Security officers hired for the 2018 Commonwealth Games are so unhappy that “hundreds” have quit and left the Gold Coast, according to a report.

The discontent among officers has been high for some time now, with reports of their dissatisfaction first emerging before the Games had even started.

Central to their concerns are poor accommodation and shift times.

The New Daily understands that some staff working at the Games have been given under 12 hours’ notice before a shift begins and do not know which days they are working.

United Voice Union’s Glenn Conroy said some accommodation provided was “atrocious”.

“It’s unhealthy. We’ve had reports of mice, cockroaches and lice. Security officers are leaving in droves,” he told Nine News.

One guard complained to Nine News of being treated like “prisoners on a work camp”.

But Mark Peters, CEO of the Gold Coast Games, told reporters conditions were not as bad as reported.

“We would say there’s probably exaggeration and a few of the issues [were] taken a bit beyond what reality is,” he said.

The swim legends caught up in police bust

Seven Network experts and former Australia stars Ian Thorpe and Giaan Rooney, and legendary commentator Bruce McAvaney, have been driven around the Gold Coast by hire car drivers during the Games.

There’s nothing unusual in that. Yet.

It turns out that the car taking Thorpe and Rooney to the swimming on Saturday had been reported stolen and was pulled over by Queensland police.

Police went on to detain the vehicle, leaving Thorpe and Rooney without a ride to the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.

“Giaan and Thorpey had to walk the rest of the way to the pool,” Channel Seven presenter Mel McLaughlin revealed.

Queensland Police added: “Officers detained a hire vehicle which was identified as travelling with New South Wales licence plates which had been reported stolen.”

Viewers outraged by comment

Olympic champion and retired beach volleyball legend Kerri Pottharst infuriated Seven Network viewers by saying St Kitts and Nevis players resembled “human lamingtons” when covered in sand.

Pottharst acknowledged her error and made a statement on Sunday to apologise.

“Today at the Commonwealth Games beach volleyball, I made a comment I unreservedly apologise for and sincerely regret,” she said.

“It was 100 per cent not meant to offend.”

The tweet

https://twitter.com/7CommGames/status/982889384197279745

We didn’t see that coming …

New Zealand’s netball team has featured in the past five Commonwealth Games gold medal matches against Australia.

The rivalry is so intense it has been dubbed as one of the best in world sport.

But fans anticipating a repeat were stunned when unheralded Malawi produced a massive upset to beat the Silver Ferns 57-53 in their pool match on Sunday.

New Zealand faces England in its final pool match on Wednesday in what will be a must-win clash. Lose, and there’s no hope of a medal.

The 79-year-old retired pilot …

… competing at the Commonwealth Games is Robert Pitcairn.

The Canadian man – the oldest to compete in the Games – has an incredible backstory, revealing to AAP on Sunday how he stopped an aeroplane hijacking in 1974.

He is also a very successful shooter in his own right and will begin his Games in the fullbore rifle pairs on Monday.

The horrifying moment when …

A weightlifter drops to his knees and officials rush to assist him is extremely tough viewing.

So when a green screen was placed around Wales weightlifter Joshua Perry on Sunday, things did not look good at all.

Thankfully, all was okay, after Perry collapsed due to a lack of oxygen.

The photo

Monday’s action

It is the track and field highlight of any Games when the women (9.50pm) and men (10.15pm) battle it out over 100m.

No Aussies are likely to win gold but it should be exciting to watch stars Elaine Thompson and Yohan Blake of Jamaica.

Over at the swimming, Cate Campbell headlines the penultimate day of action in the women’s 100m freestyle final (9.44pm).

Other big gold medal chances come from Mitch Larkin in the men’s 200m backstroke final (7.37pm) and Ariarne Titmus in the women’s 800m freestyle decider (7.43pm).

The medal events come thick and fast on Monday, with certain artistic gymnastics, badminton, lawn bowls, shooting, squash, table tennis and weightlifting competitions coming to an end.

And both our women’s and men’s basketball teams are in action, at 5.30pm and 9pm respectively, while the Diamonds meet Fiji (3.02pm) in the netball and the Hockeyroos take on New Zealand (9.30pm) in the hockey.