back to article Commonwealth Games brochure declares that England is now in Africa

England's Commonwealth Games team actually hail from Africa, according to none other than the tournament's organisers. The blooper, made in the official programme for the opening ceremony of the Gold Coast Games taking place in Queensland, Australia, today was spotted by various athletes and the media. In what appears to be a …

  1. Korev Silver badge
    Joke

    I'm pleased that errors like this aren't more Common(wealth)

  2. msknight

    Bless away....

    .... 'casue the rest of us are cursing it.

    1. MyffyW Silver badge

      Re: Bless away....

      Bloody typical ... you turn you back for two minutes and your neighbours bugger off to the tropics.

  3. defiler

    Well, if we're not in Europe any more...

    Where's next-closest?

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Happy

      Re: Well, if we're not in Europe any more...

      Sod closest! Where has the nicest weather?

      Also, does any other part of the world have a song contest we can join? Preferably one a bit less naff than Eurovision.

      Oh and maybe a regional football tournament that we might win..

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Well, if we're not in Europe any more...

        >Oh and maybe a regional football tournament that we might win..

        Oceania champions has a great ring to it. Even England could beat New Zealand, Fiji and Tongo - not so sure about the Scottish chances though...

      2. WolfFan Silver badge

        Re: Well, if we're not in Europe any more...

        Oh and maybe a regional football tournament that we might win..

        You don't want to be in North America. That'd put you in CONCACAF. You can beat Canada, everyone beats Canada, but the Mexicans will drop the hammer 'cause they're Mexicans and Englishmen look like Gringos to them, while the entire English-speaking Caribbean will line up for a chance to pound on England in Real Football(tm). The Yankees and most of Central America might be beatable, depending on how seriously they take the game. Honduras and El Salvador take it really seriously. Run away, run away.

    2. phuzz Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: Well, if we're not in Europe any more...

      I think we should un-moor the country and tow it on a little tour of all the Commonwealth countries.

      I'm sure Jamaica or Antigua would be pleased to see the UK coming over the horizon, right?

      1. WolfFan Silver badge

        Re: Well, if we're not in Europe any more...

        Barbados, maybe. Antigua, probably not. Jamaica, hell no.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    That's Brexit for you

    If you don't want to be a part of Europe, you will be a part of Africa.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: That's Brexit for you

      Well it is gonna take some time to do the things we never have.

    2. Mage Silver badge

      Re: That's Brexit for you

      The Canaries are in the EU and Geographically Africa. They grow bananas. While Ireland has at times been the biggest Banana exporter (World? Europe?), Iceland is only grower of bananas in Europe (not EU).

      1. Trigonoceps occipitalis

        Re: That's Brexit for you

        "Iceland is only grower of bananas in Europe"

        Cyprus grows bananas and is both in Europe and the EU.

      2. Stork Silver badge

        Re: Bananas

        Not quite true. They also grow banana on Madeira, and even some here in Algarve - mostly in greenhouses, though.

    3. Pen-y-gors

      Re: That's Brexit for you

      Well, give it a few years and England will be economically indistinguishable from the Gambia. It's an understandable error.

    4. veti Silver badge

      Re: That's Brexit for you

      There's one part of the UK that is very close to Africa.

      Gibraltar voted by 96% to Remain in Europe. When my colleagues in the office saw that (it was the first result to be announced), they thought the result was a foregone conclusion - I had to explain quite forcefully that Gibraltar was not exactly typical...

  5. rmason

    Did the leave voters know we would be arbitrarily assigned a new continent?

    Oh well, at least we aren't American.

    1. SoaG

      'at least we aren't American'

      Take off, eh!

      1. Fungus Bob

        Re: Take off, eh!

        Could be worse, mason - you could've been arbitrarily made Canadian (politeness is overrated).

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Take off, eh!

          @ Fungus Bob

          I'm still hoping that the EU will permit Canada to join now that they have an opening.

    2. Dan 55 Silver badge

      It's not arbitrary, the new continent was chosen based on the level of competency in government.

  6. Rich 11

    A little breathing space

    There are plenty of good arguments for moving Parliament out of London for a few years, but Banjul is perhaps a little further away than most of us were expecting. Still, I'm willing to let them give it a try...

    1. Aladdin Sane

      Re: A little breathing space

      Can't we move Parliament somewhere further away? Bikini Atoll springs to mind.

