Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games[a] is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 as the British Empire Games and, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 (cancelled due to World War II), has successively run every four years since.[5] The event was called the British Empire Games from 1930 to 1950 (four editions), the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1954 to 1966 (four editions), and British Commonwealth Games from 1970 to 1974 (two editions). The event removed the word British from its title for the 1978 Games and has maintained its current name ever since (twelve editions as of 2024).
For the most recent event, see 2022 Commonwealth Games. For the next event, see 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Athletes with a disability are included as full members of their national teams since 2002, making the Commonwealth Games the first fully inclusive international multi-sport event.[6] In 2018, the Games became the first global multi-sport event to feature an equal number of men's and women's medal events, and four years later they became the first global multi-sport event to have more events for women than men.[7]
Inspired by the Inter-Empire Championships, part of the 1911 Festival of Empire, Melville Marks Robinson founded the British Empire Games which was first held in Hamilton, Canada in 1930.[8] As time progressed, the Games evolved, adding the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games for athletes with a disability (who were barred from competing from 1974 before being fully integrated by 1990)[9] and the Commonwealth Youth Games for athletes aged 14 to 18.
The event is overseen by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which controls the sporting programme and selects host cities. The games movement consists of international sports federations (IFs), Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) and organising committees for each specific Commonwealth Games. Certain traditions, such as the hoisting of the Commonwealth Games flag and Queen's Baton Relay, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, are unique to the Games. Over 4,500 athletes competed at the latest Commonwealth Games in 25 sports and over 250 medal events, including Olympic and Paralympic sports and certain non-Olympic sports popular in Commonwealth countries: netball, lawn bowls and squash.[10] Usually, the first, second and third-place finishers in each event are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively. Several sports, such as rugby sevens (2016), cricket and squash (2028) have appeared at the Commonwealth Games before later being added to the Olympic schedule, while netball and lawn bowls remain Commonwealth Games sports only.
One of the differences from other multisport events is that fifteen CGAs participating in the Commonwealth Games do not send their delegations independently to the Olympic, Paralympic and other multisports competitions: thirteen are linked to the British Olympic Association, one is part of the Australian Olympic Committee and another is part of the New Zealand Olympic Committee. They are the four constituent Home Nations of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), six of the British Overseas Territories (Anguilla, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Saint Helena and Turks and Caicos Islands), the Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Jersey), along with the Australian territory of Norfolk Island and the New Zealand associated state of Niue. Despite being overseas territories rather than sovereign states, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and Caymen Islands send their own delegations to the Olympic Games[11]
Twenty cities in nine countries (counting England, Scotland and Wales as separate Commonwealth Games federations) have hosted the games. Australia has hosted the Commonwealth Games five times (1938, 1962, 1982, 2006 and 2018), more than any other nation. Two cities have hosted Commonwealth Games more than once: Auckland (1950, 1990) and Edinburgh (1970, 1986).[12] The most recent Commonwealth Games, the 22nd or XXII, was held in Birmingham from 28 July to 8 August 2022.
The withdrawal of numerous host cities for the 2026 Commonwealth Games led to speculation that those of 2022 may have been the last, and the confirmation of hosts has become a major issue for the event.[13] The city of Glasgow, host in 2014, has indicated it will act as a host of last resort, if required, to ensure the 2026 Games go ahead.[14]
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the foremost authority in matters relating to the games.[67] The Commonwealth House in London, England hosts the headquarters of CGF.[68] The Commonwealth House also hosts the headquarters of the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum.[69][70]
The Commonwealth Games Movement is made of three major elements:
English is the official language of the Commonwealth. The other language used at each Commonwealth Games is the language of the host country (or languages, if a country has more than one official language apart from English). Every proclamation (such as the announcement of each country during the parade of nations in the opening ceremony) is spoken in these two (or more) languages. If the host country does this, it is their responsibility to choose the language{s) and their order.[73]
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*Note : Nations in italics no longer participate at the Commonwealth Games.
