Empire Games
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international
multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...
among athletes from the
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
. The event was first held in
1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...
as the
British Empire 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 193 ...
and, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 (which were cancelled due to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
), has successively run every four years since. The event was called the British Empire Games from 1930 to
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
(four editions), the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from
1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
to
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
(four editions), and the British Commonwealth Games from
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
to
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
(two editions). The event removed the word ''British'' from its title for the
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
Games and has maintained its current name ever since (twelve editions as of 2024). Athletes with a disability have been included as full members of their national teams since 2002, making the Commonwealth Games the first fully
inclusive Inclusive may refer to: * Inclusive disjunction, A or B or both * Inclusive fitness, in evolutionary theory, how many kin are supported including non-descendants * Inclusive tax, includes taxes owed as part of the base * Inclusivism Inclusivi ...
international multi-sport event. 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. Inspired by the
Inter-Empire Championships The 1911 Festival of Empire was the biggest single event held at the Crystal Palace in London since its opening. It opened on 12 May and was one of the events to celebrate the coronation of King George V. The original intention had been that Ed ...
, part of the 1911
Festival of Empire The 1911 Festival of Empire was the biggest single event held at the Crystal Palace in London since its opening. It opened on 12 May and was one of the events to celebrate the coronation of King George V. The original intention had been that Ed ...
,
Melville Marks Robinson Melville Marks Robinson (April 8, 1888 – June 6, 1974) was a Canadian journalist and sports executive, also known as M. M. Robinson and Bobby Robinson. He was the sports editor of '' The Hamilton Spectator'', and founded the British Empire Ga ...
founded the British Empire Games which was first held in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
, Canada in 1930. As time progressed, the Games evolved, adding the
Commonwealth Paraplegic Games The Commonwealth Paraplegic Games were an international, multi-sport event involving athletes with a disability from the Commonwealth countries. The event was sometimes referred to as the Paraplegic Empire Games and British Commonwealth Paraplegi ...
for athletes with a disability (who were barred from competing from 1974 before being fully integrated by
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
) and the
Commonwealth Youth Games The Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) is an international multi-sport event organized by the Commonwealth Games Federation. The games were held in the years, mid-way between when the Commonwealth Games are held, until 2008. They continued to be he ...
for athletes aged 14 to 18. The event is overseen by the
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
(CGF), which controls the sporting programme and selects host cities. The games movement consists of international sports federations (IFs),
Commonwealth Games Associations A Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) is a national sports council of the Commonwealth Sports movement. Each association is responsible for organising, supporting and overseeing their national team for both the Commonwealth Games and the Commonw ...
(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 The King's Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently King Charles III. The relay traditionally begins at Buckingham P ...
, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, are unique to the Games. Near 4900 athletes competed at the latest Commonwealth Games in 20 sports and in 280 medal events, including Olympic and Paralympic sports and certain non-Olympic sports popular in Commonwealth countries:
netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...
, lawn
bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...
and
squash Squash most often refers to: * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita'' Squash may also refer to: Sports * Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...
. 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) 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
Commonwealth Games Association A Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) is a national sports council of the Commonwealth Sports movement. Each association is responsible for organising, supporting and overseeing their national team for both the Commonwealth Games and the Commonw ...
s (CGA)s 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 The British Olympic Association (BOA; ) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It represents the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), but also incorporate represen ...
, one is part of the
Australian Olympic Committee The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is the National Olympic Committee responsible for developing, promoting, and protecting the Olympic Movement in Australia. The AOC has the exclusive responsibility for the representation of Australia at ...
and another is part of the
New Zealand Olympic Committee The New Zealand Olympic Committee (before 1994, The ''New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association'') is both the National Olympic Committee and the Commonwealth Games Association in New Zealand responsible for selecting athletes to re ...
. They are the four constituent Home Nations of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
(
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
,
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
and
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
), six of the
British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...
(
Anguilla Anguilla is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Sa ...
,
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...
,
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
,
Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...
,
Saint Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
and
Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and no ...
), the
Crown Dependencies The Crown Dependencies are three dependent territory, offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the The Crown, British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, both lo ...
(
Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...
,
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
, and
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
), along with the Australian territory of
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...
and the New Zealand associated state of
Niue Niue is a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand. It is situated in the South Pacific Ocean and is part of Polynesia, and predominantly inhabited by Polynesians. One of the world's largest coral islands, Niue is c ...
. Despite being overseas territories rather than sovereign states,
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
,
British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...
and
Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory, and the largest by population. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located so ...
are
National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...
s recognized by the IOC. Twenty cities in nine countries (counting
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
as separate Commonwealth Games federations) have hosted the games.
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
has hosted the Commonwealth Games five times (
1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...
,
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
,
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
,
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
and
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
), more than any other nation. Two cities have hosted Commonwealth Games more than once:
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
(
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
,
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
) and
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
(1970,
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
). Glasgow will be the third city to host the games more than once (2014 and 2026). The most recent Commonwealth Games, the 22nd or ''XXII'', was held in Birmingham from 28 July to 8 August 2022. The
2026 Commonwealth Games The 2026 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games and Glasgow 2026 (; ), is a planned multi-sport event scheduled from 23 July to 2 August 2026, to be hosted in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, for members ...
were originally awarded to the
Australian state The states and territories are the national subdivisions and second level of government of Australia. The states are partially sovereignty, sovereign, administrative divisions that are autonomous administrative division, self-governing polity, ...
of
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
, but the
state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...
later gave up the hosting of the games due to cost issues. This led to speculation that the 2022 edition may have been the last. However, following discussions with the
government of Scotland The Scottish Government (, ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 Scottish devolution refere ...
, the city of Glasgow was confirmed as the host city for the 2026 games in September 2024. As a part of the agreement with the Scottish government, the 2026 Games will be heavily scaled back compared to the previous edition. Only 10 sports will be contested, compared to the 20 sports featured in 2022. The Victorian state government will also contribute over £2 million to the organizers in Glasgow as a result of the late withdrawal. The next Commonwealth Games, the 23rd or ''XXIII'', will be held in Glasgow from 23 July to 2 August 2026.


History

A sporting competition bringing together the members of the
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
was first proposed by John Astley Cooper in 1891, five years before the first modern
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
, who wrote letters and articles for several periodicals suggesting a "Pan Brittanic, Pan
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
Contest every four years as a means of increasing goodwill and understanding of the British Empire." John Astley Cooper Committees were formed in Australia,
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
to promote the idea and inspired
Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; 1 January 1863 – 2 September 1937), also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a French educator and historian, co-founder of the International Olympic ...
to start the international
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
movement. In 1911, an Inter-Empire Championship was held alongside the
Festival of Empire The 1911 Festival of Empire was the biggest single event held at the Crystal Palace in London since its opening. It opened on 12 May and was one of the events to celebrate the coronation of King George V. The original intention had been that Ed ...
, at
The Crystal Palace The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
to celebrate the
coronation of George V The coronation of the British monarch, coronation of George V and his wife, Mary of Teck, Mary, as King of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdo ...
, and were championed by The Earl of Plymouth and Lord Desborough. Teams from Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom competed in events for athletics, boxing, swimming and wrestling. Canada won the championships and was presented with a silver cup (gifted by
Lord Lonsdale Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784 (becoming extinct in 1802), and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowth ...
) which was high and weighed . A correspondent of the ''
Auckland Star The ''Auckland Star'' was an evening daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, from 24 March 1870 to 16 August 1991. Survived by its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Star'', part of its name endures in ''The Sunday Star-Times'', created i ...
'' criticised the Games, calling them a "grievous disappointment" that were "not worthy of the title of 'Empire Sports'". While planning for the
1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...
in Amsterdam,
Amateur Athletic Union of Canada The history of Canadian sports falls into five stages of development: early recreational activities before 1840; the start of organized competition, 1840–1880; the emergence of national organizations, 1882–1914; the rapid growth of both amateur ...
executive J. Howard Crocker spoke with journalist
Melville Marks Robinson Melville Marks Robinson (April 8, 1888 – June 6, 1974) was a Canadian journalist and sports executive, also known as M. M. Robinson and Bobby Robinson. He was the sports editor of '' The Hamilton Spectator'', and founded the British Empire Ga ...
of ''
The Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation, ''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. History ''The Ha ...
'', about hosting an international sporting event in Canada. Robinson proposed and lobbied to host what became the
British Empire 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 193 ...
in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1930. Robinson then served as the manager of the Canadian track and field team for the 1930 British Empire Games. Although there are 56 sovereign states that are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, there are 74 active
Commonwealth Games Associations A Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) is a national sports council of the Commonwealth Sports movement. Each association is responsible for organising, supporting and overseeing their national team for both the Commonwealth Games and the Commonw ...
. They are divided into six regions (Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania) and each has a similar function to the
National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...
s in relation with their countries or territories. In some, like
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, the CGA functions are assumed by their NOCs. Only six national federations have participated in every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. Of these six, Australia, England, Canada and New Zealand have each won at least one gold medal in every Games. Australia has been the highest-achieving team for thirteen editions of the Games, England for seven and Canada for one. These three teams also top the all-time Commonwealth Games medal table in that order.


