Concerns and controversies at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

Three Australian companies: Specktak International, World Events, Dae Global and one American company Jack Morton Worldwide (JMW) submitted bids to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) to produce the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. On 27 December 2015, the GOLDOC announced they chose Jack Morton Worldwide to produce the ceremonies of the games. This sparked an anger among the head of all the three Australian Companies Ric Birch, head of Spectak, David Atkins, head of Dae Global and Julie Brooks, head of World Events and questioned to GOLDOC that why an American company (JMW) was chosen for the production of ceremonies which was going to happen in Australia. Ric Birch, who co-ordinated the ceremonies of the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, called for a review of the decision to overlook three Australian companies to present the ceremonies at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.[1] But GOLDOC's head of communications Marcus Taylor said that JMW is an international company who had been working in Australia since 1983 and had a range of experiences in producing the ceremonies of events as they had previously done for 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.[2] He also said that the JMW's bid came from its Australian branch and not from its main American Branch.[3]

Later, it was revealed that the GOLDOC received advices in the ceremonies tender process from two people who had worked for JMW. The head of those three Australian event companies doubted that those two people would have favoured GOLDOC to award the ceremony contract went to JNW rather to any of the three local Australian event companies. The two people were Mik Aukland, technical director of Gold Coast 2018 and head of Ceremonies at Glasgow 2014, who worked for JMW for nine years and the other person was his partner Celia, who also worked for JMW until 2014. The couple then formed their own company called Red Thread. Marcus Taylor said that Red Thread was appointed through an open tender process to provide technical advice to GOLDOC for the Ceremonies tender and had no role in recommending or appointing the ceremonies contract, which was performed through an evaluation panel that they were not part of. He also added that both the tender documentation and recommendation was led and approved respectively by the GOLDOC Board.[4]

The opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games had numerous controversies and was criticised by the public and media for the following reasons:

Just 50 days before the opening of the Games, it was found that over 14,000 tickets for the Games opening ceremony event had the wrong day printed on them (Thursday), instead of the correct day (Wednesday).[5] Mark Peters, the CEO of GOLDOC said the issue was due to a “human error” made by Ticketek. He also commented that no problems were encountered with the other 90% of the tickets sold for other events and the wrong printed tickets wouldn't be recalled. He assured to the ticketholders that their opening ceremony passes were still valid, despite the wrong day.[6]

The opening ceremony of the Games was held up by protests by a group of Indigenous Australians. Before the ceremony, the protesters blocked the route of the Queen's Baton Relay, as it was under way in the suburb of Southport, which caused the run to be halted for about an hour. A protester told host broadcaster Seven Network,[7]

Today what we wanted to do was to make it clear to the mob, make it clear to the world and make it clear to our people that we’re standing strong. And we don’t want nothing of the Commonwealth here. They’ve stolen the land, built this country on stolen wages, built this country on the blood and bones of our people. And it’s about time that history is acknowledged and about time that the royal families who are responsible for it all - that they come down here and get at our level and ask to be here on our country. That’s what needs to happen.

During the opening ceremony, over hundred Aboriginal people protested outside the Carrara Stadium, the venue of the ceremony. The protesters waved black, red and yellow Aboriginal flags and chanted "No justice, no games". According to the Australian Associated Press, three demonstrators who tried to enter the stadium without tickets, were arrested by police. The protesters called the event "The Stolenwealth Games" in reference to the discrimination suffered by Aboriginal peoples. One protester shouted through a megaphone "I'm here to tell the rest of the Commonwealth that the Aboriginal nations of Australia have not ceded their sovereignty".[8] Three protesters were arrested after clashing with police outside the stadium and were charged with one count of public nuisance.[9][10]

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, was seen flipping magazine's pages during the opening ceremony. Some viewers commented in the social media that she was getting bored while others criticised that her behaviour was disrespectful. She also appeared to ignore the GOLDOC Chairman Peter Beattie as he introduced her and Charles, Prince of Wales on stage during the ceremony.[11] Louise Martin, President of the CGF, defended Camilla for her behaviour insisting she was jet-lagged badly during the ceremony, despite arriving in Australia 36 hours before the ceremony began. Martin said that Camilla got off the plane in the morning on the day of the ceremony and then she, along with her husband Charles, traveled from Brisbane to the Gold Coast by car. Martin also added that Camilla got only 20 minutes to change before she was due at another reception and claimed she hated long hour air travel.[12][13]

