The History of the Commonwealth Games

Humanity, quality, and destiny are thought to be the three fundamental values of the Games. These aid in making the Games a symbol of the unification of the various nations in a central location—as fellow humans. These principles are reflected in the Athlete's Oath, which all competitors take during the Opening Ceremony of the Games. The declaration is made in the form of an oath, which reads, "We declare that we will participate in the Commonwealth Games of (insert year) in the spirit of true sportsmanship, recognising the rules that govern them and desiring to participate in them for the glory of our Commonwealth and for the glory of sport."

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth is a political alliance between 54 nations. The full name of the group is the "Commonwealth of Nations," which is a bit of a mouthful. Generally speaking, they all share the trait of being former British Empire territories, though this is not true for every nation involved.

When was the first Commonwealth Games?

The first Commonwealth Games was held in August 1930.

Events at what were formerly known as the British Empire Games included wrestling, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming, and athletics.

Women were allowed to participate in the competition, but they could only participate in aquatic sports like swimming.

Following his attendance at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Canadian journalist Bobby Robinson founded and organised the competitions, which were modelled after the Inter-Empire Championships held in London in 1911.

Where was the first Commonwealth Games held?

The first Commonwealth Games was held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The opening and closing ceremonies took place at the Civic Stadium in Hamilton.

Countries Hosted Commonwealth Games

Year	City	Country
1930	Hamilton	Canada
1934	London	England
1938	Sydney	Australia
1950	Auckland	New Zealand
1954	Vancouver	Canada
1958	Cardiff	Wales
1962	Perth	Australia
1966	Kingston	Jamaica
1970	Edinburgh	Scotland
1974	Christchurch	New Zealand
1978	Edmonton	Canada
1982	Brisbane	Australia
1986	Edinburgh	Scotland
1990	Auckland	New Zealand
1994	Victoria	Canada
1998	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia
2002	Manchester	England
2006	Melbourne	Australia
2010	Delhi	India
2014	Glasgow	Scotland
2018	Gold Coast	Australia
2022	Birmingham	England
2026	Victoria	Australia

What Sports Are Included In The Commonwealth Games?

Sports are played in a wide variety. Some sports have the designation of being "core," which necessitates their inclusion in the Games. There are additional ones that hosts may decide to include if they so choose.

Gymnastics, rugby sevens, triathlon, cycling, and archery are a few of the main sports.

The optional sports include volleyball and shooting. Prior to 2015, host nations had more options for optional sports, but many of those options were never used and were eventually taken off the list. Taekwondo, canoeing, and ten-pin bowling were among the sports that were never featured at the Games.

Language of Commonwealth Games

English is the official language of the Commonwealth. The other language used at each Commonwealth Games is the language of the host country. There can be more than one language if a country has more than one official language apart from English.

How do they decide which country hosts the Commonwealth Games?

Of course, an event this huge needs an organising committee just as big. This is the job of the Commonwealth Games Federation, or the CGF. They must decide what sports will be played during games and also choose the hosting cities.

However, it isn’t just the sports that people will tune in to watch. There are also plenty of ceremonies, including the opening ceremony, the Queen’s Baton Relay, and the closing ceremony, so there are organising committees for these, too.

The members of these committees have a pretty tough job as there are over 5,000 athletes, more than 15 different sports, and over 250 events!