Tuesday April 4 marks one year to go until the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

It is 12 months that will fly by for athletes and organisers alike.

Before we know it, the biggest sporting event the Gold Coast has ever hosted, and the biggest sporting event hosted in Australia for more than a decade will be upon us.

It is an incredibly exciting time.

This will be the ninth Commonwealth Games I have been involved in as either an athlete or official.

I have enjoyed each and every one of my Commonwealth Games experiences, but there is something special about a Games being staged on home soil.

As an athlete, there is no greater honour than to represent your country in front of a home crowd. Already the Gold Coast community are sharing the dream of a home Commonwealth Games and as we draw closer, the support for Australian athletes will grow and grow.

In 12 months time we will bring together a team of some 470 athletes – including para athletes – across 18 sports to represent Australia.

Commonwealth Games Australia is working closely with all sports and high performance partners to do all we can to best prepare our team to do Australia proud on the Gold Coast.

I encourage all Australian’s to follow the journey of our athletes and that of the Gold Coast community over the next 12 months as they prepare for 2018.

For all those out there who are considering buying tickets to the event, I can’t encourage you enough to be part of something special.

Be part of our home ground advantage.

Each and every Australian cheering from the stands will help our athletes.

It promises to be an amazing event.

Bring on the next 12 months.

Steve Moneghetti

Gold Coast 2018 Australian Team Chef de Mission