Editions


British Empire Games

The
1930 British Empire Games The 1930 British Empire Games were the inaugural edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, and was held in Hamilton, Ontario, from 16 to 23 August 1930. The event was organized by '' Hamilton Spectator'' sportswriter Bobby Robinso ...
were the first of what later became known as the Commonwealth Games, and was held in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada from 16 to 23 August 1930 and opened by
Lord Willingdon Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (12 September 1866 – 12 August 1941), styled as the Earl of Willingdon between 1931 and 1936, was a British people, British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician and administrator who served ...
. Eleven countries: Australia,
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
,
British Guyana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...
, Canada, England,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
,
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
, New Zealand,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, South Africa and
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, sent a total of 400 athletes to compete in athletics, boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving and wrestling. The opening and closing ceremonies as well as athletics took place at Civic Stadium. The cost of the Games were $97,973. Women competed in only the aquatic events. Canadian triple jumper Gordon Smallacombe won the first ever gold medal in the history of the Games. The
1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...
were the second of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England. The host city was London, with the main venue at
Wembley Park Wembley Park is a district of the London Borough of Brent, England. It is roughly centred on Bridge Road, a mile northeast of Wembley town centre and northwest from Charing Cross. The name Wembley Park refers to the area that, at its broad ...
, although the track cycling events were in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
. The 1934 Games had originally been awarded to
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
, but was given to London instead because of serious concerns about prejudice against Asian and black athletes in South Africa. The affiliation of Irish athletes at the 1934 Games representation remains unclear but there was no official
Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...
team. Sixteen national teams took part, including new participants
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
,
Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...
and
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...
. The
1938 British Empire Games The 1938 British Empire Games were the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 yea ...
were the third British Empire Games, which was held in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Australia. It was timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 years since the foundation of British settlement in Australia). Held in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time, the III Games opening ceremony took place at the famed
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in the Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australi ...
in front of 40,000 spectators. Fifteen nations participated down under at the Sydney Games involving a total of 464 athletes and 43 officials.
Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
and
Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
made their debuts. Seven sports were featured in the Sydney Games – athletics, boxing, cycling, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving and wrestling. The
1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games were the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand, between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. A documentary fil ...
were the fourth edition and were held in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, New Zealand, after a twelve-year gap from the third edition of the games. The fourth games were originally awarded to
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 ...
, Canada and was to be held in 1942, but was cancelled due to the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The opening ceremony at
Eden Park Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is s ...
was attended by 40,000 spectators, while nearly 250,000 people attended the Auckland Games. Twelve countries sent a total of 590 athletes to Auckland.
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
and
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, ...
made their first appearances.


British Empire and Commonwealth Games

The fifth edition of the Games, the
1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, from 30 July to 7 August 1954. This was the fifth edition of the event that would eventually become known as the Commonwealth Games, the second post-war G ...
, were held in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada. This was the first event since the name change from British Empire Games took effect in 1952, the same year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The fifth edition of the Games placed Vancouver on a world stage and featured memorable sporting moments as well as outstanding entertainment, technical innovation and cultural events. The 'Miracle Mile', as it became known, saw both the gold medallist,
Roger Bannister Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister (23 March 1929 – 3 March 2018) was an English neurologist and middle-distance athlete who ran the first sub- 4-minute mile. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister set a British record in the 1500 metres and ...
of England and silver medallist
John Landy John Michael Landy (12 April 1930 – 24 February 2022) was an Australian middle-distance runner and state governor. He was the second man to break the four-minute mile barrier in the mile run and held the world records for the 1500-metre run ...
of Australia, run sub-four-minute races in an event that was televised live across the world for the first time.
Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in Southern Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North ...
and
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
made their debuts and both performed well, winning eight and six medals respectively. The
1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games (Welsh: ''Gemau Ymerodraeth Prydain a'r Gymanwlad'' 1958) were held in Cardiff, Wales, from 18 to 26 July 1958. It was the sixth edition of what would come to be known as the Commonwealth Games, the ...
were held in
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, Wales. The sixth edition of the games marked the largest sporting event ever held in Wales and it was the smallest country ever to host a British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
had to wait twelve years longer than originally scheduled to become host of the Games, as the 1946 event was cancelled because of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The Cardiff Games introduced the
Queen's Baton Relay The King's Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently King Charles III. The relay traditionally begins at Buckingham P ...
, which has been conducted as a prelude to every British Empire and Commonwealth Games ever since. Thirty-five nations sent a total of 1,122 athletes and 228 officials to the Cardiff Games and 23 countries and dependencies won medals, including for the first time,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
,
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
and the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
. In the run up to the Cardiff games, many leading sports stars including
Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English Association football, footballer who played as an Forward (association football)#Outside forward, outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the Br ...
,
Jimmy Hill James William Thomas Hill, Order of the British Empire, OBE (22 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was an English football in England, footballer and later a television personality. His career included almost every role in the sport, including pla ...
and
Don Revie Donald George Revie (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an English footballer and manager. He is best known for managing Leeds United from 1961 until 1974, winning the Football League First Division twice and the FA Cup once, before being the Eng ...
were signatories in a letter to ''The Times'' on 17 July 1958 deploring the presence of white-only South African sports, opposing 'the policy of apartheid' in international sport and defending 'the principle of racial equality which is embodied in the Declaration of the Olympic Games'. The
1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North ...
were held in
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
,
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. Thirty-five countries sent a total of 863 athletes and 178 officials to Perth.
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
was among the medal winners for the first time, while
British Honduras British Honduras was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America — specifically located on the southern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony — renamed Belize from June 1973
,
Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...
,
Papua and New Guinea The Territory of Papua and New Guinea , officially the Administrative Union of the Territory of Papua and the Territory of New Guinea, was established by an administrative union between the Australian-administered territories of Papua and New ...
and
St Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...
all made their inaugural Games appearances.
Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...
also competed by special invitation.
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
,
North Borneo North Borneo (usually known as British North Borneo, also known as the State of North Borneo) was a British Protectorate, British protectorate in the northern part of the island of Borneo, (present-day Sabah). The territory of North Borneo wa ...
and
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
competed for the last time, before taking part in 1966 under the
Malaysian flag The national flag of Malaysia, also known as the Stripes of Glory (, also "Stripes of Excellence") is composed of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as ...
. In addition,
Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation (CAF), was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia and the Brit ...
competed in the Games as an entity for the first and only time. The
1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica, from 4 to 13 August 1966. This was the first time that the Games had been held outside the so-called White Dominions. The event was followed by the 1966 Commonweal ...
were held in
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...
. This was the first time that the Games had been held outside the so-called White Dominions. Thirty-four nations (including
South Arabia South Arabia (), or Greater Yemen, is a historical region that consists of the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, mainly centered in what is now the Republic of Yemen, yet it has also historically included Najran, Jazan, ...
) competed in the
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
Games, sending a total of 1,316 athletes and officials.


British Commonwealth Games

The
1970 British Commonwealth Games The 1970 British Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 16 to 25 July 1970. This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first time metric units rather than imperial units were used in all eve ...
were held in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, Scotland. This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first time
metric units Metric units are units based on the metre, gram or second and decimal (power of ten) multiples or sub-multiples of these. According to Schadow and McDonald, metric units, in general, are those units "defined 'in the spirit' of the metric system, ...
rather than
imperial unit The imperial system of units, imperial system or imperial units (also known as British Imperial or Exchequer Standards of 1826) is the system of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act 1824 and continued to be developed thr ...
s were used in events, the first time the games were held in
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and also the first time that HM 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. ...
attended in her capacity as
Head of the Commonwealth The Head of the Commonwealth is the ceremonial leader who symbolises "the free association of independent member nations" of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation that currently comprises 56 sovereign states. There is ...
. The
1974 British Commonwealth Games The 1974 British Commonwealth Games () were held in Christchurch, New Zealand, from 24 January to 2 February 1974. The bid vote was held in Edinburgh at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. The event was officially named "the friendly games". T ...
were held in
Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
, New Zealand. The event was officially named ''The Friendly Games'', and was also the first edition to feature a theme song. Following the massacre of Israeli athletes at the
1972 Munich 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 ...
, the tenth games at Christchurch were the first
multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...
to place the safety of participants and spectators as its uppermost requirement. Security guards surrounded the athlete's village and there was an exceptionally high-profile police presence. Only 22 countries succeeded in winning medals from the total haul of 374 medals on offer, but first time winners included
Western Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabit ...
,
Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
and Swaziland (since 2018 named
Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...
). The theme song for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games was called "Join Together".


