There's a lot more to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow than the sport.
There's also the music.
Some buskers at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow go the extra mile. Photo: RNZ / Gael Woods
Although national anthems don't exactly figure in the annals of great music, at the Commonwealth Games they seem to acquire a particular significance.
While the athletes may inspire youngsters to act out gold medal feats, surely there are plenty who bypass the sport to stand erect on a makeshift dais, a makeshift medal around their neck while doing a passable hum of the national anthem? It doesn't even have to be your own.
The Commonwealth Games may not have some of the really big national anthems such as America, Germany, France or Russia for instance, but they do provide an opportunity for Commonwealth countries to show off their own bit of national pride.
Here are my observations of anthems in Glasgow, in no particular order of preference.
Nigeria: Arise oh compatriots - solemn, almost too solemn.
Kenya: Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu - not so easy to sing along to, but very stirring, all the same. Also for Kenyan runners there's the double bonus that even if they get a bronze or silver they can reasonably be be assured that it will probably be their anthem playing for the medal ceremony anyway.
Jamaica: Jamaica Land We Love - just quite a nice song, disappointingly prosaic.
Australia: Advance Australia Fair - gets played far more that its fair share. Starts to feel a bit like skiting.
England: Jerusalem - also dominating the dais.
Scotland: Flower of Scotland - bit dirge-like to my taste, and it's not exactly as if Scotland doesn't have a vast repertoire of sentimental and inspiring tunes at its disposal.
Canada: Oh Canada - brilliant start with irresistible sing-along burst of "Oh Canada" but drifts off unsatisfactorily.
Kiribati: Stand up Kiribati - very good anthem, made even better by having its first outing (ever) at a Commonwealth Games.
And then there's New Zealand's national anthem which one of my colleagues told me he didn't like although he felt it sounded better when sung in Maori.
But it's not just about anthems. Snatches of music considered to be representative of the country athletes are from are played selectively at various venues. Royals is getting a bit of play at events competed at by New Zealanders. In Dehli four years ago Slice of Heaven was the pick.
And on the city streets there's been even more music. It has to be said that buskers in Glasgow mostly deliver some high quality street entertainment. A wonderful jazz quintet cheered up a grey morning, while some talented musicians pulled the crowds in the main Buchanan St shopping precinct.
Of course there are a plethora of pipers in every hue of tartan. Some adopt the full highland regalia and go for the traditional Amazing Grace or Scottish Soldier. Others go punk-style, teaming their kilts with a beater, and pump out the not-so-traditional.
Given the quality of the busking, it's obvious that a tinny recorder just isn't going to cut it. My favourite busker has to be the violinist who fiddles while he walks a tightrope, bringing a whole new meaning to the term, technical difficulty.
