Cook Islands at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Cook Islands at the 2018 Commonwealth Games The Cook Islands competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to April 15, 2018. The Cook Islands delegation consisted of 18 athletes (7 male and eleven female) that competed across four sports: athletics (track and field), lawn bowls, swimming and weightlifting. It was The Cook Islands's 11th appearance at the Commonwealth Games. On February 27, 2018, track and field athlete Patricia Taea was named as the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Taiki Paniani and Aidan Zittersteijn won the country's first ever Commonwealth Games medal,
Culture of the Cook Islands use of incantations and charms or "purepure" (see witchcraft) was passed down through the generations. Tales of the supernatural and spirits is common practice in the islands by people of all generations and are used to explain many of the more unusual events. "Tupapaku" is woven into discussions on social relationships, proprietary rights, and historical events. Spirit shelters exist in the islands, typically made by children who weave them out of plantain stems. The missionary, John Williams, was instrumental in the conversion of Cook Islanders to Christianity. He brought two Tahitian missionaries to Aitutaki in 1821 who converted the island's