwanda go missing at Commonwealth Games
13 African athletes, including Ugandans, go missing at Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia | AFP | Five more African athletes may have vanished from the Commonwealth Games, organisers said Thursday, after eight competitors from Cameroon were suspected of fleeing a day earlier. Gold Coast organisers confirmed reports that athletes …
Read More »Cameroon athletes vanish from Commonwealth Games
Gold Coast, Australia | AFP | A total of eight athletes from conflict-hit Cameroon are now missing from the Commonwealth Games in Australia, team officials said Wednesday. Three weightlifters and two boxers were initially reported to Australian police after not being seen since Tuesday, triggering suspicion they had fled with no …
Read More »New-look Kenya look to turn page at Commonwealth Games
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya will try to remain the top track and field nation at the Commonwealth Games despite bringing a new-look team after many of their top performers opted out. The Kenyans, who are also recovering from a major doping scandal which prompted wide-ranging reforms, have come …
Read More »G’day! Rain, royalty, protests as Commonwealth Games open
Gold Coast, Australia | AFP | A heavy downpour, a giant floating whale and Aboriginal protests marked the start of the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday as Australia flagged off 11 days of competition in the resort city of Gold Coast. Britain’s Prince of Wales declared the Games open at …
Read More »Commonwealth organisers roll out red carpet – and condoms
Gold Coast, Australia | AFP | About 225,000 condoms, 17,000 toilet rolls and free ice cream: welcome to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games village, where athletes and officials will want for little. Ahead of Wednesday’s opening ceremony, thousands of competitors and support staff are pouring in to their temporary home …
Read More »Commonwealth Games to restore Australia’s reputation, say organisers
Gold Coast, Australia | AFP | Bullish hosts Australia said the Commonwealth Games will restore the country’s battered sporting reputation on Saturday after a cricket ball-tampering scandal which drew criticism from around the world. Sport-mad Australia’s image took a bruising after a plot to alter the ball was revealed in …
Read More »Commonwealth Games abandons data mining after Facebook scandal
Sydney, Australia | AFP | A plan to mine data from Commonwealth Games visitors who use free and fast wifi in Australia was abandoned Thursday as a privacy scandal swirls around social media giant Facebook. The local Gold Coast council is offering a service up to 10 times normal speed …
Read More »Australia warns Commonwealth athletes not to overstay visas
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Australia on Tuesday warned athletes planning to compete in the Commonwealth Games this April that anyone caught overstaying their visas after the event will be dealt with firmly. The warning, two months before athletes and support staff from around the world flood to the Gold …
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