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also drew criticism on social media after he was seen texting apparently and slouching in his chair during the opening ceremony.[14] He was also seen showing something from his phone to Duchess Camilla. At an interview in the Sunrise, Malcolm Turnbull explained that he was actually showing pictures of his fourth grandchild to her from his phone.[15]

Viewers questioned that Christine Anu and Ricki-Lee Coutler, who performed at the ceremony, lip synced their performances.[16] GOLDOC rejected viewers claims and commented none lip synced their performances during the ceremony.[17] During Ricki Lee's interview in the Kyle and Jackie O show, she also denied the viewers claims that she lip synced and added that she sang the entire song live and also had the best time.[18]

Australian Singer Katie Noonan, who was the musical director of the opening ceremony, was accused by the viewers and Australian singers for being 'self-centered' during the ceremony. Her music was played most of the time and she also performed her song "You're Welcome here" during the ceremony. Some viewers commented that the camera was on her most of the time and she treated the ceremony as if it was her late night television show. She was also accused for showing favoritism towards those singers who were her close friends and allow them to perform at the ceremony.

The Ceremonies Artistic Director David Zolkwer dismissed viewers comments on Katie Noonan and commented that her supervision helped the music team to create one of the richest, most beautiful and eclectic ceremony soundtracks he has ever heard. He also added that he was very proud of their collaboration and appreciated Katie’s performance of You’re Welcome Here’ which he called as a tribute to classic Australian songs of ‘Home’ and a response to a creative challenge they explored together which he called ‘Home’ being a key and overriding theme of the ceremony.[19]

The next day of the ceremony, Katie Noonan published a post about her role and performance in her official Facebook account:

There has been some horrible media suggesting my musical direction of the Comm Games opening ceremony was driven by ego rather than good — and for me, that is the ultimate insult,” Noonan wrote on Facebook. “I feel so deeply sad as my own interests were never the goal. An awesome musical soundtrack that reflected us as a mighty world-class and proud mob of integrity was my only goal. Onwards and upwards.

Later, George Sheppard, member of the Australian band Sheppard, commented that Katie Noonan behaved like a narcissist and used her position of power in the music industry. Sheppard's sister and bandmate Amy was also unhappy with Katie Noonan's role.[20]

The GOLDOC offered only A$2000 to the artists and singers to perform a song at the opening ceremony. George Sheppard, member of the popular Australian band Sheppard who was offered by GOLDOC to perform at the ceremony but later turned down, said that performing at the ceremony would have been a huge honour, but could have faced severe financial losses. He revealed that the band was offered only A$6000 in total for the three parts: the five-piece expected to cover days of work which would include rehearsals, prerecording the song and performing at the ceremony. He also said that participating at the ceremony would have cost the band more in crew fees and logistics and GOLDOC weren’t willing to cover the extra charges. Andrew Stone, the band’s manager at one of the Australia's biggest concert promoters Chugg Entertainment added that had the GOLDOC covered the full cost of those three parts of the band's requirements, they could have performed at the ceremony. Viewers of the opening ceremony also criticised that the ceremony lacked performances from Australia's big-name artists. John Farnham, a popular Australian singer, reportedly declined to perform at the event.[21]

Some famous Australian people commented negatively about the conduct of the opening ceremony. Ric Birch, who coordinated the ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, commented that the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games was like a "school concert". He also said that his company would have organised the ceremony in a much better way if they were given in charge. Birch's company Spectak International had also bid for producing the Games ceremonies, but lost to JMW.

Queensland Senator Pauline Hanson disliked the ceremony and claimed that the first "20 minutes” of the ceremony devoted to indigenous culture was “absolutely disgusting”.[22] At an interview with Sky News, she was asked what she thought of the opening ceremony which featured indigenous performers Mau Power, hip-hop artist from the Torres Strait, and world-renowned didgeridoo player William Barton. She answered that she didn't understand the rap song sung by an Aboriginal (which she was referring to the rap song performance by Mau Power) and she also didn’t like the Barton’s performance either, arguing that the majority of Australians don’t watch didgeridoo music. Further, she said that the focus on indigenous culture was "over the top" and her country (Australia) was not based on just the Aboriginals. She later added that there were many aspects of Australia that should have been shown in the opening ceremony and not just didgeridoos.[23][24]

Australian Radio Broadcaster Alan Jones also disliked the opening ceremony called it "an insult to all Australians". Speaking on his morning radio show on 2GB, he commented that the ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate Australia and Queensland, but the ceremony featured mostly indigenous culture which was not worthy. He also added that the Aboriginal Australians are just a part of Australia’s history and a lot could have been shown in the ceremony.[25][26]