Commonwealth Games

The
1978 Commonwealth Games The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal, Quebec. They were boycotted by Nigeria, in protest at New Zealand's sporting contacts with a ...
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 Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Canada. This event was the first to bear the current day name of the Commonwealth Games, and also marked a new high as almost 1,500 athletes from 46 countries took part. 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 against
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
'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 South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, 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 hostilities toward 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
1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the ...
were held in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. Forty-six nations participated in the
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
Games with a new record total of 1,583 athletes and 571 officials. As hosts, Australia headed the medal table leading the way ahead of England, Canada, Scotland and New Zealand respectively.
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
made its first appearance at the Games, having earlier competed as
Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...
and as part of
Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation (CAF), was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia and the Brit ...
. The theme song for the 1982 Commonwealth Games was called "You're Here To Win". The
1986 Commonwealth Games The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 24 July and 2 August 1986. This was the second Commonwealth Games to be held in Edinburgh. Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries (largely African, Asian and Caribbe ...
were held in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, Scotland and were the second Games to be held in Edinburgh. Participation at the 1986 Games was affected by a boycott by 32 African, Asian and Caribbean nations in protest at British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
's refusal to condemn sporting contacts of apartheid era South Africa in 1985, but the Games rebounded and continued to grow thereafter. Twenty-six nations did attend the second Edinburgh Games, and sent a total of 1,662 athletes and 461 officials. The theme song for the 1986 Commonwealth Games was called "Spirit Of Youth". The
1990 Commonwealth Games The 1990 Commonwealth Games () were held in Auckland, New Zealand from 24 January – 3 February 1990. It was the 14th Commonwealth Games, and part of New Zealand's 1990 sesquicentennial celebrations. Participants competed in ten sports: at ...
were held in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, New Zealand. They were the fourteenth Commonwealth Games, the third to be hosted by
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and Auckland's second. A new record of 55 nations participated in the second Auckland Games, sending 2,826 athletes and officials. Pakistan returned to the Commonwealth in 1989 after withdrawing in 1972, and competed in the 1990 Games after an absence of twenty years. The theme song for the 1990 Commonwealth Games was called "This Is The Moment". The
1994 Commonwealth Games The 1994 Commonwealth Games ( French: ''XVéme Jeux du Commonwealth'') were held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, between 18 and 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, box ...
were held in
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada. This event was the fourth to take place in Canada. The games marked another point of
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
's return to the sporting atmosphere following the
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, and over thirty years since the country last competed in the Games in 1958.
Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...
made its Commonwealth Games debut following its independence from South Africa in 1990. It was also Hong Kong's last appearance at the games before the transfer of sovereignty from Britain to China. Sixty-three nations sent 2,557 athletes and 914 officials. The theme song for the 1994 Commonwealth Games was called "Let Your Spirit Take Flight". The
1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ( Malay: ), officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games (Malay: ), were a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 1998 games were the first held in Asia and the last Commonwealth Games of the 20th cen ...
were held in
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
, Malaysia. For the first time in its 68-year history, the Commonwealth Games were held in Asia. The event was also the first Games to feature team sports (cricket,rugby 7's,netball and field hockey) along ten pin bowling and squash– an overwhelming success that added large numbers to both participant and TV audience numbers. A new record of 70 countries sent a total of 5,065 athletes and officials to the Kuala Lumpur Games. The top five countries in the medal standing were Australia, England, Canada, Malaysia (who made their best games' performance until that date) and South Africa.
Nauru Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies within the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, with its nearest neighbour being Banaba (part of ...
also achieved an impressive haul of three gold medals.
Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
,
Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
,
Kiribati Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, and more than half live on Tarawa. The st ...
and
Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...
debuted. The theme song for the 1998 Commonwealth Games was called "Forever As One".


During the 21st century

The
2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, ...
were held in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, England. The event was hosted in England for the first time since 1934 and hosted to coincide with the
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II The Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration held in 2002 marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50 years as ...
, head of the
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 ...
. In terms of sports and events, the 2002 event was until the 2010 edition the largest Commonwealth Games in history featuring 281 events across 17 sports. The final medal tally was led by Australia, followed by host England and Canada. The 2002 Commonwealth Games had set a new benchmark for hosting the Commonwealth Games and for cities wishing to bid for them with a heavy emphasis on legacy. The theme song for the 2002 Commonwealth Games was called " Where My Heart Will Take Me". The
2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an International sport, international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Melbourne ...
were held in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
,
Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...
. The only difference between the 2006 games and the 2002 games was the absence of
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
, which withdrew from the
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
after being suspended by the organization in 2002. For the first time in the history of the Games the
Queen's Baton The King's Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently King Charles III. The relay traditionally begins at Buckingham P ...
visited every single Commonwealth nation and territory taking part in the Games, a journey of . Over 4000 athletes took part in the sporting competitions. Again the Top 3 on the medal table is Australia, followed by England and Canada. The theme song for the 2006 Commonwealth Games was called "Together We Are One". The
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...
were held in
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
, India. The Games cost $11 billion and were the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games was held in India, also the first time that a
Commonwealth republic The republics in the Commonwealth of Nations are the sovereign states in the organisation with a republican form of government. , 36 out of the 56 member states were republics. While Charles III is the titular Head of the Commonwealth, the King ...
hosted the games and the second time it was held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events. The final medal tally was led by
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. The host nation India achieved its best performance ever in any sporting event, finishing second overall.
Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...
made its Games debut. The theme song for the 2010 Commonwealth Games was called "Live, Rise, Ascend, Win". The
2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...
were held in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, Scotland. These games were the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland with around 4,950 athletes from 71 different nations and territories competing in 18 different sports, outranking the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, capital city of Scotland.
Usain Bolt Usain St. Leo Bolt (; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, ...
competed in the 4×100 metres relay of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and set a Commonwealth Games record with his teammates. The Games received acclaim for their organisation, attendance, and the public enthusiasm of the people of Scotland, with the CGF chief executive Mike Hooper hailing them as "the standout games in the history of the movement". The
2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...
were held in Gold Coast,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia, the fifth time Australia hosted the Games. There were an equal number of events for men and women, the first time in history that a major multi-sport event had equality in terms of events. The
2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...
were held in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, England. It was the third Commonwealth Games to be hosted in England, following London 1934 and
Manchester 2002 The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, ...
. The 2022 Commonwealth Games coincided with the
Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration in 2022 marking the Platinum jubilee, 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was the first time that any History of monarchy in the U ...
and the tenth anniversary of the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
and the
2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Sum ...
, both staged in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The 2022 Commonwealth Games was the last edition to be held under Queen Elizabeth II, before her
death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
on 8 September 2022. On 16 February 2022, it was announced that the
2026 Commonwealth Games The 2026 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games and Glasgow 2026 (; ), is a planned multi-sport event scheduled from 23 July to 2 August 2026, to be hosted in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, for members ...
would be held for a record sixth time in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, but for the first time they would be decentralised, as the state of
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
signed as host 'city'. The event were to have four regional clusters mainly focused in
Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...
region, and another three regional centres. However, in July 2023, the Victorian Premier
Daniel Andrews Daniel Michael Andrews (born 6 July 1972) is an Australian former politician who served as the 48th premier of Victoria from 2014 to 2023. He held office as the leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2010 and ...
announced that Victoria would no longer host the 2026 Games. The Scottish government later agreed to hold the 2026 games in Glasgow, following Victoria's cancellation, however the games will be "scaled down" with only 10 sports being staged in four venues, and a commitment that public funds would not be required. The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be the first held under the reign of
King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
. The three nations to have hosted the Commonwealth Games the most times are Australia (5), Canada (4) and New Zealand (3). With the 2022 games, England increased its number to three. Seven Games have taken place in the countries within the United Kingdom (
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
(3) and
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
(1)), two in Asia (
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
(1) and
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
(1)) and one in the Caribbean (
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
(1)). The event has been awarded to, but never been held in, Africa, with
Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...
being stripped of the 2022 Games following financial issues.


Paraplegic Games

The Commonwealth Paraplegic Games were an international,
multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...
involving athletes with a disability from the
Commonwealth countries The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire from which i ...
. The event was sometimes referred to as the Paraplegic Empire Games and British Commonwealth Paraplegic Games. Athletes were generally those with
spinal injuries A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. Symptoms of ...
or
polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...
. The event was first held in 1962 and disestablished in 1974. The Games were held in the country hosting the Commonwealth Games for able-bodied athletes. The countries that had hosted the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games were Australia, Jamaica, Scotland and New Zealand in
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
,
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
,
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
and
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
. Six countries – Australia, England, New Zealand,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
— had been represented at all Commonwealth Paraplegic Games. Australia and England had been the top-ranking nation two times each:
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
,
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
and
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
,
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
.


Inclusion of disabled athletes in Commonwealth Games

Athletes with a disability were then first included the
1994 Commonwealth Games The 1994 Commonwealth Games ( French: ''XVéme Jeux du Commonwealth'') were held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, between 18 and 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, box ...
in
Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
when this events was added to athletics and lawn bowls, As at
2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, ...
in Manchester, England, they were included as compulsory events, making them the first fully
inclusive Inclusive may refer to: * Inclusive disjunction, A or B or both * Inclusive fitness, in evolutionary theory, how many kin are supported including non-descendants * Inclusive tax, includes taxes owed as part of the base * Inclusivism Inclusivi ...
international multi-sport games. This meant that results were included in the medal count and the athletes are full members of each country delegation. During the 2007 General Assembly of the
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
(CGF) at
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, the
International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; ) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nin ...
(IPC) and CGF signed a co-operative agreement to ensure a formal institutional relationship between the two bodies and secure the future participation of elite athletes with a disability (EAD) in future Commonwealth Games. Then, IPC President
Philip Craven Sir Philip Lee Craven (born 4 July 1950) is an English sports administrator, former Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, swimmer and track and field athlete. Between 2001 and 2017 he was the second president of the International Para ...
said during the General Assembly: The co-operation agreement outlined the strong partnership between the IPC and the CGF. It recognised the IPC as the respective sport body and have the function to oversee the co-ordination and delivery of the Commonwealth Games EAD sports programme and committed both organisations to work together in supporting the growth of the Paralympic and Commonwealth Games Movements.


