More than 200 of New Zealand's elite athletes are on their way to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.
But as the Games grow in numbers every few years, its popularity isn't, with one former chef de mission believing they aren't the same spectacle they once were.
New Zealand has always excelled on the world stage, but as our athletes compete in this year's Commonwealth Games, will fewer people be watching?
Former chef de mission Bruce Ullrich isn't surprised by the Games' decreasing popularity.
"I think in the public eye, it's certainly going down," Ullrich told Newshub.
Ullrich has been involved in 13 Commonwealth and Olympic events, and was the vice-chairman of the 1974 Christchurch Games.
He believes mistakes were made when the committee started adding team sports in the '90s, exploding the athlete population from just over 1000 to almost 5000.
"At the moment, the Games are far too big," he continued. "No-one's coming forward to host them and cities are getting them by default, which is not good for competition."
Another three team sports were added this year, taking the total number of events to 283.
Victoria will host in 2026, but because of the large numbers events will be spread across the Australian state, which current NZ chef de mission Nigel Avery admits has its challenges.
"Making sure we service the athletes for their medical and preparation recovery," Avery told Newshub.
"All those things we would do under one environment has got to be dispersed, so we are running a cluster system to try and make sure we cater for everyone's needs."
