The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multisport event. It is contested by athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth Games tend to be managed by the Commonwealth Games Federation, which is based in London, England.
It was the Australian-born Astley Cooper who first broached the idea of such games way back over a century & 3 decades ago in 1891, calling for sports competitions to be held. This is to demonstrate unity in the British Empire. 2 decades later, in 1911, a ‘Festival of Empire’ was organised, celebrating the coronation of King George V. Teams from the United Kingdom, Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Canada, and South Africa participated in a series of events that included athletics, boxing, wrestling, and swimming.
Nearly 4 decades after the concept was mooted, the inaugural British Empire Games were held at Hamilton, Canada, in 1930. 400 athletes from 11 countries competed in athletics, lawn bowls, boxing, rowing, swimming, and wrestling. The English team emerged with the largest haul of medals. Women competed only in swimming events. It was agreed that the Games would be held in varying Commonwealth cities at 4-year intervals, preferably midway between the Olympic Games cycle.
So following the agreed 4-year cycle, the 2nd British Empire Games were held in 1934, initially scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa. However, due to concerns over South Africa’s apartheid policy at the time and related concerns about prejudice against athletes of colour, the event was relocated to London, England. This time, with five more added than the inaugural, 16 countries participated, with women making their debut in athletics.
Unfortunately, following the 3rd Games, held in Sydney in 1938, there was a hiatus on account of World War 2. So the Games resumed in 1950; this time in Auckland, New Zealand.
The event that followed in 1954 was in Vancouver, Canada. This event marked the first time countries no longer part of the British Empire contested the Games. This ceremony led to the new name ‘British Empire and Commonwealth Games’, which reflects the legacy. A total of 24 countries participated, a growth of 8 more than the previous event. This event also featured live broadcasts for the first time in the games’ history.
‘The Marathon’ in athletics was a 1-mile running event, which was called the ‘Miracle Mile’. The English gold medallist, Roger Bannister, and the Australian silver medallist, John Landy, each ran a sub-4-minute mile. This feat was the 1st time 2 runners did so in the same race.
The event moved to Cardiff, Wales, in 1958. This marked the debut of the Queen’s Baton Relay. This event is where the Queen’s Baton is handed over in a relay that began from Buckingham Palace in London, England, before ending at the Games venue.
Following that event in Wales, the next Games were held at Kingston, Jamaica, in 1966. This event included badminton besides shooting, introduced as events for the 1st time.
The 1970 Games, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, saw competition from 42 countries. The event’s name was changed to the ‘British Commonwealth Games’. This event witnessed the introduction of metric units instead of the previous imperial units for events sustained. This was also the first game attended by Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as head of the Commonwealth.
The 1978 Games that followed were the 1st to be titled the Commonwealth Games, which were held in Edmonton, Canada. This event featured a boycott by Nigeria to protest New Zealand’s sporting relations with apartheid-era South Africa. Unfortunately, political boycotts continued to plague the Games.
Subsequent Games continued to be beset by political boycotts. The 1986 Games, held in Edinburgh, were boycotted by 32 African and Asian countries, besides Caribbean countries, in response to the British government’s refusal to impose sanctions on apartheid South Africa. Consequently, only 26 countries competed.