Winter Games

The Commonwealth Winter Games was a
multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...
comprising winter sports, last held in 1966. Three editions of the Games have been staged. The Commonwealth Winter Games were designed as a counterbalance to the Commonwealth Games, which focuses on summer sports, to accompany the
Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...
and
Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The 1896 Summer Olympics, inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, ...
. The winter Games were founded by T.D. Richardson.Semanticus.info
T.D. Richardson
(accessed 7 July 2012)
The 1958 Commonwealth Winter Games were held in
St. Moritz St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss ...
, Switzerland and was the inaugural games for the winter edition. The 1962 Games were also held in St. Moritz, complementing the
1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North ...
in
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Australia, and the 1966 event was held in St. Moritz as well, following which the idea was discontinued.


Youth Games

The
Commonwealth Youth Games The Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) is an international multi-sport event organized by the Commonwealth Games Federation. The games were held in the years, mid-way between when the Commonwealth Games are held, until 2008. They continued to be he ...
is an international
multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...
organised by the
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
. The Commonwealth Youth Games is held every four years with the current Commonwealth Games format. The
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
discussed the idea of a Millennium
Commonwealth Youth Games The Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) is an international multi-sport event organized by the Commonwealth Games Federation. The games were held in the years, mid-way between when the Commonwealth Games are held, until 2008. They continued to be he ...
in 1997. In 1998, the concept was agreed on for the purpose of providing a Commonwealth multi-sport event for young people born in 1986 or later. The first version was held in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, Scotland from 10 to 14 August 2000. The age limitation of the athletes is 14 to 18.


Commonwealth Games Federation

The
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
(CGF) is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and
Commonwealth Youth Games The Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) is an international multi-sport event organized by the Commonwealth Games Federation. The games were held in the years, mid-way between when the Commonwealth Games are held, until 2008. They continued to be he ...
, and is the foremost authority in matters relating to the games. The Commonwealth House in London, England hosts the headquarters of CGF. The Commonwealth House also hosts the headquarters of the
Royal Commonwealth Society The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting co ...
and the
Commonwealth Local Government Forum The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) is a global local government organisation, bringing together local authorities, their national associations and the ministries responsible for local government in the member countries of the Commonwe ...
. The Commonwealth Games Movement is made of three major elements: *
International Federations A sports governing body is a sports organisation that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sports governing bodies come in various forms and have a variety of regulatory functions, including disciplinary action for rule infractions and dec ...
(IFs) are the governing bodies that supervise a sport at an international level. For example, the International Basketball Federation (
FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
) is the international governing body for basketball. *
Commonwealth Games Associations A Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) is a national sports council of the Commonwealth Sports movement. Each association is responsible for organising, supporting and overseeing their national team for both the Commonwealth Games and the Commonw ...
(CGAs) represent and regulate the Commonwealth Games Movement within each country and perform similar functions as the
National Olympic Committees A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...
. For example, the
Commonwealth Games England Commonwealth Games England (CGE) is the national Commonwealth Games Association for England. The company is responsible for supporting and managing the participation of England at the Commonwealth Games, Team England at the Commonwealth Games'. ...
(CGE) is the CGA of England. There are currently 72 CGAs recognised by the CGF. * Organising Committees for the Commonwealth Games (OCCWGs) are temporary committees responsible for the organisation of each Commonwealth Games. OCCWGs are dissolved after each Games once the final report is delivered to the CGF. 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.


Queen's Baton Relay

The Queen's Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the
Head of the Commonwealth The Head of the Commonwealth is the ceremonial leader who symbolises "the free association of independent member nations" of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation that currently comprises 56 sovereign states. There is ...
. The Relay traditionally begins at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
in London as a part of the city's
Commonwealth Day Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, held on the second Monday in March. While the date holds some official status in select member states of the Commonwealth, observances of the date are not uniform, an ...
festivities. The Queen entrusts the baton to the first relay runner. At the Opening Ceremony of the Games, the final relay runner hands the baton back to the Queen or her representative, who reads the message aloud to officially open the Games. The Queen's Baton Relay is similar to the
Olympic Torch Relay The Olympic torch relay is the ceremonial relaying of the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, to the site of an Olympic Games. It was introduced at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as a way for Adolf Hitler to highlight the Nazi claim of Arya ...
. The Relay was introduced at the
1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games (Welsh: ''Gemau Ymerodraeth Prydain a'r Gymanwlad'' 1958) were held in Cardiff, Wales, from 18 to 26 July 1958. It was the sixth edition of what would come to be known as the Commonwealth Games, the ...
in
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, Wales as the Queen's Baton Relay. Up until, and including, the
1994 Commonwealth Games The 1994 Commonwealth Games ( French: ''XVéme Jeux du Commonwealth'') were held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, between 18 and 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, box ...
, the Relay only went through England and the host nation. The Relay for the
1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ( Malay: ), officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games (Malay: ), were a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 1998 games were the first held in Asia and the last Commonwealth Games of the 20th cen ...
in
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
, Malaysia was the first to travel to other nations of the Commonwealth. The
Queen's Baton Relay The King's Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently King Charles III. The relay traditionally begins at Buckingham P ...
for the
2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...
held on the Gold Coast, Australia, was the longest in Commonwealth Games history. Covering 230,000 km (150,000 miles) over 388 days, the Baton made its way through the six Commonwealth regions of Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania. For the first time, the Queen's Baton was presented at the Commonwealth Youth Games during its
sixth edition Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor sixth ...
in 2017, which were held in
Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Austria * Nassau (Groß Sankt Florian), incorporated village of Groß Sankt Florian Bahamas *Nassau, The Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upp ...
,
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
.


Ceremonies


Opening

The opening ceremony typically starts with the hoisting of the host country's flag and a performance of its national anthem. The flag of the Commonwealth Games Federation, flag of the last hosting nation and the next hosting nation are also hosted during the opening ceremony. The host nation then presents artistic displays of music, singing, dance and theatre representative of its culture. The artistic presentations have grown in scale and complexity as successive hosts attempt to provide a ceremony that outlasts its predecessor's in terms of memorability. The opening ceremony of the Delhi Games reportedly cost $70 million, with much of the cost incurred in the artistic segment. After the artistic portion of the ceremony, the athletes parade into the stadium grouped by nation. The last hosting nation is traditionally the first nation to enter. Nations then enter the stadium alphabetical or continental wise with the host country's athletes being the last to enter. Speeches are given, formally opening the Games. Finally, the King's Baton is brought into the stadium and passed on until it reaches the final baton carrier, often a successful Commonwealth athlete from the host nation, who hands it over to the
Head of the Commonwealth The Head of the Commonwealth is the ceremonial leader who symbolises "the free association of independent member nations" of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation that currently comprises 56 sovereign states. There is ...
or his representative.


Closing

The closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games takes place after all sporting events have concluded. Flag-bearers from each participating country enter the stadium, followed by the athletes who enter together, without any national distinction. The president of the organising committee and the CGF president make their closing speeches and the Games are officially closed. The CGF president also speaks about the conduct of the games. The mayor of the city that organised the Games transfers the CGF flag to the president of the CGF, who then passes it on to the mayor of the city hosting the next Commonwealth Games. The next host nation then also briefly introduces itself with artistic displays of dance and theatre representative of its culture. Many great artists and singers had performed at the ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games. At the closing ceremony of every Commonwealth Games, the CGF President makes an award and presents a trophy to one athlete who has competed with particular distinction and honour both in terms of athletic performance and overall contribution to his or her team. Athletes are nominated by their Commonwealth Games Association at the end of the final day of competition and the winner is selected by a panel comprising the CGF President and representatives from each of the six Commonwealth Regions. The '
David Dixon Award David Dixon Award is a four-yearly award given to the outstanding athlete of each Commonwealth Games, based on their performance at the event, fair play, and overall contribution to their team's participation at the Commonwealth Games. The award ...
' as it is called was introduced in
Manchester 2002 The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, ...
, after the late David Dixon, former Honorary Secretary of the
CGF CGF may refer to: * Carlingford railway station (station code), a defunct railway station in Sydney, Australia * Commonwealth Games Federation, an international sports organization * Consumer Goods Forum, a global organization of consumer goods com ...
, in honour of his monumental contribution to Commonwealth sport for many years.


Medal presentation

A medal ceremony is held after each event is concluded. The winner, second and third-place competitors or teams stand on top of a three-tiered rostrum to be awarded their respective medals. After the medals are given out by a CGF member, the national flags of the three medallists are raised while the
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
of the gold medallist's country plays. Volunteering citizens of the host country also act as hosts during the medal ceremonies, as they aid the officials who present the medals and act as flag-bearers.


