With one day to go in swimming at 2018 Commonwealth Games, Australia has racked up 60 medals (20 gold/20 silver/20 bronze) — three times the number of the second most decorated nation, England (20 medals).
Overall, Australia leads the games with 106 medals, and England is second with 63.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Commonwealth Games Federation is considering a number of ways to lessen the gap between Australia, England, and the rest of the field for future Games.
“We don’t want to dilute great performances and great performers. It’s about getting that balance right,” Federation CEO David Grevemberg said. “But one shape doesn’t fit all, not every sport is created equally within the Commonwealth, some are more developed than others.”
In swimming, Grevemberg said, one proposal is to limit a nation’s event entrants to two. This would open up significant opportunity for the less dominant nations than Australia to medal, as Australia has swept the podium in 5 events already this year with 1 day to go, including the women’s 800 free, 50 fly, and 100 fly, and the men’s 50 and 200 backstrokes.
“We have debated and deliberated on this as a movement for the past three years,” Grevenberg continued. “But you can only do it one Games at a time. Change is hard sometimes, you don’t want to move too fast too soon.”
Easy. Allow all countries with UK roots into the games ?
Not related, but I would love if FINA adopted 3 entrants per country in swimming events instead of two.
they used to in the olympics until I believe the 80’s.
I’m hard pressed to find what country this would benefit outside the US