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Commonwealth Games: Jo Griggs slams closing ceremony, Peter Beattie apologises, Annastacia Palaszczuk slams organisers

The inspirational para-athlete who was chosen to carry the flag opens up about the heavily criticised Commonwealth Games close.

Wally Mason, RHIAN DEUTROM and Sarah Elks
8 min read
1:02PMApril 16, 2018.
Updated 3:12PMApril 18, 2018
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Peter Beattie, chairman of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation addresses the closing ceremony at Carrara Stadium.
Peter Beattie, chairman of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation addresses the closing ceremony at Carrara Stadium.

Peter Beattie has apologised for the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony’s brushing aside of athletes but Australian flagbearer Kurt Fearnley wants to focus on the positives of the Gold Coast event.

Meanwhile, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk slammed the decision not to allow athletes to march into the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony during the live broadcast, saying those responsible should “hang their head in shame”.

The decision denied inspirational para-athlete Fearnley the chance to carry the flag in front of a television audience.

The move prompted anger towards organisers, particularly from presenters for broadcast rights holders the Seven Network, while the ceremony has been labelled overall as underwhelming and lacking star power.

Fearnley, who received a rousing ovation as he led the Australian team into the stadium on Sunday hours after winning gold in the men’s wheelchair marathon, agreed with Beattie that organisers had “got it wrong”.

Flag bearer Kurt Fearnley poses for a photograph with teammates during the Closing Ceremony at the Gold Coast 2018.
Flag bearer Kurt Fearnley poses for a photograph with teammates during the Closing Ceremony at the Gold Coast 2018.

But he stopped short of any further criticism.

“Right now, we have just finished the best and most inclusive Games we have ever had,” Fearnley told SEN radio.

“It’s the best two weeks of my life ... Let’s just move on and remember the Games as the absolute success that it was.

GOLDOC chair and former Premier Peter Beattie has taken responsibility for the decision, as well as for allowing too many speeches to take place.

MORE: Athletes react to disappointing closing ceremony

MORE: Peter Beattie has insulted nation’s athletes

Today on the Gold Coast, Ms Palaszczuk — who spoke at the closing ceremony after being snubbed at the opening event — was highly critical.

“At the end of the day, we appoint an agency to run the day to day operations of the games, and that day to day operations was GOLDOC and whoever made that decision not to allow those athletes to march in should hang their head in shame,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

She also expressed some criticism of the opening ceremony, which she had previously praised.

“I would have liked to have seen more of a Queensland and Gold Coast theme, embedded in that opening ceremony a bit more,” she said.

Ms Palaszczuk was speaking at a celebration in Surfers Paradise on Monday morning to honour the athletes. “I’m just as disappointed as anyone else. We wanted to stand there and celebrate our athletes and it didn’t happen,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Queensland Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones has praised Mr Beattie for taking responsibility but said many people felt let down.

“Peter Beattie has already said today he takes full responsibility and good on him for owning up to that decision, (but) we expected this closing ceremony to follow the tradition of every closing tradition which is being about the athletes,” Ms Jones said.

She said the government was advised last year that athletes would be shown walking into the stadium in the live coverage. “We were not consulted about that not being broadcast,’’ she said.

Ms Palaszczuk said that despite the closing ceremony falling flat, the Games had still been a great success that would have lasting benefits for the state. “The Commonwealth Games will leave an outstanding legacy,” Ms Palaszczuk said. “We had over 1500 trade delegates out here and they are very impressed with what they’ve seen here in Queensland and I expect we are going to reap the benefits including tourism, investment, infrastructure for many decades to come.” The premier said the government would consider a ticker tape parade for the athletes.

Mr Beattie accepted responsibility for last night’s heavily criticised closing ceremony, admitting the organisers “got it wrong’’. Mr Beattie moved quickly this morning to address the decision not to feature the athletes entering the stadium for the closing event as part of the live televised broadcast.

It was the big moment Kurt Fearnley and hundreds of Commonwealth Games athletes had waited for: their crowning glory at last night’s closing ceremony on the Gold Coast.

However, except for a few thousand spectators inside Carrara Stadium, Fearnley was not shown leading the team into the arena because the games organisers decided it would not be aired.

The athletes were already in the stadium when the broadcast began and instead of footage celebrating the athletes, television viewers were subjected to long speeches ­described by many as “self-­indulgent”.

The lack of focus on the ­athletes cast a pall over the ceremony and dozens of athletes left ­before the performance was over.

The absence of an athletes parade was also slammed Channel Seven commentators Johanna Griggs and Basil Zempilas live on television, with the hosts saying they had never seen a stadium “so empty”.

Addressing the furore today, Mr Beattie said on social media: “We wanted athletes to be part of and enjoy the Closing Ceremony. However, having them come in to the stadium in the pre show meant the TV audience were not able to see the athletes enter the stadium, alongside flag bearers. We got that wrong”.

He continued, saying that the speeches were “too many and too long” and admitted that he should not have spoken. “I was part of that and I acknowledge it. Again, we got that wrong”.

Mr Beattie also appeared on Seven’s Sunrise, apologising for the “stuff up” but was adamant that the welfare of the exhausted athletes had been at the forefront of organiser’s minds.

“When you have thousands of athletes, where do you put them?” Mr Beattie said.

