The 1978

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games 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 ...

were held in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August, two years after the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

was held in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec. They were boycotted by

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, in protest at New Zealand's sporting contacts with

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

-era South Africa, as well as by

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

, in protest at alleged Canadian hostility towards the government of

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...

. The Bid Election was held at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. This was the first Commonwealth Games where a computerized system was used to handle ticket sales. This was the first Commonwealth Games to be named ''Commonwealth Games'', having dropped ''British''. The Games were opened by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

for the first time since becoming Queen in 1952.

Host selection

Participating teams

46 teams were represented at the 1978 Games.
(Teams competing for the first time are shown in bold).

Medals by country

Medals by event

Athletics

Badminton

Bowls

Boxing

Cycling

;Track ;Road

Diving

Gymnastics

Shooting

;Pistol ;Rifle ;Shotgun

Swimming

;Men's events ;Women's events

Weightlifting

Wrestling

Venues

* Commonwealth Stadium: Athletics, Opening and Closing Ceremonies (built new for the games) * University of Alberta Arena: Badminton * Commonwealth Bowls: Lawn Bowling (built new for the games) * Edmonton Gardens: Boxing * Argyll Velodrome: Cycling (built new for the games) * Northlands Coliseum: Gymnastics * Strathcona Shooting Range: Shooting (built new for the games) * Kinsmen Aquatic Centre: Swimming and Diving (built new for the games) * Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium: Weightlifting * University of Alberta Gym: Wrestling

References

External links

"Edmonton 1978"
''Commonwealthsport.com''. Commonwealth Sport.
''Going the Distance,'' an NFB documentary
{{DEFAULTSORT:1978 Commonwealth Games Sports competitions in Edmonton International sports competitions hosted by Canada

Commonwealth Games in Canada Commonwealth Games by year

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

August 1978 sports events in Canada 1970s in Edmonton