A Gold Coast primary school student and singer, songwriter and actress Jessica Mauboy will take to the world stage at the official Flag Handover Ceremony during the closing ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Commonwealth Games Minister Jann Stuckey said the Glasgow 2014 Closing Ceremony, broadcast to more than one billion people, was a fantastic opportunity to give a taste of what our great state would offer when the Gold Coast hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
“Jessica is a passionate, energetic and wonderfully talented Australian who is as excited about the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games™ as I am,” Ms Stuckey said.
“This production is about Australia, Queensland and specifically the Gold Coast.”
World-renowned event production company, David Atkins Enterprises (DAE), was appointed in December 2013 to work with GOLDOC to create a ten minute segment to mark the formal ‘handing over’ of the Commonwealth Games from Glasgow to the Gold Coast.
“The creative piece, will include input from the Gold Coast school community including a once in a life time opportunity for one student to feature on stage alongside Jessica,” Ms Stuckey said.
“The 2018 Commonwealth Games will be the biggest sporting event staged in Australia this decade and the closing ceremony is a great chance to excite the world about the impressive Games Queensland will host in four years’ time.”
One of Australia’s favourite performers, Jessica Mauboy was a part of the Gold Coast 2018 bid for the Games in 2011 providing the entertainment at the ‘Gold Coast’ celebration evening during the Commonwealth Games General Assembly in St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean.
Jessica’s association with the Gold Coast 2018 journey continued with her unveiling of the GC2018 emblem at the five years to go celebration in 2013.
“I feel incredibly honoured and proud to be representing Australia at the Flag Handover Ceremony in Glasgow,” Jessica said.
“It’s exciting to have the Commonwealth Games back in Australia and I can’t wait to be joining in all the festivities on the Gold Coast in 2018.”
Ms Stuckey said the Ceremony would include the traditional handing over of the Commonwealth Games Federation flag, followed by entertainment that creatively showcases the next host city and country for the Commonwealth Games.
“The Queensland Government is on track to deliver a great Commonwealth Games, on-time and on-budget,” Ms Stuckey said.
“As a Gold Coast local and Member for Currumbin, I am exceptionally proud of what our city has to offer and I will take great pride in showing off my local area to Glasgow and the world.”
Minister for Education and Member for Surfers Paradise John -Paul Langbroek said one student from each of the 83 Gold Coast primary schools would audition for the chance to be part of the Glasgow closing ceremony alongside Jessica Mauboy and the cast of performers.
Mr Langbroek said that an information session would be held later this month, which all Gold Coast schools were invited to attend.
“The amount of talent we have in our schools is nothing short of amazing, so the selectors have a tough job ahead of them,” Mr Langbroek said.
“I’m so proud that we’ve been able to give one of our students the opportunity to represent Australia and the Gold Coast on the world stage.”
The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Flag Handover Ceremony will take place at Hampden Park Stadium on Sunday 3 August this year and will be televised live in Australia early on the morning of Monday 4 August.
The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will take place from 4 – 15 April 2018.