Commonwealth Games
Ø A sporting contest that brought together members of the British Empire was first proposed by Reverend Ashley Cooper when he suggested a Pan-Britannic, Pan-Anglican Contest and Festival every four years to foster goodwill and understanding within the Empire.
Ø In 1928, a key Canadian athlete, Bobby Robinson, was given the responsibility of organising the first British Empire Games, which culminated in the first-ever Commonwealth Games being held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in 1930.
Ø These first Games saw the participation of 400 athletes from 11 countries.
Games Year Host Dates Sports Events NationsCompetitors
British Empire Games
I 1930 Hamilton, Canada 16 – 23 August 6 59 11 400
II 1934 London, England 4 – 11 August 6 68 16 500
III 1938 Sydney, Australia 5 – 12 February 7 71 15 464
IV 1950 Auckland, New Zealand 4 – 11 Feb. 9 88 12 590
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
V 1954 Vancouver, Canada 30 July – 7 August 9 91 24 662
VI 1958 Cardiff, Wales 18 – 26 July 9 94 36 1122
VII 1962 Perth, Australia 22 Nov. – 1 Dec. 9 104 35 863
VIII 1966 Kingston, Jamaica 4 – 13 August 9 110 34 1050
British Commonwealth Games
IX 1970 Edinburgh, Scotland 16 – 25 July 9 121 42 1383
X 1974 Christchurch, N Z. 24 Jan. – 2 Feb. 9 121 38 1276
Commonwealth Games
XI 1978 Edmonton, Canada 3 – 12 August 10 128 46 1474
XII 1982 Brisbane, Australia 30 Sep. — 9 Oct. 10 142 46 1583
XIII 1986 Edinburgh, Scotland 24 July – 2 August 10 163 26 1662
XIV 1990 Auckland, New Zealand 24 Jan. – 3 Feb. 10 204 55 2073
XV 1994 Victoria, Canada 18 – 28 August 10 217 63 2557
XVI 1998 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 11 – 21 Sept. 15 213 70 3633
XVII 2002 Manchester, England 25 July – 4 August 17 281 72 3679
XVIII 2006 Melbourne, Australia 15 – 26 March 16 245 71 4049
XIX 2010 Delhi, India 3 – 14 October 17 272 71 6081
XX 2014 Glasgow, Scotland 23 July – 3 August
XXI 2018 Gold Coast, Australia or Hambantota, Sri Lanka To be decided
Ø The event was renamed as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954, the British Commonwealth Games in 1970, and gained its current title in 1978.
Ø Only six teams have attended every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. Australia has been the highest achieving team for eleven games, England for seven and Canada for one.
Ø The quadrennial schedule of the games was interrupted by World War II and the 1942 Games (set to be held in Montreal, Canada) were abandoned.[4] The games were continued in 1950
Ø The three nations to have hosted the games the most number of times are Australia (4), Canada (4) and New Zealand (3). Furthermore, five editions have taken place in the countries within the United Kingdom. Two cities have held the games on multiple occasions: Auckland (1950 and 1990), and Edinburgh (1970 and 1986).
Traditions
Ø From 1930 until 1950, the parade of nations was led by a single flagbearer carrying the Union Flag.
Ø Since 1958, the Queen's Baton Relay has taken place, in which athletes carry a baton from Buckingham Palace to the games opening ceremony. This baton has within it Queen Elizabeth II's message of greeting to the athletes. The baton's final bearer is usually a famous sporting personage of the host nation.
Ø All other nations march in English alphabetical order, except that the first nation marching in the Parade of Athletes is the host nation of the previous games, and the host nation of the current games marches last. In 2006 countries marched in alphabetical order in geographical regions.
Ø Three national flags fly from the stadium on the poles that are used for medal ceremonies: Previous host nation, Current host nation, Next host nation.
Ø The military is more active in the Opening Ceremony than in the Olympic Games. This is to honour the British Military traditions of the Old Empire
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