      1. defiler

        Re: A little breathing space

        Can't we move Parliament somewhere further away? Bikini Atoll springs to mind.

        Neptune. I mean it's not like Parliamentary TV needs to be real-time anyway.

        1. Aladdin Sane

          Re: A little breathing space

          There's enough space junk as it is

  7. PerlyKing
    Facepalm

    Obi Wan error?

    I notice that the next country down is The Gambia - are its details correct or has everything been shifted by one index?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I tend to agree - 'banana country' :)

  9. Roj Blake Silver badge

    How Could They Mix the Two Up?

    One of the countries is struggling with poor infrastructure, extreme poverty and corruption, and the other is The Gambia

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You can be a shithole country too

    Like the one I live in: USA

    Okay, it not entirely a shithole. Mainly it's just our president.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: You can be a shithole country too

      That's pompous weasel dicked president to you sonny!

    2. Fungus Bob

      Re: You can be a shithole country too

      "Mainly it's just our president."

      No, its more than him. All of DC is a shithole.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: You can be a shithole country too

      > Okay, it not entirely a shithole. Mainly it's just our president.

      I wouldn't be so smug given the long history of gun murders which spans many presidencies.

      America is a shithole. Period. Just like everywhere else.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I See How It Works

    Well, you're in for global warming with a vengeance.

  12. Raj

    It's time...

    ... to round up Robert Redford and Meryl Streep for a sequel to their 80s movie - Back Into Africa.

  13. Nick Kew

    The Gold Coast

    Am I the only one to have had an atlas old enough to show a country called the Gold Coast, before it was renamed Ghana? Also in West Africa.

    [mumble] brexit, brafric,

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The Gold Coast

      > Am I the only one to have had an atlas old enough to show a country called the Gold Coast, before it was renamed Ghana?

      Obligatory XKCD...

      1. GIRZiM

        Re: The Gold Coast

        > Obligatory XKCD...

        Hadn't seen that one before.

        I laughed and laughed and laughed.

        Thanks for that!

  14. Mark 85
    Coat

    So you guys across the pond moved lock, stock, and barrel and didn't tell anyone?

    Icon.. looking for my address book to start updating it.

    1. Woza

      Do we need to update bookmarks to the register.co.gm too?

  15. Brex

    Germany is already in Asia...so why can't the UK be in Africa?

    Just ask Merkel and her beloved "refugees".

  16. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Trollface

    "We found out about it maybe 10 days ago"

    So, what you're saying is that your Quality Control is inexistant, you have no one in your team that gives a flying one, and you get your essential news about what happens on CNN ?

    Sounds like your working environment is very nice. I'll take the couch over there, and a bottle of Jack's, thanks.

    1. Cpt Blue Bear

      Re: "We found out about it maybe 10 days ago"

      Before you start applying, its not JD you'll get but Bundaberg rum. Its easy to tell the difference: Jack Daniels leaves you wondering where the whiskey promised on the label is while Bundy (as its affectionately known) will make you want to punch the bastard responsible for ruining it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Jack Daniels leaves you wondering

        And it is distilled in a dry county - we've still got some of those. Apparently the natives don't want to drink it either.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Going home?

    We're all out of Africa.

  18. silverfern

    What's wrong with Africa? The weather there's better.

  19. CraPo

    A friend of mine went to the opening ceremony....

    The ticket said, "Thursday, 4th April". <facepalm>

    1. onefang
      Coat

      Re: A friend of mine went to the opening ceremony....

      "The ticket said, "Thursday, 4th April". <facepalm>"

      Well, since Australia's timezones are so far ahead of most other countries that it's often yesterday in those other countries, the Aussies where just being kind to the jet lagged.

      Or as I always say, living in the future, just waiting for everyone else to catch up.

    2. onefang

      Re: A friend of mine went to the opening ceremony....

      "The ticket said, "Thursday, 4th April". <facepalm>"

      Oh wait, this is Queensland we are talking about, 4th of April 1957 was a Thursday. Also explains why the buses where late.

  20. onefang
    Trollface

    Let me guess, the dunderhead that made this mistake got their geography lessons from a school in USA?

    1. James O'Shea

      Impossible. No schools in the US teach a subject called 'geography'.

      https://www.pri.org/custom/files/styles/original_image/public/TrumpMap.jpg

      It has been that way for quite some time now.

      https://liberalvalues.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/the-world-according-to-ronald-reagan.jpg

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