Anthems

"
God Save the King "God Save the King" ("God Save the Queen" when the monarch is female) is ''de facto'' the national anthem of the United Kingdom. It is one of national anthems of New Zealand, two national anthems of New Zealand and the royal anthem of the Isle ...
" is an official or
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
of multiple Commonwealth countries and dependent territories. As a result, and due to the
countries of the United Kingdom Since 1922, the United Kingdom has been made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales (which collectively make up Great Britain) and Northern Ireland (#Terminology, variously described as a country, province, jurisdiction or region). The ...
competing individually, its use is prohibited during official events, medal ceremonies or before matches in team events. With the revision of this rule made before the 2010 Games, some national anthems used were changed and in some cases they differ from a currently-eligible country's national or official anthem(s): {, class="wikitable" , - !Country ! Anthem used at the Commonwealth Games !National Anthem(s)/Official Anthem(s) , - , , "
God Bless Anguilla "God Bless Anguilla" is the national song of the British overseas territory of Anguilla. Adopted in 1981, shortly after the separation of Anguilla from Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, it is considered the official local anthem, as "God Save t ...
" , rowspan="4", "
God Save the King "God Save the King" ("God Save the Queen" when the monarch is female) is ''de facto'' the national anthem of the United Kingdom. It is one of national anthems of New Zealand, two national anthems of New Zealand and the royal anthem of the Isle ...
" , - , , "
Hail to Bermuda "Hail to Bermuda", also known as "This Island's Mine", is the territorial anthem of Bermuda, written and composed by Bette Johns. The official anthem is the national anthem of the United Kingdom, "God Save the King", as the island is a British ...
" , - , , "
Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" is the official territorial song of the British Virgin Islands (often called the BVI). The song was composed by brother and sister team Kareem Nelson Hull and Ayana Hull, both Virgin Islanders. It was adopted as t ...
" , - , , "
Beloved Isle Cayman "Beloved Isle Cayman" is the official national song of the Cayman Islands, composed by Leila Ross-Shier in 1930. It became the official national song when the Cayman Islands Coat of Arms, Flag and National Song Law was passed in 1993. As a Brit ...
" , - , , "
Land of Hope and Glory "Land of Hope and Glory" is a British patriotic song, with music by Edward Elgar, written in 1901 and with lyrics by A. C. Benson added in 1902. Composition The music to which the words of the refrain 'Land of Hope and Glory, &c' below ...
" (until 2010)
"
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
" (since 2010) , ''None''; "God Save the King" as part of the United Kingdom , - , , " Song of the Falklands" , rowspan="5", "God Save the King" , - , , "
Gibraltar Anthem The "Gibraltar Anthem" is the national song of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. In common with the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and other British territories, the official national anthem of Gibraltar is "God Save the King". T ...
" , - , , "
Sarnia Cherie "Sarnia Cherie" () is used as the unofficial anthem of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. ''Sarnia'' is a traditional Latin name for the island. George Deighton wrote "Sarnia Cherie" in 1911, with Domenico Santangelo composing the tune later ...
" , - , , "
Island Home Island Home is a historical house in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, in or near Gardner. It was built around 1850 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is off Louisiana Highway 21 and is reached by a bridge across Ba ...
" , - , , "
Motherland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...
" , - , , "
God Defend New Zealand "God Defend New Zealand" (, meaning 'New Zealand') is one of two national anthems of New Zealand, the other being "God Save the King". Legally the two have equal status, but "God Defend New Zealand" is more commonly used. Originally written as a ...
" , "God Defend New Zealand" (since 1976)
"God Save the King" , - , , " Ko e Iki he Lagi (Lord in Heaven, Thou art merciful)" , "God Defend New Zealand" (since 1976)
"God Save the King" , - , , " Come Ye Blessed" , "
Advance Australia Fair "Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born Australian composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed as a patriotic song in Australia in 1878. It replaced "God Save the King, God Save th ...
" , - , , "
Londonderry Air The "Londonderry Air" is an Irish air (folk tune) that originated in County Londonderry, first recorded in the nineteenth century. The tune is played as the victory sporting anthem of Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games. The song " Dan ...
" , ''None''; "God Save the King" as part of the United Kingdom , - , , " My Saint Helena Island" , "God Save the King" , - , , "
Scotland the Brave "Scotland the Brave" () is a Scottish patriotic song, one of three often considered an unofficial Scottish national anthem (the others being " Flower of Scotland", and " Scots Wha Hae"). History The tune probably originated in the late 19th c ...
" (until 2010)
"
Flower of Scotland "Flower of Scotland" (Scottish Gaelic: ''Flùr na h-Alba'', Scots: ''Flouer o Scotland'') is a Scottish patriotic song commonly used as an unofficial national anthem of Scotland. Written in the mid-1960s by the folk musician Roy Williamson, ...
" (since 2010) , ''None''; "God Save the King" as part of the United Kingdom , - , , " This Land of Ours" , "God Save the King" , - , , " Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of my Fathers)" , "God Save the King" as part of the United Kingdom


List of editions

{, class="wikitable sortable" width= align="center" , +Overview of Commonwealth Games ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Year ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Edition ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Host city ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Host Association ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Opened by ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Sports ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Events ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Associations ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Start date ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", End date ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Competitors ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Top Association ! rowspan=1 style="background:#2874A6; color:white;", Ref , - , align="center", 1911 , align=center,
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
, align=left,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, align=left,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...
, align="center", 4, , align="center", 9, , align="center", 4 , align=center, 12 May , align=center, 1 June, , align="center", Unknown , align=left, , , - , align=center, 1930 , align="center", , align=left,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
, align=left, ,
Viscount Willingdon A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...
, align="center", 6, , align="center", 59, , align="center", 11 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 400 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align="center", 1934 , align="center", , align="left",
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, align="left", ,
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...
, align="center", 6, , align="center", 68, , align="center", 16 , align="center", , align="center", , , align="center", 500 , align="left", , align="center

, - , align="center", 1938 , align="center", , align="left",
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, align="left", , John Loder, 2nd Baron Wakehurst, Lord Wakehurst , align="center", 7, , align="center", 71, , align="center", 15 , align="center", , align="center", , , align="center", 464 , align="left", , align="center

, - , align="center", 1942 , align="center", – , align="left",
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 ...
, align="left", , colspan="9" rowspan="2" align="center", ''Cancelled due to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
The Complete Book of The Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast Edition) by Graham Groom (2017)'' , - , align="center", 1946 , align=center, – , align=left,
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, align=left, , - , align=center, 1950 , align="center", , align=left,
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, align=left, , Bernard Freyberg, Sir Bernard Freyberg , align="center", 9, , align="center", 88, , align="center", 12 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 590 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1954 , align="center", , align=left,
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, align=left, , Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, Earl Alexander of Tunis , align="center", 9, , align="center", 91, , align="center", 24 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 662 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1958 , align="center", , align=left,
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, align=left, , rowspan="5", Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , align="center", 9, , align="center", 94, , align="center", 36 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 1122 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1962 , align="center", , align=left,
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, align=left, , align="center", 9, , align="center", 104, , align="center", 35 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 863 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1966 , align="center", , align=left,
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
, align=left, , align="center", 9, , align="center", 110, , align="center", 34 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 1050 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1970 , align="center", , align=left,
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, align=left, , align="center", 9, , align="center", 121, , align="center", 42 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 1383 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1974 , align="center", , align=left,
Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
, align=left, , align="center", 9, , align="center", 121, , align="center", 38 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 1276 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1978 , align="center", , align=left,
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 ...
, align=left, , Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II , align="center", 10, , align="center", 128, , align="center", 46 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 1474 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1982 , align="center", , align=left,
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, align=left, , Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , align="center", 10, , align="center", 142, , align="center", 46 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 1583 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1986 , align="center", , align=left,
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, align=left, , Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II , align="center", 10, , align="center", 163, , align="center", 26 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 1662 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1990 , align="center", , align=left,
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, align=left, , Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward , align="center", 10, , align="center", 204, , align="center", 55 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 2073 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1994 , align="center", , align=left,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
, align=left, , Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II , align="center", 10, , align="center", 217, , align="center", 63 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 2557 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 1998 , align="center", , align=left,
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
, align=left, ,
Tuanku Jaafar Tuanku Ja’afar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman ( Jawi: ; 19 July 1922 – 27 December 2008) was Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan from 1967 until his death in 2008, and the tenth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), from 1994 ...
, align="center", 15, , align="center", 213, , align="center", 70 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 3633 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 2002 , align="center", , align=left,
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, align=left, , rowspan="2", Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II , align="center", 17, , align="center", 281, , align="center", 72 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 3679 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 2006 , align="center", , align=left,
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, align=left, , align="center", 16, , align="center", 245, , align="center", 71 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 4049 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 2010 , align="center", , align=left,
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
, align=left, ,
Pratibha Patil Pratibha Devisingh Patil (born 19 December 1934), also known as Pratibha Patil Shekhawat, is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the president of India from 2007 to 2012. She was the first woman to become the president of India. A m ...
and
Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...
, align="center", 17, , align="center", 272, , align="center", 71 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 4352 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 2014 , align="center", , align=left,
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, align=left, , Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II , align="center", 17, , align="center", 261, , align="center", 71 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 4947 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 2018 , align="center", , align=left, Gold Coast , align=left, , align=left rowspan="2",
Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...
, align="center", 19, , align="center", 275, , align="center", 71 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 4426 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 2022 , align="center", , align=left,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, align=left, , align="center", 20, , align="center", 283, , align="center", 72 , align=center, , align=center, , , align="center", 5054 , align=left, , align=cente

