Commonwealth Games organisers have apologised after stinging criticism on social media of Sunday night’s closing ceremony.

Television viewers were unable to see the athletes entering the Gold Coast stadium with each nation’s flag bearer, leading Channel Seven’s own commentators to express their dismay.

The chairman of the organising committee, the former Queensland premier Peter Beattie, admitted: “We got that wrong.”

Annastacia Palaszczuk said the organisers of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games closing ceremony should “hang their head in shame” for not giving athletes the starring role.

The Queensland premier was scathing about the decision to effectively exclude the athletes from the broadcast which traditionally features the teams entering the stadium behind their nation’s flag bearer.

“I’m just as disappointed as anyone else. We wanted to stand there and celebrate our athletes and it didn’t happen,” Palaszczuk said while attending a post-Games celebration in Surfers Paradise on Monday morning.

Closing Ceremony; 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.#gc2018 — Peter Beattie (@SmartState1) April 15, 2018

Beattie also apologised on Monday for the length of the speeches, which had athletes and spectators heading for the exits long before the ceremony officially wound up.

The speeches were too many and too long. I was part of that and I acknowledge it. Again, we got that wrong.#gc2018 — Peter Beattie (@SmartState1) April 15, 2018

The ceremony was widely derided on social media and the Australian rights holder Channel Seven joined in the criticism, saying it had no control over the decision not to show the athletes because they had already entered the stadium when the ceremony began.



honestly Australia isn’t going to need a referendum to become a republic anymore. after this #ClosingCeremony the Queen will probably throw us out of the Commonwealth. #GC2018 — Pablo Fiasco (@Ptain) April 15, 2018

The Channel Seven hosts Johanna Griggs and Basil Zempilas took the unusual step during Sunday night’s broadcast of criticising both the Games organisers and the host broadcasters on-air, saying the poorly designed ceremony had emptied out the stadium.

The organisers of the closing ceremony decided to break with tradition and arranged for the athletes to enter the stadium before the start of the ceremony. #GC2018 pic.twitter.com/5DQFSGBTaB — 7CommGames (@7CommGames) April 15, 2018

Griggs, a former Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, said she was “furious” at the decision not to show images of the Australian team and flag bearer Kurt Fearnley, saying not doing so was “wrecking a tradition that is so important as part of Commonwealth Games”.

“People thinking that Channel Seven has chosen not to show pictures of athletes and not to show the flag bearer, Kurt Fearnley, and other flag bearers of nations coming in: we’re the Australian rights holder so we can only show the pictures that are provided by the actual host broadcasters,” she said. “They made the decision not to have the athletes enter the stadium.”

I just hope that Johanna and Basil come on at the end of every Seven show now and start bagging it. #closingceremony — Clairey McSweary (@clairebbbear) April 15, 2018

Zempilas said the ceremony had been a disappointing end to the Games.

“We’ve never seen a stadium as empty as this so soon after the end of a closing ceremony and, to be brutally honest, most of the athletes left during the ceremony,” he said. “And the speeches … they were way too long tonight. Way too long. And dare I say it a little self-indulgent.”

Queensland’s Commonwealth Games minister, Kate Jones, praised 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,” Jones said.



Footage from both inside and outside Carrara Stadium showed spectators leaving in the middle of the ceremony.

Hahaha! Do yourself a favour and look at the #ClosingCeremony. So funny. It’s so bad! Everyone is leaving pic.twitter.com/yg3R5wHn7Q — Dan Oliver (@danwaterski) April 15, 2018

Not being inside the #ClosingCeremony I thought the show had ended judging by the stream of people leaving. Apparently not pic.twitter.com/nWaCMD2Kd1 — Lachlan Kennedy (@lachlan_kennedy) April 15, 2018

Even Barnaby Joyce joined the criticism on social media, saying: “Someone has got to answer for that.”

Yeah just watched closing ceremony and sorry someone has got to answer for that. It was apart from that a great games — Barnaby Joyce (@Barnaby_Joyce) April 15, 2018

With Australian Associated Press