The closing ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games was criticised by the public and media for the following reasons

For operational reasons, the GOLDOC had decided that the athletes still on the Gold Coast would enter the Carrara Stadium during the pre-show, before the ceremony began, which was not broadcast and played only on the big screen within the venue to entertain the crowds. This was certainly not a decision without precedent. It was deemed necessary for operationally related athlete welfare reasons and had been briefed to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) which had approved the plan. It was also briefed into official athlete representatives some weeks before the event and also to host broadcast representatives many weeks in advance of the Games. In fact, all key stakeholders were aware and had signed off on the proposed plan well before the Closing Ceremony aired.[27]

The television broadcast featured relatively few images of the athletes; whose celebration traditionally forms a focus of the closing ceremony. However, the media failed to report that athlete attendance on the night was the lowest in Commonwealth Games history (many elected to attend a Channel 7 party in the City) and plans to recognise and explicitly celebrate all the athletes present during the early performance of 'You Should Be Dancing' by Anthony Callea had to be curtailed as there were actually too few athletes on the field of play to deliver the desired broadcast images. (A clue to the original intent can seen on camera when Callea was accompanied on stage by a troupe of some 20 athletes who had learnt a choreographic sequence in the Athletes' Village in the days leading up to the Ceremony. Adding Usain Bolt to the scene was intended to further highlight the achievements of the athletes. The athletes who entered the stadium prior to broadcast had also been taught a dance routine for them to perform on camera in anticipation of them being celebrated when the broadcast cameras went live).[28][29]

Post ceremony the media offered a skewed account of events which was never actually contradicted or corrected by the stakeholders (GOLDOC, CGF, etc.) who had signed off on the plan. At no time was attention drawn to the lack of athlete presence in the stadium or the fact that many of them were attending a party held by Channel 7 - one of the most vocal critical voices and also one of the stakeholders that had been briefed well in advance event.[30] With hindsight, the low athlete attendance on the night was foreshadowed during the Opening Ceremony which also fell victim to poor and many felt disrespectful with the athlete attendance.[31][32]

The day after the closing ceremony, GOLDOC Chairman Peter Beattie apologised for not showing the athletes and also for too many speeches in the closing ceremony. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was also disappointed that the athletes were not able to march during the ceremony, laying the blame on GOLDOC. She also commented that the Games organisers should "hang their head in shame" for not allowing the athletes to march in the ceremony .[33]

A cleaner found needles in a water bottle at the Athletes' village just two days before the opening of the Games. The Games officials were shocked to see those needles as the event has a no-needle policy, which meant that the athletes and team officials were not allowed to use or carry needles during their stay in the Athletes' village.[34] Grevemberg said he could not identify which team was involved.[35] Later, Indian team manager Ajay Narang said his team had found the syringes in a water bottle outside their accommodation and he gave it to the Games medical authorities for analysis.[36] The GOLDOC launched an investigation, and carried out dope tests on all 12 members of the Indian boxing team which included eight men and four women. The syringe were examined for its contents. After the tests, the boxers were asked to sign an undertaking that they did not possess any more syringes and restrictions were put on them, including a ban on leaving the Athletes' Village after 10 pm.[37] The deputy chief coach of Indian athletics team Radhakrishnan Nair also said that the needles were found in the common area of the building and no Indian team member was involved in it.[38] India team doctor Amol Patil admitted he injected a vitamin B complex to a member of the Indian team, which was in clear violation of the Games' no-needle policy. It was also found that Dr Patil was aware of the no needle policy and to have breached articles I and II of the policy in that he left needles in the room while he went to the Polyclinic to obtain sharp bins for the disposal of the needles. As a result, the Indian team received a serious letter of reprimand warning them against any further breaches of the policy.[39]

Later, the Games officials suspended two Indian athletes from the event for breaching the no-needle policy and were immediately removed from the Athletes' village. Those athletes were race walker Irfan Kolothum Thodi and triple jumper Rakesh Babu.[40] CGF President Louise Martin said that the cleaners had found the needle in a cup in the apartment assigned to Babu and Thodi. Investigators from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority then searched their room and found another needle in a bag which belonged to Babu. Under Games rules only medical practitioners and athletes with an approved medical condition requiring auto-injection such as diabetes were allowed to bring needles into the athletes’ village. That was the second time Team India violated the Games no-needles policy. As well as the athletes’ suspensions, serious warnings were issued to Indian officials including the team's chef de mission that any further breaches could result in suspension of accreditation.[41]