, - , align=center, 2026 , align="center", , align="left",
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, align=left, , align="align=left", Charles III, King Charles III (expected) , align="center", 10 , align="center", TBC , align="center", 75
(expected) , align=center, , align=center, , align=center, TBC , align="center", TBC , align=left, TBC , - , align=center, 2030 , align=center, XXIV , colspan="10" align=center, '' TBD '' , , - , align=center, 2034 , align=center, XXV , colspan="10" align=center, '' TBD '' ,


Medal table

*Note : Nations in ''italics'' no longer participate at the Commonwealth Games. :''Updated after
2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...
''. * Totals for
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
include all medals won as
* Totals for
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
include all medals won as
* Totals for
Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
include all medals won as
* Totals for
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
include all medals won as
* Totals for
Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...
include all medals won as


Commonwealth sports

Unlike other sporting events, the Commonwealth Games have a flexible sporting programme that respects the infrastructure and demands of the host city. This is also reflected in its holding dates, which may vary according to the weather conditions of each host city. Therefore, the programme for each edition varies. Between 1930 and 1994, only individual events were part of the programme and it was only in 1998 that authorisation was given for the addition of team sports. It is common for each edition since then to have a list of seven to ten mandatory sports that must be played in this edition and must be approved 4 years in advance. Thus, the minimum number of sports per edition is 10 and the maximum is of 17. However, local demands can also increase the number of sports contested. Notable cases are freestyle wrestling in Delhi 2010 and beach volleyball in Gold Coast 2018. Special exceptions can also be made, such as the one in the last edition held in Birmingham, England, in which 3 extra sports were added to the programme. The current rules also determine gender parity, whereby men and women have an equal (or broadly equal) share of events. There are a total of 23 sports (with three multi-disciplinary sports) and a ten para-sports which are approved by the Commonwealth Games Federation. {, cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:1em auto;" , - , valign="top", {, class="wikitable sortable" , - !Sport !Type !Years , - ,
Archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...
, Core , 1982, 2010 , - ,
Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...
, Core , 1930–present , - ,
Para Athletics Para-athletics is the sport of athletics practiced by people with a disability as a disabled sports, parasport. The list of athletics events, athletics events within the parasport are mostly the same as those available to able-bodied people, w ...
, Core , 1994, 2002–present , - ,
Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...
, Core , 1966–2022 , - ,
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
, , 2006, 2018 , - ,
Basketball 3x3 3x3 basketball (stylized as ''ƐX3'', pronounced ''three-ex-three'') is a variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one backboard and in a half-court setup. This basketball game format is currently being promoted and structured by FIBA, ...
, Core , 2022–present , - ,
Boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
, Core , 1930–present , - ,
Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
, Core , 1998, 2022 , - , Cycling (Mountain Bike) , Core , 2002–2006, 2014–present , - , Cycling (Para Track) , Core , 2014–present , - , Cycling (Road) , Core , 1938–present , - , Cycling (Track) , Core , 1934–present , - ,
Diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...
, , 1930–2022 , - ,
Hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...
, Core , 1998–2022 , - , Gymnastics (Artistic) , Core , 1978, 1990–present , - , Gymnastics (Rhythmic) , Optional , 1978, 1990–1998, 2006–present , - ,
Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
, Core , 1990, 2002, 2014 (Optional), 2022-present , - ,
Lawn bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...
, Core , 1930–1962, 1970–present , - , valign="top", {, class="wikitable sortable" , - !Sport !Type !Years , - , Para lawn bowls , Core , 1994, 2002, 2014–present , - , Netball (Women) , Core , 1998–present , - ,
Powerlifting Powerlifting is a competitive strength athletics, strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: Squat (exercise), squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athle ...
, Core , 2002–present , - ,
Rugby sevens Rugby sevens (commonly known simply as sevens, and originally seven-a-side rugby) is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. R ...
, Core , 1998–2022 , - ,
Shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missile ...
, Optional , 1966, 1974–2018 , - ,
Squash Squash most often refers to: * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita'' Squash may also refer to: Sports * Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...
, Core , 1998–2022 , - ,
Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
, Core , 1930–present , - ,
Para swimming Para swimming is an adaptation of the sport of swimming (sport), swimming for athletes with disability, disabilities. Para swimmers compete at the Swimming at the Summer Paralympics, Summer Paralympic Games and at other sports competitions through ...
, Core , 2002–present , - ,
Table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
, Core , 2002–2022 , - ,
Para table tennis Para table tennis is a parasports which follows the rules set by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). The usual table tennis rules are in effect with slight modifications for wheelchair athletes. Athletes from disability groups can ...
, Optional , 2002–2022 , - ,
Triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the ...
, Core , 2002–2006, 2014–2022 , - , Volleyball (beach) , Optional , 2018–2022 , - ,
Weightlifting Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...
, Core , 1950–present , - , Wrestling (Freestyle) , Core , 1930–1986, 1994, 2002, 2010–2022 In 2015, the Commonwealth Games Federation agreed large changes to the programme which increased the number of core sports, while removing a number of optionals, those removed are listed below. {, cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:1em auto;" , - , valign="top", {, class="wikitable sortable" , - !Sport !Type !Years , - ,
Canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...
, Optional , Never , - ,
Rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...
, Optional , 1930, 1938–1962, 1986 , - ,
Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
, Optional , Never , - ,
Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
, Optional , Never , - ,
Synchronised swimming Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming), also known as artistic swimming, is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by World A ...
, Optional , Core between 1986 and 2006 , - , valign="top", {, class="wikitable sortable" , - !Sport !Type !Years , - ,
Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
, Optional , Never , - ,
Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
, Optional , 2010 , - ,
Ten-pin bowling Tenpin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler bowling form, rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned Tetractys, evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The goal is to knock down all ten Bowlin ...
, Optional , 1998 , - , Wrestling (Greco-Roman) , Optional , 2010 Sports such as the following are sports which have been analysed by the Commonwealth Games Federation but which are deemed to need expansion in areas such as participation levels within the Commonwealth both at a national (International Federation) and grassroots athletics level, Marketability, Television Rights, Equity, and Hosting Expenses, per Regulation 6 of the Commonwealth Games Constitution;
.
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
host nations may not pick these sports for their program until the Federation's requirements are fulfilled.Sports Programme
.
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
{, cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:1em auto;" , - , valign="top", {, class="wikitable sortable" , - !Sport !Type !Years , - ,
Billiards Cue sports are a wide variety of games of skill played with a cue stick, which is used to strike billiard balls and thereby cause them to move around a cloth-covered table bounded by elastic bumpers known as . Cue sports, a category of stic ...
, Recognised , Never , - ,
Fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...
, Recognised , 1950–1970 , - , Association Football , Recognised , Never , - ,
Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
, Recognised , 2026 , - ,
Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...
, Recognised , Never , - , valign="top", {, class="wikitable sortable" , - !Sport !Type !Years , - ,
Life saving Lifesaving is the act involving rescue, resuscitation and first aid. It often refers to water safety and aquatic rescue; however, it could include ice rescue, flood and river rescue, swimming pool rescue and other emergency medical services. L ...
, Recognised , Never , - ,
Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
, Recognised , Never , - ,
Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
(indoor) , Recognised , Never , - ,
Water Polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
, Recognised , 1950 , -


