The Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exception of 1942 and 1946, has taken place every four years since then. The Commonwealth Games were known as the British Empire Games from 1930 to 1950, the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1954 to 1966, and British Commonwealth Games from 1970 to 1974. Athletes with a disability are included as full members of their national teams, making the Commonwealth Games the first fully inclusive 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. With such unique features, the World Economic Forum called the event inspiring and significant.
The creation of the Games was inspired by the Inter-Empire Championships, as a part of the Festival of Empire, which were held in London in 1911. Melville Marks Robinson founded the games as the British Empire Games which were first hosted in Hamilton, Canada in 1930. During the 20th and 21st centuries, the evolution of the games movement has resulted in several changes to the Commonwealth Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Commonwealth Winter Games for snow and ice sports for the commonwealth athletes, the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games for commonwealth athletes with a disability and the Commonwealth Youth Games for commonwealth athletes aged 14 to 18. The first edition of the winter games and paraplegic games were held in 1958 and 1962 respectively, with their last edition held in 1966 and 1974, respectively, and the first youth games were held in 2000. The 1942 and 1946 Commonwealth Games were cancelled because of the Second World War.
The Commonwealth Games are overseen by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which also controls the sporting programme and selects the host cities. The games movement consists of international sports federations (IFs), Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs), and organising committees for each specific Commonwealth Games. There are several rituals and symbols, such as the Commonwealth Games flag and Queen's Baton Relay, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Over 5,000 athletes compete at the Commonwealth Games in more than 15 different sports and more than 250 events. The first, second, and third-place finishers in each event receive Commonwealth Games medals: gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. Apart from many Olympic sports, the games also include some sports which are played predominantly in Commonwealth countries but which are not part of the Olympic programme, such as lawn bowls, netball, cricket and squash.
Although there are currently 54 members of the Commonwealth of Nations, 72 teams currently participate in the Commonwealth Games, as it is a feature of the Commonwealth Games that a number of dependent territories who do not compete separately at the Olympic Games, compete in the Commonwealth Games under their own flags. The four Home Nations of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) also send separate teams.
Nineteen cities in nine countries (counting England, Scotland and Wales separately) have hosted the games. Australia has hosted the Commonwealth Games five times (1938, 1962, 1982, 2006 and 2018); this is more times than any other nation. Two cities have hosted Commonwealth Games more than once: Auckland (1950, 1990) and Edinburgh (1970, 1986).
Only six nations have participated in every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. Australia has been the highest achieving team for thirteen games, England for seven, and Canada for one.
The most recent Commonwealth Games were held in Gold Coast from 4 to 15 April 2018. The next Commonwealth Games are due to be held in Birmingham from 28 July to 8 August 2022.
List of Games[]
| Edition | Year | Opening ceremony | Closing ceremony | Host city and country | Main venue | Opened by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inter-Empire Championships | ||||||
| - | 1911 | 12 May | 1 June | London, England | The Crystal Palace | George V King of the United Kingdom |
| Commonwealth Games | ||||||
| I | 1930 | 16 August | 23 August | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | Civic Stadium | Viscount Willingdon Governor General of Canada |
| II | 1934 | 4 August | 11 August | London, England | White City Stadium | George V King of the United Kingdom |
| III | 1938 | 5 February | 12 February | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | Sydney Cricket Ground | Lord Wakehurst Governor of New South Wales |
| - | 1942 | Cancelled due to World War II | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | none | ||
| 1946 | Cardiff, Wales | |||||
| IV | 1950 | 4 February | 11 February | Auckland, New Zealand | Eden Park | Bernard Freyberg Governor-General of New Zealand |
| V | 1954 | 30 July | 7 August | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Empire Stadium | Earl Alexander of Tunis Minister of Defence of the United Kingdom |
| VI | 1958 | 18 July | 26 July | Cardiff, Wales | Cardiff Arms Park | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Consort to the Queen of the United Kingdom |
| VII | 1962 | 22 November | 1 December | Perth, Western Australia, Australia | Perry Lakes Stadium | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Consort to the Queen of Australia |
| VIII | 1966 | 4 August | 13 August | Kingston, Jamaica | Independence Park | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Consort to the Queen of Jamaica |
| IX | 1970 | 16 July | 25 July | Edinburgh, Scotland | Meadowbank Stadium | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Consort to the Queen of the United Kingdom |
| X | 1974 | 24 January | 2 February | Christchurch, New Zealand | Queen Elizabeth II Park | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Consort to the Queen of New Zealand |
| XI | 1978 | 3 August | 12 August | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Commonwealth Stadium | Elizabeth II Queen of Canada |
| XII | 1982 | 30 September | 9 October | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Sports Centre | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Consort to the Queen of Australia |
| XIII | 1986 | 24 July | 2 August | Edinburgh, Scotland | Meadowbank Stadium | Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom |
| XIV | 1990 | 24 January | 3 February | Auckland, New Zealand | Mount Smart Stadium | Prince Edward Prince of the United Kingdom |
| XV | 1994 | 18 August | 28 August | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | Centennial Stadium | Elizabeth II Queen of Canada |
| XVI | 1998 | 11 September | 21 September | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Bukit Jalil National Stadium | Tuanku Jaafar Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia |
| XVII | 2002 | 25 July | 4 August | Manchester, England | City of Manchester Stadium | Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom |
| XVIII | 2006 | 15 March | 26 March | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Elizabeth II Queen of Australia |
| XIX | 2010 | 3 October | 14 October | Delhi, India | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | Charles, Prince of Wales Prince of the United Kingdom Pratibha Patil President of India |
| XX | 2014 | 23 July | 3 August | Glasgow, Scotland | Hampden Park | Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom |
| XXI | 2018 | 4 April | 15 April | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | Carrara Stadium | Charles, Prince of Wales Prince of the United Kingdom |
| XXII | 2022 | 28 July | 8 August | Birmingham, England | Alexander Stadium | |
| XXIII | 2026 | 23 July | 2 August | Glasgow, Scotland | Scotstoun Stadium | Charles III King of the United Kingdom |
Broadcasters[]
as of 2022
| Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
| Australia | Seven Network |
| Brunei | RTB |
| Canada | CBC |
| India | Sony Pictures Sports Network |
| Malaysia | Astro, RTM |
| New Zealand | Sky New Zealand |
| Pakistan | PTV Sports, Ten Sports |
| Singapore | Mediacorp |
| South Africa | SuperSport |
| United Kingdom | BBC, S4C |