Goodbye Rio, hello Glasgow

Suffering from World Cup football withdrawal? Fear not, the Commonwealth Games will soon be a TV remote click away.

The spectacle is about to kick off in Scotland and, unlike the tournament in Brazil, there will be plenty of South Africans in action.

The bulk of Team SA fly out tonight ahead of the showpiece that begins with the opening ceremony in Glasgow next week on Wednesday night, where organisers plan to roll out rocker Rod Stewart and Susan Boyle. There are sure to be a few bagpipes too.

Look out for the Scottish team - there has been an outcry over their outfits, with 25000 people reportedly having signed a petition objecting to the sky blue-and-tartan uniform.

The best attire I've witnessed at an opening ceremony was Team SA's at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur where, with much effort and coordination, they marched around the track as a giant SA flag.

That was a goose-bump moment, which was followed by some great performances; that was when South Africa made it to fifth on the medals table for the first time since readmission.

The football die-hards are probably rolling their eyes at the suggestion that Glasgow 2014 could adequately replace football.

But the World Cup and Commonwealth Games have a common heritage - both events grew out of the 1928 Olympics. And both staged their inaugural competitions in 1930.

The first Commonwealth Games, known then as the British Empire Games, used podiums for the medal ceremonies and had the athletes staying in a single village.

Both were revolutionary concepts that were adopted by the International Olympic Committee bigwigs who were there in Hamilton, Canada.

That's according to author Brian Oliver in his fascinating book The Commonwealth Games: Extraordinary stories behind the medals.

South Africa has produced many champions across several sports since those first Games. Jacob Smith and Leonard Hall won boxing gold medals in 1930, and the celebrated Laurie Stevens, a future Olympic lightweight champion, had to settle for silver in the featherweight division.

South Africa's first aquatics triumph was achieved by Oonagh Whitsett, in the 3m springboard diving competition.

And athletics has been a happy hunting ground. Harry Hart won the shot putt and discus double as well as the javelin bronze in 1930 (he defended his double four years later and improved his javelin to silver). Johannes Viljoen bagged the high jump crown.

Over the decades, South African men have won every Commonwealth field title except for triple jump and decathlon, and Willem Coertzen is looking to change that in the combined events competition in Scotland.

Coertzen, a 2012 Olympian, is the top-ranked decathlete in the Commonwealth so far this year.

South Africa has won seven Games track titles - and six of them have been in hurdles.

The only non-hurdler to take a Commonwealth gold medal in a track event was Mbulaeni Mulaudzi in the 800m in 2002.

Marjorie Clark, the Olympic 80m hurdles bronze medallist from 1932, kick-started the hurdles tradition with gold in 1934 (she also won the high jump that year).

In 1938, Barbara Burke took Clark's crown while Tom Lavery claimed the men's 120-yard hurdles title.

South Africa's next champion came 20 years later when Gert Potgieter was first in the 440-yard hurdles. Since then, Shaun Bownes won the 110m hurdles in 2002 and LJ van Zyl the 400m in 2006.

It's no surprise that South Africa's top-ranked track athlete going into Glasgow 2014 is 400m hurdler Cornel Fredericks, the quiet-spoken competitor who is looking for his first big prize on the international stage.