Controversies[edit]
Host city contract[edit]
The 1934 British Empire Games, originally awarded in 1930 to Johannesburg, were moved to London after South Africa's pre-apartheid government refused to allow participants of colour.[112]
The 2022 Commonwealth Games were originally awarded to Durban on 2 September 2015, at the CGF General Assembly in Auckland.[113] It was reported in February 2017 that Durban may be unable to host the games due to financial constraints. On 13 March 2017, the CGF stripped Durban of their rights to host and reopened the bidding process for the 2022 games.[114] Many cities from Australia, Canada, England and Malaysia expressed interest to host the games. However, the CGF received only one official bid and that was from Birmingham, England.[115] On 21 December 2017, Birmingham was awarded for the 2022 Games as Durban's replacement host.[116]
The state of Victoria, Australia was selected to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. On 18 July 2023, the Premier of Victoria Dan Andrews announced the cancellation of the event in Victoria. Premier Andrews cited a significant increase in forecast cost for the reason suggesting the initial estimate of A$2.6 billion was likely to be closer to A$6–7 billion.[117][118]
Boycotts[edit]
Much like the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games have also experienced boycotts:
Nigeria boycotted the 1978 Commonwealth Games at Edmonton in protest of New Zealand's sporting contacts with apartheid-era South Africa. Uganda also stayed away, in protest of alleged Canadian hostility towards the government of Idi Amin.[37][119]
Financial implications[edit]
The estimated cost of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi was US$11 billion, according to Business Today magazine.[124] The initial total budget estimated by the Indian Olympic Association in 2003 was US$250 million. In 2010, however, the official total budget soon escalated to an estimated US$1.8 billion, a figure which excluded non-sports-related infrastructure development.[125] The 2010 Commonwealth Games is reportedly the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever.[126]
An analysis conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers on the 2002, 2006, 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games found that each dollar spent by governments on operating costs, games venues and athletes' villages generated US$2 for the host city or state economies, with an average of more than 18,000 jobs generated by each of the events.[127][128] Additionally, all four cities enjoyed long-term improvements to transport or other infrastructure through hosting the Games, while some also benefited from the revival of struggling precincts.[129]
Notable competitors[edit]
Lawn bowler Willie Wood from Scotland was the first competitor to have competed in seven Commonwealth Games, from 1974 to 2002, a record equalled in 2014 by Isle of Man cyclist Andrew Roche.[130] They have both been surpassed by David Calvert of Northern Ireland who in 2018 attended his 11th games.[131]
Sitiveni Rabuka was a Prime Minister of Fiji. Beforehand he represented Fiji in shot put, hammer throw, discus and the decathlon at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Greg Yelavich, a sports shooter from New Zealand, has won 12 medals in seven games from 1986 to 2010.[132]
Lawn bowler Robert Weale has represented Wales in 8 Commonwealth Games, 1986–2014, winning 2 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze.[133]
Nauruan weightlifter Marcus Stephen won twelve medals at the Games between 1990 and 2002, of which seven gold, and was elected President of Nauru in 2007. His performance has helped place Nauru (the smallest independent state in the Commonwealth, at 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) and with a population of fewer than 9,400 in 2011) in twenty-second place on the all-time Commonwealth Games medal table.
Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe has won 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals and 1 silver medal. At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, he won 4 gold medals. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, he won 6 gold medals and 1 silver medal.[134]
Chad le Clos, South Africa's most decorated swimmer, has won 18 medals from four Commonwealth Games (2010, 2014, 2018 & 2022), seven of which are gold. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, he won two gold medals, one silver medal, and four bronze medals.[135] At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, he won three golds, a silver and a bronze.[136]
English actor Jason Statham took part as a diver in the 1990 Commonwealth Games.[137]
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Australian singer Cody Simpson won a gold medal as a swimmer at the men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay.[138]
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