X Factor winner and Eurovision contestant Dami Im and long-standing stars Guy Sebastian, The Veronicas and Yothu Yindi will all play at Sunday evening’s closing ceremony at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

“It’s a party for everybody. When the athletes come, they’re gonna party. The performers are going to party,” Commonwealth Games Corporation chairman Peter Beattie told reporters.

“Remember, it’s also a very emotional time because this is actually the end of the Games.

“Athletes will be leaving, all the officials will be leaving, and it is really a party time.”

Beattie said retired star Usain Bolt will be at the event, while Im said it was a privilege to be asked to perform.

“It’s such an honour to be performing at the closing ceremony and representing Queensland. I’m a proud Queenslander,” she said.

“I look forward to performing there with all these beautiful, amazing artists and celebrating with the athletes who have really inspired all of us.”

Anthony Callea and Ricki-Lee Coulter will also be involved, while Kate Ceberano and Deborah Conway are set to perform towards the end of the ceremony.

Do not be surprised if John Farnham makes a special appearance, too.

His iconic song You’re The Voice has been played so much over the past week-and-a-half it is surely the unofficial anthem of these Games.

Official goes to the toilet … and never comes back

More athletes and officials have gone missing as the Games draw to a close, with Rwanda’s weightlifting coach the latest to do a runner.

At least 13 athletes from Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Rwanda are already thought to be missing. And now immigration officers are looking for Rwanda coach Jean-Paul Nsengiyumva, who disappeared during competition.

“He was at Carrara Stadium with an athlete for the competition there, and before the end of the competition the coach went to the toilet,” Rwanda chef de mission Nzabaterura Eugene told The Australian.

“From then, we realised he was not in the stadium or the [athletes’] village.

“We had a chat to police … all of his stuff is in the room [he is staying in at the village].”

Officers are now looking for Jean-Paul Nsengiyumva. Photo: Getty

According to CNN, more than 40 people involved in the Games have contacted a local migration agency seeking advice on how to remain in Australia.

Daley speaks out

World champion diver Tom Daley is hopeful that by the time the 2022 Commonwealth Games begin in Birmingham, attitudes towards homosexuality will have changed.

The openly gay Daley said on Thursday after winning gold in the men’s synchronised 10-metre platform: “There are 37 countries in the Commonwealth where it’s currently illegal to be who I am, so hopefully we can reduce that number between now and then.

“Coming to the Gold Coast and being able to live as an openly gay man is really important … for 37 countries that are here participating, that’s very much not the case.”

The post

https://twitter.com/7CommGames/status/984744103131795456

Medal for nine minutes of work

Just seven women qualified for the 51-kilogram boxing category and Aussie Taylah Robertson then received a first-round bye due to the odd numbers.

That guaranteed her a semi-final berth and a medal, regardless of performance, and she lost in just nine minutes to England’s Lisa Whiteside on Friday.

Robertson was blunt after being asked if she took anything out of her loss.

“No, nothing. I didn’t come here for bronze,” she said.

The photo

Nigeria wrestler Blessing Oborududu celebrates victory with her coach. Photo: Getty

Protesters arrested

For much of the week, protesters have tried to interrupt Seven Network breakfast show Sunrise due to a controversial segment they aired last month.

And the protests continued on Friday with four men arrested after clashing with police.

Officers said protesters entered a “protected security zone” and then declined to move on when requested.

Saturday’s action

It is Super Saturday at the Games with 44 medals on offer.

An exciting afternoon of athletics is on the cards with both men and women set to race in 4 x 100m relays and 4 x 400m relay finals in a session that begins at 2.25pm AEST

Australia plays New Zealand for gold in hockey clashes for the women (12.45pm) and men (9.15pm), while our women’s basketballers take on England in a gold medal clash at 8.30pm.

There will be no Australia-New Zealand final in the netball, as the two nations meet in a semi-final at 5.02pm and a host of boxing finals take place from 12.02pm.

For those up early, there’s the women’s cycling road race that begins at 7.45am. The men’s edition starts at 12.30pm.

And there are more medal events in badminton, diving, shooting, squash, table tennis and wrestling, too.