Carrara Stadium in Gold Coast

A unique characteristic of the Commonwealth Games is being the only Games which share a common language. All athletes and officials can converse with each other in English, creating an atmosphere that has led to the Commonwealth Games being long known as the ‘Friendly Games’. From the first host city of Hamilton in Canada, the Games have been held in many of the major Commonwealth Countries. In fact Australia has been the only country to hold the Games on five occasions, including Gold Coast, in Queensland, in 2018. Significantly this edition of the Games marked the first time a Commonwealth Games has been held in a regional Australian city.

A key player in the staging of the first Commonwealth Games was sports reporter and administrator Melville Marks (Bobby) Robinson, who helped bring to reality what Commonwealth nations had been dreaming about for three decades. Since then, the Games have grown from an event featuring 11 countries and 400 athletes to a modern sporting spectacular that includes 71 nations and territories and over 6,600 athletes and team officials.

An important change has also been made in gender equality over the years, with ‘GC2018’ marking the first time in history of a major multi-sport Games with an equal number of medal events for men and women. The size and format of the sporting competition has also grown over the years. Up until the late 1990’s, there had only ever been single competition sports before the introduction of hockey (men and women), netball (women) and rugby 7’2 (men) at the Kuala Lumpur Games in 1998. It wasn’t until eight years later at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006 that basketball was introduced. ‘GC2018’ saw the first ever Beach Volleyball competition on the Gold Coast: a fitting inclusion for the globally renowned beachside destination.

THE JOURNEY TOWARDS GC2018

The journey of Gold Coast towards ‘GC2018’ began in 2008, with preliminary discussion between the Queensland Government, the Australian Commonwealth Games Association and City of Gold Coast. In 2010, the Queensland Premier formally announced the government’s intention to bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Over the next 12 months, the City worked with the Queensland Government to develop the Gold Coast’s Commonwealth Games Candidature File. This 220 page ‘bid book’ contained comprehensive technical information and commitments addressing specific criteria set by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). The Gold Coast’s bid book was officially submitted to the CGF in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in May 2011. Voting delegates from International Commonwealth Games Associations then visited the Gold Coast in the months that followed. On the 12^th of November 2011, final presentations were made to the Commonwealth Games General Assembly in St. Kitts and Nevis by both bid cities, before a vote to decide the next host city.

Almost three years later, when the curtain closed on the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, a 10 minute presentation introduced the Gold Coast as the next host city.

INSTALLING TRACKS SAFELY AND QUICKLY

With the announcement of the 2018 Commonwealth Games to be held on the Gold Coast now commenced the major selection process of various segments of the housing facilities as well as the sporting event tracks. Part of that process was the announcement of Cockram Construction as the builder for the completion of the Carrara Stadium (known commercially as Metricon Stadium) overlay development works.

With a history of involvement in track supply and installation the decision was made to proceed with athletic tracks supplied by Mondo.

To ensure a perfect installation of the tracks, the adhesive chosen was ADESILEX G19 two-component, epoxy-polyurethane adhesive that has been used to bond athletic rubber tracks in the facilities hosting the Olympics since the 1976 edition in Montreal (Canada).

Installation of the tracks commenced in October 2017 with the ‘Warm-Up’ track being the first of the three main components of the centre. The three components creating the centre were the ‘Warm-Up’ track, the ‘Sprint’ track and the ‘Commonwealth Games Athletics’ track. With a two-part process of installation being to totally cover the asphalt surface with   ADESILEX G19 adhesive before applying the rubber coverings, the completion of all tracks ended in February 2018.

The supply of over 17 tons of ADESILEX G19 has provided the contractors with the perfect adhesive to ensure a track surface which meets all IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) and Commonwealth Games standards as well as a system which ensured the safe and efficient removal of the tracks after the completion of the Games.