'Very disappointing': Comm Games organisers break with tradition for closing ceremony

The organisers of the 2018 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony have made the controversial decision to break with tradition on Sunday night, and arranged for the athletes to enter the stadium before the start of the ceremony.

As the broadcast of the ceremony came to an end, a highlight of the event was noticeably absent - the entrance of the athletes into the stadium.

After performances from the likes of Ricki-Lee, The Veronicas, Dami Im, Guy Sebastian and Samantha Jade, the ceremony came to a premature end as hosts Basil Zempilas and Johanna Griggs announced it was over.

The hosts expressed their disappointment with the decision to leave the athletes' entrance out of the broadcast, and explained it was not a choice made by the Seven Network.

"People are thinking that Channel 7 has chosen not to show pictures of athletes or not to show the flag bearer, Kurt Fearnley, or other flag bearers," Griggs said.

"We can only show the pictures that are provided by the actual host broadcasters. They made the decision not to have athletes enter the stadium. They made the decision not to show the flag bearers.

"I'm furious. They're actually, wrecking a tradition that is so important. You want to see the athletes come in. You want to see them jumping in front of camera. You want to see them celebrating 11 days of great sport.

"We missed out on all of that. There's no athletes in here. I've never seen the stadium so empty halfway through a ceremony."

The only Channel 7 camera that was allowed at the ceremony captured the moment wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley carried the Australian flag into Carrara Stadium. According to the hosts, those images were not permitted to be broadcast during the opening ceremony.

"We are thankful we were able to get even these pictures. These images these are the types of images that should've been included," Zempilas said.