Commonwealth Games programme shows England as an African nation
Last Updated: 04/04/18 8:19am
Commonwealth Games organisers have been left red-faced after England was listed as an African nation in the official programme.
The programme, being sold ahead of the opening ceremony on Australia's Gold Coast on Wednesday, has mixed England with The Gambia, who were a late addition to the participants.
England is also listed as a country with a population of two million people, whose capital is Banjul and first participated in the Commonwealth Games in 1970.
Organising committee boss Mark Peters said England had taken the gaffe in good humour and declined the offer to have a completely new set of programmes printed.
"We found out about it maybe 10 days ago," Peters said.
"We went and spoke to England and said that, 'Congratulations, the Commonwealth's changing and it has since Brexit. And part of you is now part of Africa'.
"Sometimes you make mistakes and we cop it and we spoke to England.
"We are actually doing a special reprint of 500 to give to the English and to the Commonwealth Games Federation to make sure that in terms of the records that's done correctly.
"We looked at putting stickers into the programmes and all that but I guess in another minor ticketing issue, we say they're going to be so valuable after the Games because of that mistake."
The committee has also been in the headlines over a couple of significant ticketing errors, including one which had the wrong date on 14,000 tickets for the Opening Ceremony.
Session times have also been printed incorrectly on hundreds of tickets across a number of sports.