“They have competed, they are exhausted, and the last thing they want is to stand in a field for one hour to get into a closing ceremony. We made a mistake. That was clearly a stuff up”.

Mr Beattie continued, admitting the athletes should have been involved in the closing ceremony. “Did we stuff it up? Yes. Should they have been a part of the actual ceremony that was broadcast? Of course. We got it wrong, I can’t be more honest about it than that,” he said. “I am sorry and if I get the chance I will apologise to Kurt this morning”.

A statement released by the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation, just before 8am, explained the decision to move the athletes into Carrara Stadium before the live broadcast. “It was the intention of the Closing Ceremony creative to have the athletes involved from the very start of the show, enabling them to be all be part of the celebrations,” the statement said.

“This resulted in the athletes entering the stadium during the pre-show, rather than during the live broadcast”.

The statement acknowledged that the decision to exclude athletes from the broadcast meant fans were unable to share in celebrating 11 days of sport with their heroes. “It was the intention of GOLDOC to celebrate the accomplishments of the athletes and provide them with a great experience,” the statement said. “We are naturally disappointed that the good intentions of the creative did not necessarily work for some of the athletes involved and the broadcast audience”.

The statement also addressed concerns around the empty stadium during the second half of the closing ceremony, saying that many of the athletes had an early start that morning and would have preferred to catch up on sleep.

“With over half the athletes scheduled to depart the Gold Coast tomorrow, it is understandable that large numbers of athletes chose to depart the ceremony early, to prepare for their journey or attend their own team celebrations,” the statement said.

TV hosts slam ceremony

Seven commentators Zempilas and Griggs lashed out at the decision. “People are thinking that Channel Seven has chosen not to show pictures of athletes or not to show the flag-bearer Kurt Fearnley or other flag bearers,” said Griggs, a former Australian swimmer, at the end of the telecast.

“We can only show the pictures that are provided by the actual host broadcasters. They (the organisers) made ­decisions not to have athletes enter the stadium. They made the decision not to show the flag-bearers.

“I’m furious. Actually, wrecking a tradition that is so important.

“You want to see the athletes come in. You want to see them jumping in front of camera. You want to see them celebrating 11 days of great sport.

“We missed out on all of that. There’s no athletes in here. I’ve never seen the stadium so empty halfway through a ceremony.”

Joanna Griggs and Basil Zempilas after the closing ceremony. Picture: Channel Seven
Joanna Griggs and Basil Zempilas after the closing ceremony. Picture: Channel Seven

At the end of the broadcast, Seven showed some footage of Fearnley shot earlier in the day. “A little consolation for you ... we had vision that we took of Kurt ... we weren’t allowed to put it in the ceremony, we were restricted by it,’’ Griggs said.

“Kurt did get to have his ­moment with his teammates, which is really important. But I just wish we could have had that ­moment, I wish we could have seen him as part of the program.”

Best result since 2006

Fearnley had always wanted to go out like his uncle, rugby league hardman Royce Simmons, who ended his career with two tries for Penrith in his team’s winning 1991 grand final and never played again.

After winning a gold medal in his last wheelchair marathon for Australia at the Games yesterday morning, Fearnley carried the flag at the head of the Australian team.

“I want to run to the finish like he did. Go out on a high. Go out with a celebration that you’ll never forget,” Fearnley said.

Empty stands during the closing ceremony of the games.
Empty stands during the closing ceremony of the games.

The Australian team streeted the field in the medal tally and recorded its best result since the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006, when the halo ­effect from the Sydney Olympics still lingered.

Australia finished these Games with 80 gold medals, 59 silver and 59 bronze for a total of 198 medals, well ahead of second-placed ­England on 45 gold, 45 silver and 46 bronze. In Melbourne, Australia topped the tally with 84 gold, 69 silver and 69 bronze.

This time around, Australia was so dominant we won more gold than the combined British teams — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland won 65 gold medals between them.

Mr Beattie described the Games as “bloody fantastic”.

A host of Australian musical superstars brought the curtain down on the Games last night — along with an element of the indigenous flavour that sparked criticism of the opening ceremony.

Guy Sebastian performs during the ceremony. Picture: AAP
Guy Sebastian performs during the ceremony. Picture: AAP

Indigenous band Yothu Yindi and the Treaty Project were among the featured performers. And the first artist on stage was ­indigenous singer-songwriter ­Archie Roach, who performed Let Love Rule with Gold Coast indy-pop star Amy Shark. They were joined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander choir Yugambeh Youth Choir.

“Pretty much everything you need to know about the show is those first five minutes,” said ceremonies director David Zolkwer.

Youth was a strong theme of the ceremony, with 12-year-old Max Deffenti of North Burleigh acting as MC and teenage slam poet Solli Raphael setting the Games to verse.

Guy Sebastian and Anthony Callea performed solos and the show climaxed with a concert of Australian female artists including The Veronicas, Samantha Jade, Kate Ceberano, Deborah Conway, Emma Donovan, Dami Im, Thandi Phoenix and Kira Puru.

The musical director of the opening and closing ceremonies, Katie Noonan, included herself in the show last night after being criticised for her downbeat perform­ance at the opening ceremony.

Prince Edward delivered the official welcome last night and dignitaries in the stands included Malcolm Turnbull and retired sprint king Usain Bolt, who has been haunting glitter-strip nightclubs for the past few evenings.

The ceremony also featured the handover of the Games flag to the city of Birmingham.

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