The weight of history on his shoulders, Australian bowler Aaron Wilson has made a nerve-jangling start to his bid for a third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal.

Wilson opened his account as bowls took centre stage as the first event on the Games schedule at Glasgow’s SEC Centre on Thursday, ahead of the opening ceremony.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the man known as ‘Disco’ in his 8-4 6-6 victory over Guernsey’s Jason Greenslade.

Wilson fell behind 6-1 in the second set of his men’s singles opener but fought back to tie it and triumphed in front of a small but vocal crowd, which included Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Edward was riding the highs and lows at the opening sporting event of Glasgow 2026. Photo: AAP

“I always knew it was going to be a tough game and the first one is always a nerve-racking one to start your campaign,” Wilson said.

“But to get the win first, and in that sort of style, will certainly boost the confidence.

“At 6-1 down, I was not a big fan of that. But with a bit of resilience you never know, you can still come back and win the game.

“It’s not a bad thing to cop that (tough encounter first up).”

Wilson won gold on debut at the 2018 Gold Coast Games and repeated the dose in Birmingham in 2022.

A third consecutive singles title would make the 34-year-old just the second person to complete the feat, after English great David Bryant, who won the last of his four successive titles in 1978.

“I try not to think about it too much. As far as I’m concerned, it’s another Games,” Wilson said.

“My preparation stays the same and the right attitude gives us a chance.”

Dawn Hayman enjoyed a win in her first outing at a Commonwealth Games. Photo: AAP

Wilson’s first-up victory came after Dawn Hayman and Kelsey Cottrell made a positive start to the women’s pairs, beating Zambian opponents Gertrude Siame and Foster Banda 6-4 14-0.

“It was a very exciting start going out there in front of the big crowds with all the music, and to get the win was a really good bonus,” Games debutant Hayman said.

“Kelsey played a great shot to win us the first set there and we cruised on in the second set to get the win.”

Hayman and Cottrell, who won gold together at the 2023 world championships in the women’s triples, loom as a gold medal threat in Glasgow.

The bowls program is being run indoors at Glasgow for the first time in Games history.

Kelsey Cottrell and Dawn Hayman are among the favourites to win a bowls gold medal in Glasgow. Photo: AAP

Instead of the outdoor greens, where the Australians won a record three gold and three silver medals four years ago, this time they are playing on artificial turf.

“It’s chalk and cheese,” three-time Games medallist Cottrell said.

“We don’t get the wind and the rain and that sort of stuff … but the surface itself, the carpet can vary with the different temperatures.

“We noticed in the first few ends it felt a bit quicker and I was thinking maybe that’s just adrenaline.

“But as more people came in and we continued into the game, the green started to slow down just a little touch. It’s just adapting to those little changes.”

Former Australian hurdler Kyle Vander-Kuyp (left) explains the Commonwealth Games team’s unity mat. Photo: AAP 

Kyle’s dance moves

Days after China’s missile test, Kyle Vander-Kuyp’s unexpected dance moves in Glasgow were the latest instalment of regional Pacific diplomacy.

Australia hosted a Celebration of Oceania event on Thursday morning (Thursday evening AEST), hours before the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

The first session was a fun cultural exchange, where the Oceania nations were invited on stage to share dances, songs and stories.

The Fijian Commonwealth Games delegation performed a song at the Celebration of Oceania event. Photo: AAP

But there was not so much an elephant in the room, as a panda or dragon – China’s influence in the Pacific region.

The Glasgow gathering was very much about sport diplomacy.

Australia’s high commissioner to the UK, Jay Weatherill, was the host and Governor-General Sam Mostyn also spoke.

“In an uncertain world, sport has the power to unite like nothing else. We’ve invested heavily in the region, because we’re serious about creating this shared identity,” Weatherill told AAP.

“We are worried about the state of the world. We think it’s really important that we come together and celebrate the peace and prosperity that we hope to bring to Oceania.

“The Games are a perfect metaphor for that. They’re about competition, but they’re about peaceful competition and they’re about friendliness.”

Weatherill was then asked specifically about the issue of China in the Oceania region.

“We’re very interested in making sure that Oceania remains peaceful. Joining together with other peace-loving nations and celebrating our shared values and our shared love of sport sends a really important message,” he replied.

Earlier this month, a Chinese submarine test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead into the South Pacific.

Vander-Kuyp presented for Australia on Thursday and he spoke movingly of his Indigenous background.

Adopted at five weeks of age, sport became a massive driver in his life and he became a star hurdler at the Commonwealth Games and Olympics.

“I definitely don’t have a dance, I definitely don’t have a song, but I’ve got a story,” said Vander-Kuyp, now an official with the Australian team.

That proved a big mistake.

The Cook Islands delegation clearly took note and dragged him up on stage for their dance performance.

Weatherill admitted to nerves that he might have been next.

“I would have pulled a hamstring if I’d tried to replicate the swivelling of the hips that was on display,” he said.

But Weatherill and Mostyn joined members of the Australian team on stage to gather around the unity mat that is now a feature of the national team at the Commonwealth Games and Olympics.

The mat, which features an Indigenous design, is used to welcome team members when they arrive for the events.

“My piece today is really about a circle … everyone connects around a circle,” Vander-Kuyp said.

Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips reminded the audience of Nelson Mandela’s quote that sport can change the world.

Mostyn said climate change was also a crucial issue for the region, while urging the different countries to make the most of the Games.

“We will be fierce competitors outside this room, but great friends with a great deal of warmth inside this room,” she said.

—AAP