Participation

Only six teams have attended every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales. Australia has been the highest scoring team for thirteen games, England for seven, and Canada for one. {, class="wikitable collapsible collapsed plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%; margin:1em auto;" , - ! colspan=24, Table of Team Participation by Commonwealth Games Edition , - ! rowspan="6" style="background:#cedaf2;", Team !Edition , I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII , VIII , IX , X , XI , XII ,
XIII XIII may refer to: * 13 (number) or XIII in Roman numerals * 13th century in Roman numerals * ''XIII'' (comics), a Belgian comic book series by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance ** ''XIII'' (2003 video game), a 2003 video game based on the comic b ...
, XIV , XV , XVI , XVII ,
XVIII 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 (number), 17 and preceding 19 (number), 19. It is an even composite number. Mathematics 18 is a semiperfect number and an abundant number. It is a largely composite number, as it has 6 divisors a ...
, XIX , XX , XXI , XXII , - ! Year , 1930 , 1934 , 1938 , 1950 , 1954 , 1958 , 1962 , 1966 , 1970 , 1974 , 1978 , 1982 , 1986 , 1990 , 1994 , 1998 , 2002 , 2006 , 2010 , 2014 , 2018 , 2022 , - ! Host Flag , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - ! Host City ,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
,
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
,
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
,
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
,
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
,
Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
,
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 ...
,
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
,
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
,
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
,
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
,
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
,
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Delhi ,
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, Gold Coast ,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, - ! Participation \\ Host nation , Canada , England , Australia , New Zealand , Canada ,
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, Australia ,
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, New Zealand , Canada , Australia ,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, New Zealand , Canada ,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, England , Australia ,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, Australia , England , - ! colspan=23, , - , align=left, , , 1962, , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1998–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1966–1970, 1978, 1994–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:pink;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1930–, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1954–1970, 1978–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1978, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1954–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1978, 1994–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1930–1938, 1954–1982, 1990–, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1974, 1982–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1930–1938, 1954–1962, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1962–1966, , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1998–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1930–, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1978–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1938–1950, 1958–1970, , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1974–1978, 1986–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1978–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1958–1962, 1970, 1994–, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , style="background:pink;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1930–, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 2022–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1982–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1938, 1954–1986, 1998–2006, 2014–, , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1970–1982, 1990–2010, 2018–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1958–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1958–, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1954, , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1970–1982, 1998–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1970–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1966–1970, 1978–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1934, 1954–1962, 1970–1994, , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1934–1938, 1954–1958, 1966–1982, 1990–, , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, Ireland, , 1930, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1958–, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1934, 1954–1982, 1990–, , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1958–, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1954–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1998–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1974–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1970–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1950, 1958–1962, , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1966–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1986–2014, 2022–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1958–1962, 1970, 1982–, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1958, 1966–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1994–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1998–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1994–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1930–1934, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1930–, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1950–1958, 1966–1974, 1982, 1990–1994, 2002–, , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 2002–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1986–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left,
North Borneo North Borneo (usually known as British North Borneo, also known as the State of North Borneo) was a British Protectorate, British protectorate in the northern part of the island of Borneo, (present-day Sabah). The territory of North Borneo wa ...
, , 1958–1962, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1934–1938, 1954–, , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1954–1958, , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1954–1970, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1962–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1962, , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 2010–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1978, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1982, 1998–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1962, 1970, 1978, 1994–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:pink;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1958, 1966–1978, 1994–, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:pink;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1998–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left,
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
, , 1958–1962, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1930–, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1958, 1966–1970, 1978, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1958–, , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1930–1958, 1994–, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1966, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1934–1958, , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1974–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1970–2018, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , - , align=left, , , 1962, , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1966–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1974, 1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1934–1982, 1990–, , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1978, 1998–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1998–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1954–1974, 1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1982–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1930–, , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1974–1994, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , align=left, , , 1970–1982, 1990–, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , - , align=left, , , 1982, 1990–2002, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:pink;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgreen;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , , style="background:lightgrey;", , - , colspan="24" style="text-align:center" , Legend , - , colspan="24" style="text-align:center" , ---- {, cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:1em auto;" , - , valign="top", {, class="wikitable sortable" , - ! Nation, , Years of participation , - , , , 1962 , - , , , 1998– , - , , , 1911 , - , , , 1966–1970, 1978, 1994– , - , , , 1930– , - , , , 1954–1970, 1978–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1978, 1990– , - , , , 1954–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1978, 1994– , - , , , 1930–1938, 1954–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1974, 1982– , - , , , 1930–1938, 1954–1962 , - , , , 1962–1966 , - , , , 1990– , - , , , 1990– , - , , , 1998– , - , , , 1911, 1930– , - , , , 1978– , - , , , 1938–1950, 1958–1970 , - , , , 1974–1978, 1986– , - , , , 1978–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1958–1962, 1970, 1994– , - , , , 1930– , - , , , 2022– , - , , , 1982– , - , , , 1938, 1954–1986, 1998–2006, 2014– , - , , , 1970–1982, 1990–2010, 2018– , - , , , 1958–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1958– , - , , , 1954 , - , , , 1970–1982, 1998– , - , , , 1970– , - , , , 1966–1970, 1978–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1934, 1954–1962, 1970–1994 , - , , , 1934–1938, 1954–1958, 1966–1982, 1990– , - , Ireland, , 1930 , - , , , 1934 , - , , , 1958– , - , , , 1934, 1954–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1958– , - , , , 1954–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1998– , - , , , 1974– , - , , , 1970– , - , , , 1950, 1958–1962 , - , , , 1966–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1986–2014, 2022– , - , , , 1958–1962, 1970, 1982– , valign="top", {, class="wikitable sortable" , - ! Nation, , Years of participation , - , , , 1958–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1994– , - , , , 1998– , - , , , 1994– , - , , , 1990– , - , , , 1930–1934 , - , , , 1930– , - , , , 1950–1958, 1966–1974, 1982, 1990–1994, 2002– , - , , , 2002– , - , , , 1986– , - ,
North Borneo North Borneo (usually known as British North Borneo, also known as the State of North Borneo) was a British Protectorate, British protectorate in the northern part of the island of Borneo, (present-day Sabah). The territory of North Borneo wa ...
, , 1958–1962 , - , , , 1934–1938, 1954– , - , , , 1954–1958 , - , , , 1954–1970, 1990– , - , , , 1962–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1962 , - , , , 2010– , - , , , 1978 , - , , , 1982, 1998– , - , , , 1990– , - , , , 1962, 1970, 1978, 1994– , - , , , 1958, 1966–1978, 1994– , - , , , 1998– , - ,
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
, , 1958–1962 , - , , , 1930– , - , , , 1990– , - , , , 1958, 1966–1970, 1978, 1990– , - , , , 1958– , - , , , 1982, 1990– , - , , , 1911–1958, 1994– , - , , , 1966 , - , , , 1934–1958 , - , , , 1974–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1970–2018 , - , , , 1962 , - , , , 1966–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1974, 1982, 1990– , - , , , 1934–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1978, 1998– , - , , , 2002– , - , , , 1954–1974, 1982, 1990– , - , , , 1911 , - , , , 1982– , - , , , 1930– , - , , , 1974–1994 , - , , , 1970–1982, 1990– , - , , , 1982, 1990–2002


Commonwealth nations yet to send teams

Very few Commonwealth nations and dependencies have yet to take part: *
Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...
and
Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...
, the most recent members to join the Commonwealth in 2022, became part of the
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
in 2023 and are expected to make their debut in the 2026 edition. *
Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, an ...
, a dependency of
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, was expected to take part for the first time at the 2010 Games in Delhi but did not do so. In 2018, Tokelau was noted to be ineligible for the Commonwealth Games until it became affiliated to at least five
international sport federations This is a list of international sports federations, each of which serves as a non-governmental governing body for a given sport and administers its sport at a world level, most often crafting rules, promoting the sport to prospective spectator ...
. *
Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an States and territories of Australia#External territories, Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about south o ...
and the
Cocos (Keeling) Islands The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (), officially the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (; ), are an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean, comprising a small archipelago approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka and rel ...
, both
external territories A dependent territory, dependent area, or dependency (sometimes referred as an external territory) is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a sovereign state and remains politically outside the controll ...
of Australia like
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...
, have not yet sent teams of their own. * The
Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands ( ; Pitkern: '), officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the ...
, a
British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...
, does not compete due to its small population (around 50 people). Other inhabited territories and
autonomous regions An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, zone, entity, unit, region, subdivision, province, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree o ...
within the Commonwealth, such as
Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overs ...
and
Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcano, volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is one of three constituent parts of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascensi ...
(parts of the British Overseas Territory of
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory located in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and the archipelago of Tri ...
),
Nevis Nevis ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute the Saint Kitts and Nevis, Federation of Saint Kitts ...
(a federal entity of the
Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Less ...
),
Rodrigues Rodrigues ( ; Mauritian Creole, Creole: ) is a Autonomous administrative division, autonomous Outer islands of Mauritius, outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Isl ...
(an outer island of
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
), and
Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...
(a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania), are not considered to be separate associated or overseas territories by the Commonwealth and so are unlikely to be eligible.


Rejected participants

Campaigners from the
English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...
of
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
asked the
Commonwealth Games Federation The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is the governing body ...
to allow Cornwall to participate independently in the 2006 Games, but were rejected by the CGF, which stated that "Cornwall is no more than an English county" and advised Cornwall athletes to compete on the
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
team. Cornwall political party
Mebyon Kernow Mebyon Kernow – The Party for Cornwall (, MK; Cornish language, Cornish for ''Sons of Cornwall'') is a Cornish nationalism, Cornish nationalist, Left-wing politics, centre-left political party in Cornwall, in southwestern Britain. It currentl ...
unsuccessfully called for a Cornwall team at the 2022 Games. The
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a '' de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all o ...
applied to take part in the 2006 Games, but was rejected due to a lack of
international recognition Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral declarative political act of a state that acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state (may be also a recognized state). Recognition can be accor ...
.


Controversies


Host city contract

The
1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...
, originally awarded in 1930 to
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
, were moved to London after South Africa's pre-
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 ...
government refused to allow participants of colour. The
2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...
were originally awarded to
Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...
on 2 September 2015, at the
CGF CGF may refer to: * Carlingford railway station (station code), a defunct railway station in Sydney, Australia * Commonwealth Games Federation, an international sports organization * Consumer Goods Forum, a global organization of consumer goods com ...
General Assembly in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
. 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. 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 Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, England. On 21 December 2017,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
was awarded for the 2022 Games as Durban's replacement host. The state of
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
, Australia was selected to host the
2026 Commonwealth Games The 2026 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games and Glasgow 2026 (; ), is a planned multi-sport event scheduled from 23 July to 2 August 2026, to be hosted in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, for members ...
. 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. On 18 July 2023, the
Victorian state government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as the Victorian Government, is the executive government of the Australian state of Victoria. As a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, the State Government was first formed in 1851 when Vic ...
announced it had cancelled its plans to host the games, citing an escalation in its cost projections relative to initial estimations. With no host city, there was a possibility that the games would be postponed to 2027 or cancelled. However, on 17 September 2024, it was announced that the Scottish Government had agreed to host the 2026 games in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
.


