Host city | Hamilton, Canada |
---|---|
Nations | 11 |
Athletes | 400 |
Events | 59 |
Opening | 16 August 1930 |
Closing | 23 August 1930 |
Opened by | Lord Willingdon |
Athlete's Oath | Percy Williams [1] |
Main venue | Civic Stadium |
The 1930 British Empire Games was the inaugural edition of what now is known as the Commonwealth Games, and was held in Hamilton, Ontario, from 16 to 23 August 1930. [2] [3]
The event was organized by Hamilton Spectator sportswriter Bobby Robinson after he attended the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam as manager of the Canadian track and field team and was inspired to create a similar event for the British Empire. After campaigning for the idea among contacts he met at the Olympics, he was asked to organise the first British Empire Games in Hamilton. [4]
The sports included athletics, boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming, and wrestling. Women competed only in aquatic events. The opening ceremony and many events were held at Civic Stadium (later renamed Ivor Wynne Stadium) in east Hamilton. [5]
The event was opened by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Willingdon, on 16 August. Canadian triple jumper Gordon Smallacombe would claim a few hours later the debut gold medal. [1]
The 1930 British Empire Games made use of pedestals for dignitaries to present medals to winning athlethes, as proposed by Bobby Robinson. This inspired the Olympic medal podium ceremonies which began at the 1932 Winter Olympics. [6] [7]
There were 11 teams participating in these inaugural British Empire Games:
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | England | 25 | 23 | 13 | 61 |
2 | Canada* | 20 | 15 | 19 | 54 |
3 | South Africa | 6 | 4 | 7 | 17 |
4 | New Zealand | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
5 | Australia | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
6 | Scotland | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
7 | Wales | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
8 | British Guiana | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
9 | Ireland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Totals (9 entries) | 59 | 57 | 49 | 165 |
Notable venues include:
The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which mostly consists of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 and, with the exception of 1942 and 1946, has successively run every four years since. The event was called 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 since 2002, 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, and four years later they became the first global multi-sport event to have more events for women than men.
The 1934 British Empire Games was 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 were in Manchester. Seventeen national teams took part, including the Irish Free State.
The 1950 British Empire Games was 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 film of the games was made by the New Zealand National Film Unit. The main venue was Eden Park, although the closing ceremonies were held at Western Springs Stadium, see New Zealand at the 1950 British Empire Games. The fourth games were originally awarded to Montreal, Canada and were to be held in 1942 but were cancelled due to World War II.
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Australia competed at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada from 30 July to 7 August 1954. It was Australia's fifth appearance at the Commonwealth Games, having competed at every Games since their inception in 1930.
Australia competed at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, from 18 to 26 July 1958. It was Australia's sixth appearance at the Commonwealth Games, having competed at every Games since their inception in 1930.
Australia hosted the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. It was Australia's seventh appearance at the Commonwealth Games, having competed at every Games since their inception in 1930.
Representation of the island of Ireland at the British Empire Games has varied:
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New Zealand at the 1950 British Empire Games was represented by a team of 175 competitors and 24 officials. Selection of the host nation's team for the Games in Auckland, was the responsibility of the New Zealand Olympic and British Empire Games Association. New Zealand's flagbearer at the opening ceremony was Harold Nelson. The New Zealand team finished third on the medal table, winning a total of 53 medals, 10 of which were gold.
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Preceded by – | British Empire Games Hamilton I British Empire Games | Succeeded by London |