BBC’s Clare Balding: ‘Triathlon will be an interesting Home Nations meeting point at Glasgow 2014’
Sports commentator predicts Commonwealth Games will see some interesting rivalry in the triathlon events, with Wales fielding two superb female athletes, and England the Brownlees
Home Nations’ rivalry could reach boiling point in the triathlon events at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, predicts BBC commentator Clare Balding.
With just over two months to go until the opening ceremony, Balding says that one unique aspect of the Commonwealths is that the UK is split up against its component nations, with Wales pitched against Scotland, against England, against the Channel Islands and against Northern Ireland.
“Triathlon will be a really interesting meeting point for that, having two really good female triathletes, and two really good male triathletes, but the two women competing for Wales and the two men competing for England,” said Balding. “And there’s a mixed [relay] triathlon competition for the first time, so I’m looking forward to that.”
The commentator, who will be focusing mainly on the swimming during the Games, also says that she is also looking forward to seeing how Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish – fresh from the Tour de France – get on in the cycling events.
The BBC’s plans for Glasgow 2014 include over 300 hours of broadcast TV and 200 hours of radio coverage, along with a whopping 1,300 hours of live online action via up to 17 digital streams. Its commentators for the Games will include Rebecca Adlington, Michael Johnson and Sir Chris Hoy.
The opening ceremony will be broadcast live from Celtic Park on Wednesday 23 July on BBC One and BBC One HD, and the closing ceremony will be held on Sunday 3 August. The triathlon events will be held over Olympic distance at Strathclyde Country Park, with the men’s and women’s finals taking place on Thursday 24 July and the mixed relay being held on Saturday 26 July.
Australia and New Zealand have already announced their triathlon teams for the Games, while most of the Home Nations are yet to reveal their final choices. Watch this space for news as soon as we have it…
Which nation do you think will win the most medals in the triathlon events? Let us know in the comments below!
Jamie Beach
Former digital editor 