Boycotts

Much like the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
, the Commonwealth Games have also experienced boycotts:
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, ...
boycotted the
1978 Commonwealth Games The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal, Quebec. They were boycotted by Nigeria, in protest at New Zealand's sporting contacts with a ...
at
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 ...
in protest of 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.
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 ...
also stayed away, in protest of 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, ...
. During the
1986 Commonwealth Games The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 24 July and 2 August 1986. This was the second Commonwealth Games to be held in Edinburgh. Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries (largely African, Asian and Caribbe ...
at
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, a majority of the Commonwealth nations staged a boycott, so that the Games appeared to be a whites-only event. Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries—largely African, Asian and Caribbean states—stayed away because of the Thatcher government's policy of keeping Britain's sporting links with
apartheid South Africa 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 ...
in preference to participating in the general sporting boycott of that country. Consequently, Edinburgh 1986 witnessed the lowest number of athletes since Auckland 1950. The boycotting nations were
Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...
,
Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...
,
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
,
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
,
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
,
Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...
,
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
,
Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...
,
Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...
,
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
,
Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...
,
Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
,
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
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, ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
,
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
,
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the south ...
,
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
,
St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Less ...
,
St. Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...
,
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
,
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...
,
Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
,
Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and no ...
,
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 ...
,
Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
and
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
. Bermuda was a particularly late withdrawal, as its athletes appeared in the opening ceremony and in the opening day of competition before the Bermuda Olympic Association decided to formally withdraw.


Protests

The
1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the ...
in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
took place amid mass protests for
Australian Aboriginal Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...
rights. The controversial
Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005) was an Australian politician and farmer who served as premier of Queensland between 1968 and 1987, for almost 20 years, as state leader of the National Party (earlier known as the C ...
state government had been repeatedly been challenged by the
Queensland Council for Civil Liberties The Queensland Council for Civil Liberties (QCCL) is a voluntary organisation in Australia concerned with the protection of individual rights and civil liberties. It was founded in 1966 in order "to protect and promote the human rights and freed ...
over the restrictions it placed on freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom to protest. The
Government of Queensland The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the state Legislative Assembly, with the governo ...
did not recognise Aboriginal land rights. Queensland also placed severe legal restrictions on Aboriginal people through the "Aboriginal Act 1971". Aboriginal activists including
Gary Foley Gary Edward Foley (born 1950) is an Aboriginal Australian activist of the Gumbaynggirr people, academic, writer and actor. He is best known for his role in establishing the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972 and for establishing an Ab ...
planned mass demonstrations in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
during the week of the games, dubbed the "Stolenwealth Games". In response, Queensland passed "The Commonwealth Games Act 1982" to restrict protests in or near the event. When Aboriginal activists and their supporters marched anyway, hundreds were arrested. The protests were recorded in the documentary "Guniwaya Ngigu". Further "Stolenwealth Games" protests took place during the
2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an International sport, international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Melbourne ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
and
2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...
on the Gold Coast.


Financial implications

The estimated cost of the
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...
in Delhi was US$11 billion, according to '' Business Today'' magazine. The initial total budget estimated by the
Indian Olympic Association The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bhāratīya Olaṃpika Saṃgha'') is responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international spor ...
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. The 2010 Commonwealth Games is reportedly the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever. An analysis conducted by
PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, alon ...
on the
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
,
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
,
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
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. 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. An analysis conducted by
Ernst & Young EY, previously known as Ernst & Young, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership, network based in London, United Kingdom. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, it is one of the Big Four accounting firms, Big F ...
found that the
2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...
generated an estimated economic impact of $2.5 billion, while the venues constructed and upgraded for the Games generated over $60 million in economic benefit annually to the Gold Coast, with the success of the 2018 Commonwealth Games credited with helping Brisbane to secure hosting rights for the
2032 Summer Olympics The 2032 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXV Olympiad and also known as Brisbane 2032 or Bris2032, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 23 July to 8 August 2032, with Brisbane, Queensland, ...
.


Notable competitors

Lawn bowler
Willie Wood William Vernell Wood Sr. (December 23, 1936February 3, 2020) was an American professional football player and coach. He played as a safety with the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL). Wood was an eight-time Pro Bowler and ...
from
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
was the first competitor to have competed in seven Commonwealth Games, from 1974 to 2002, a record equalled in 2014 by
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
cyclist
Andrew Roche Andrew Roche (born 22 November 1971) is a Manx cyclist. He won the Rás Tailteann in 1997, and has competed at seven Commonwealth Games. Early life Roche grew up in Ramsey, Isle of Man. Career Roche began cycling competitively in 1984, aged ...
. They have both been surpassed by David Calvert of Northern Ireland who in 2018 attended his 11th games.
Sitiveni Rabuka Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka (; born 13 September 1948) is a Fijian politician, sportsman, and former soldier who has been serving as Prime Minister of Fiji since 24 December 2022. He was the instigator of two military coups in 1987. He was de ...
was a Prime Minister of
Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
. Beforehand he represented Fiji in shot put, hammer throw, discus and the decathlon at the 1974
British 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 193 ...
held in Christchurch, New Zealand. Greg Yelavich, a sports shooter from New Zealand, has won 12 medals in seven games from 1986 to 2010. Lawn bowler
Robert Weale Robert Arthur Weale (born in Hereford on 3 April 1963), is a Welsh international lawn and indoor bowls player. Weale is originally from Presteigne and was educated at John Beddoes School, but now lives in Hereford. In 2022, he was inducted in ...
has represented Wales in 8 Commonwealth Games, 1986–2014, winning 2 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze. Nauruan weightlifter
Marcus Stephen Marcus Ajemada Stephen (born 1 October 1969) is a Nauruan politician and former sportsperson who previously was a member of the Cabinet of Nauru, and who served as President of Nauru from December 2007 to November 2011. The son of Nauruan par ...
won twelve medals at the Games between 1990 and 2002, of which seven gold, and was elected
President of Nauru The president of Nauru is elected by Parliament of Nauru, Parliament from among its members, and is both the head of state and the head of government of Nauru. Nauru's unicameral Parliament has 19 members, with an electoral term of three years. ...
in 2007. His performance has helped place Nauru (the smallest independent state in the Commonwealth, at and with a population of fewer than 9,400 in 2011) in twenty-second place on the
all-time Commonwealth Games medal table This page shows the all-time medal table for the Commonwealth Games since the first ''British Empire Games'' in 1930. The table is updated as of 8 August 2022, the day the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham ended. These rankings sort by the ...
. Australian swimmer
Ian Thorpe Ian James Thorpe (born 13 October 1982) is an Australian retired swimmer who specialised in freestyle swimming, freestyle, but also competed in backstroke and the medley swimming, individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the se ...
has won 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals and 1 silver medal. At the
1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ( Malay: ), officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games (Malay: ), were a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 1998 games were the first held in Asia and the last Commonwealth Games of the 20th cen ...
in Kuala Lumpur, he won 4 gold medals. At the
2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, ...
in Manchester, he won 6 gold medals and 1 silver medal.
Chad le Clos Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos, OIS (born 12 April 1992) is a South African competitive swimmer who is an Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games champion. He is the African record, Commonwealth record, and South African record holder in the short ...
, 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 The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...
in Glasgow, he won two gold medals, one silver medal, and four bronze medals. At the
2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...
in Gold Coast, he won three golds, a silver and a bronze. English actor
Jason Statham Jason Statham ( ; born 26 July 1967) is an English actor. He is known for portraying tough, gritty, or violent characters in various action thriller films, and has been credited for leading the resurgence of action films during the 2000s and 2 ...
took part as a diver in the 1990 Commonwealth Games. At the
2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...
in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, Australian singer
Cody Simpson Cody Robert Simpson (born 11 January 1997) is an Australian singer, actor, and a former competitive swimmer. Since his debut as a recording artist, he has released four solo studio albums: ''Paradise'' (2012), ''Surfers Paradise'' (2013), '' ...
won a gold medal as a swimmer at the men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay.


See also


Notes


References


Sources

* Brown, Geoff and Hogsbjerg, Christian. ''Apartheid is not a Game: Remembering the Stop the Seventy Tour campaign.'' London: Redwords, 2020. .


Further reading

* Phillips, Bob. ''Honour of Empire, Glory of Sport: the history of athletics at the Commonwealth Games.'' Manchester: Parrswood Press, 2000. .


External links

*
Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) at the Commonwealth website

"Commonwealth Games"
''
Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
'' Online.
insidethegames – the latest and most up to date news and interviews from the world of Olympic, Commonwealth and Paralympic Games

ATR – Around the Rings – the Business Surrounding the Multi-sport events

GamesBids.com – An Authoritative Review of Games Bid Business (home of the BidIndex™)
{{Authority control
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 ...
* Events in the British Empire Multi-sport events Politics and sports Quadrennial sporting events Recurring sporting events established in 1930