History of Commonwealth Games

The first Commonwealth Games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada. “Bobby” MM Robinson, an influential figure in Canadian athletics finally put into action a sports plan that had been talked and discussed amongst Commonwealth nations for almost three decades.  Eleven countries with 400 athletes in total participated in the first Commonwealth Games. A sum of $30,000 was provided by the City of Hamilton to these nations to help cover traveling costs. Since then, the Games have been conducted every four years except for 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.  From 1930 to 1950 the Games were known as the British Empire Games, then the British Empire and Commonwealth Games until 1962. From 1966 to 1974 they took on the title of British Commonwealth Games and from 1978 onwards they have been known as simply the Commonwealth Games. The city of Hamilton proved a gracious first host of the Commonwealth Games movement and is as important to it as Athens is to the Olympics. Then called the British Empire Games, the sociological, cultural and political makeup of the Commonwealth Movement has altered substantially since 1930.

The inaugural Games was utilitarian and very down to earth, proving that more doesn’t necessarily mean better. The athletes’ village was the Prince of Wales School next to the Civic Stadium, where the competitors slept two dozen to a classroom. Despite missing some basic comforts, the participants were unanimous in their praise for the Games and Hamilton’s hospitality. Eleven countries sent a total of about 400 athletes to the Hamilton Games. Women competed in only the swimming events. The participant nations were Australia, Bermuda, British Guiana, Canada, England, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. The Hamilton Games featured six sports: track and field, boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving, and wrestling and ran at a cost of $97,973.00. 

1930 Commonwealth Games 16-23 August, Hamilton, Canada

1934 British Empire Games 4-11 August, London, England

1938 British Empire Games 5-12 February, Sydney, Australia 

1950 British Empire Games 4-11 February, Auckland, New Zealand

1954 British Empire & Commonwealth Games 30 July – 7 August, Vancouver, Canada

1958 British Empire & Commonwealth Games 18-26 July, Cardiff, Wales

1962 British Empire & Commonwealth Games 21 November – 1 December, Perth, Australia

1966 British Commonwealth Games 4-13 August 1966, Kingston, Jamaica

1970 British Commonwealth Games 16-25 July, Edinburgh, Scotland

1974 British Commonwealth Games 24 January – 2 February, Christchurch, New Zealand

1978 Commonwealth Games 3-12 August, Edmonton, Canada

1982 Commonwealth Games 30 September – 9 October, Brisbane, Australia

1986 Commonwealth Games 24 July – 2 August 1986, Edinburgh, Scotland

1990 Commonwealth Games 24 January – 3 February, Auckland, New Zealand

1994 Commonwealth Games 18-28 August, Victoria, Canada

1998 Commonwealth Games 11-21 September, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2002 Commonwealth Games 25 July-Aug 4, Manchester, England

2006 Commonwealth Games Australian city of Melbourne, 15 and 26 March 2006.

2010 Commonwealth Games 3 October - 14 October, Delhi, India