Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

Sideline Sid can't wait until the start of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast of Australia in a week's time.

What a venue - with the tourist capital of Australia as the backdrop to a multitude of the best athletes on the globe, striving for success at what are known as the "Friendly Games".

The best part for us Kiwis that can't get over the ditch is the time friendly television coverage, with the finals of the blue ribbon events such as swimming and athletics taking place mid-evening New Zealand time.

The first Commonwealth Games were a far cry from today's festival of sport, which brings athletes from around seventy Commonwealth countries together every four years.

The first British Empire Games were held in Ontario Canada in 1930, before becoming the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in the 1950's and then becoming simply the Commonwealth Games, at the 1974 event held in Christchurch New Zealand.

Only England, Australia, Canada, Scotland, Wales and New Zealand have attended all 20 Commonwealth Games.

A total of 240 Kiwi athletes will compete on the Gold Coast, which is a far cry from the early New Zealand Commonwealth Games sides.

Just 22 New Zealanders made the long return journey, by boat, to Canada in 1930 to compete in Athletics (4 competitors) Outdoor Bowls (4) Rowing (11) and Swimming (3).

John Savidan and Stan Lay won Gold Medals in the athletics six mile track race and javelin respectively, with a further gold won by the rowing four.

In the earliest Games, competitor numbers weren't strong in some sports - with a good example being the Kiwi Light Heavyweight boxer who won a Silver Medal at the 1950 Empire Games in Auckland.

The New Zealand boxer won the Silver Medallion after losing the final, contested by the only two entries in the Division.

Three Commonwealth Games have been held in our beautiful country.

The 1950 Empire Games attracted 10 countries, with following Commonwealth Games in Christchurch in 1974 and Auckland during January 1990.

Commonwealth Games, provide centre-stage for a number of sports in New Zealand that haven't enjoyed medal success, at Olympic and World Championship level.

Wrestling has modest participation numbers compared to main-stream sports, but have won the three gold, nine silver and 17 bronze medals in Commonwealth Games competition, and two silver medals at the Sydney Games in 1938.

Other relatively low profile New Zealand sports to enjoy plenty of Commonwealth Games success include judo, shooting, gymnastics, table tennis and boxing.

Two Western Bay of Plenty female wrestlers are likely medal contenders on the Gold Coast.

Tayla Ford and Anna Moceyawa, who wrestle out of the Mount Maunganui Wrestling Club, completed a gruelling qualification process to book their berths at Queensland Games.

The Western Bay of Plenty pair returned home from the Commonwealth Championships held in South Africa in December 2017, which was the last Gold Coast qualifying tournament, with a likely Gold Coast Games spot after enjoying success.

Both Mount wrestlers performed with distinction in South Africa, with Tayla winning a Silver Medal in the 62 kilo division and Ana returning home with a Bronze Medal in the 57 kilo class.

A significant achievement by both wrestlers was that they defeated Australian opponents in preliminary action.