Commonwealth Games
All you need to know about the Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games opens this Thursday night in Birmingham as the 22nd edition of the competition. Sports Village Square brings to you points of interest about the games.
- Nigeria have participated in 15 of the previous 21 editions.
- Barbados are taking part for the first time since they replaced the Queen of England as head of State in 2020. It is the third time is taking place in England after those of London 1930 and Manchester 2002. But overall, it is the seventh time it is taking place in the UK.
- The Queen doesn’t need to be the head of state for a nation to be included in the Commonwealth, or in the Commonwealth Games. Rwanda, for example, was never part of the British Empire but joined the Commonwealth in 2009 and has competed at the Games ever since. This year, around 20 Rwandans are expected to compete in athletics, beach volleyball, swimming and cycling. So far, the nation has not won a Commonwealth medal.
- Cameroon, not colonised by the British joined the Commonwealth in 1995 and has competed at every Commonwealth Games since
- No African nation has ever hosted it. Nigeria bided unsuccessfully for the 2014 edition which was intended to mark the 100th year of the country as a nation.
- With 72 different nations and territories set to compete for glory this time around, the 2022 games are set to be the biggest ever with 280 different events across 20 sports scheduled to take place over a two-week period.
- The Commonwealth, or the Commonwealth of Nations, is a political association that currently has 56 member states.
- The link between those nations is that the majority of them, including Nigeria use to be former territories of the British Empire.
- The Commonwealth Games is a multi-sport competition that takes place every four years with certain nations invited to take part.
- The 56 member states of the Commonwealth are invited to participate alongside 18 other territories who do not compete separately in the Olympics but compete in the Commonwealth Games under their own flags.
- Similarly, Team Great Britain, who take part in the Olympics as a nation, are split into 14 separate teams during the Commonwealth Games. Those are the four home nations – England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales -, three crown dependencies and all but three inhabited overseas territories.
- The first Commonwealth Games took place in Hamilton, Canada back in 1930 with the 2022 competition in Birmingham, United Kingdom being the 22nd edition of the games.
- Even though the USA used to make up part of the British Empire, the country does not take part in the Commonwealth Games. The United States declared independence from Britain in 1776 and has never been part of the Commonwealth during its 73-year existence.
- As of July 22, all 72 Commonwealth Games Associations have confirmed they will send athletes to the 2022 games in Birmingham. Those associations are:
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Botswana
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cayman Islands
- Cook Islands
- Cyprus
- Dominica
- England (Host)
- Eswatini
- Falkland Islands
- Fiji
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Grenada
- Guernsey
- Guyana
- India
- Isle of Man
- Jamaica
- Jersey
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Montserrat
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nauru
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- Northern Ireland
- Pakistan
- Papa New Guinea
- Rwanda
- Saint Helena
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- Scotland
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Wales
- Zambia
Commonwealth Games
Scotland which beat Nigeria for 2014 Games may step in for ‘stepped-down’ 2026 Commonwealth Games
Scotland’s Commonwealth Games body has developed a “cost-effective” way to host the troubled 2026 event in Glasgow amid continued uncertainty over its long-term future. Glasgow beat Abuja, Nigeria for the 2014 Games which Nigeria had intended to use to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the nation state.
Nigeria became a geographical entity 0n 1 January 1914 when the northern part and Southern part as well as the Lagos Colony were amalgamated.
The 2014 Games were awarded to Scotland which is now likely to use the same facilities for the troubled 2026 edition following the withdrawal of Australian state of Victoria as hosts.
Glasgow commissioned a feasibility study in December. Estimates suggest Scotland could run the event for between £130m and £150m – with the potential to bring more than £100m into the economy.
Existing sports facilities like the Emirates Arena would be used again instead of new builds, and competitors would be housed in local hotels rather than an athletes’ village.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has said it will provide £100m for the chosen host nation, with the remaining budget funded by ticket sales and broadcasting rights.
The usual programme, however, would need to be cut down to between 10 and 13 events.
Malaysia has rejected an offer to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to uncertainty over costs and insufficient funding offered, its government said on Friday, in a major setback for the quadrennial multi-sport event.
Malaysia was asked to step in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew as host, citing ballooning costs, with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) offering 100 million pounds ($126 million) in supporting funds.
Malaysia ruling itself out raises the possibility that the Games may not take place for the first time since being cancelled due to the Second World War.
The funding offered was not enough, officials said, and Malaysia could not commit to hosting the event at such short notice and with little time to assess the potential economic impact.
“If we had a longer time, we would definitely do it, but because there’s such a short time, we definitely can’t do it,” government spokesperson and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil told a regular briefing.
“When we assessed the viability of hosting the Games, the length of time needed and the cost was seen to be particularly prohibitive.”
The London-based CGF did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on Malaysia declining its offer.
The youth and sports ministry said the 100 million pounds funding it had offered would not be enough to cover the costs of hosting a large-scale sports event.
“Additionally, the economic impact could not be identified in this short timeframe,” it said in a statement.
RELEVANCE QUESTIONED
The Games are typically contested by about 70 countries and territories of the former British empire and medals tables have in recent editions been dominated by Australia, England, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa.
Victoria’s withdrawal had already placed the future of the event in doubt and raised questions about whether a Games with colonial origins was still relevant in the modern era, and over its place in an already packed global sporting calendar.
The Games has struggled to find a willing host in recent years and five of the last six editions have been held in Australia or Britain.
The English city of Birmingham, which had been due to host in 2026, stepped in to save the 2022 event after South Africa were stripped of hosting rights over a lack of progress in preparations.
Birmingham’s move led to the CGF scrambling to find another host for 2026 and Victoria had been the only viable candidate after several other cities withdrew from the bidding process over cost issues.
The proposal had received a mixed response in Malaysia, which hosted the 1998 edition, due to concerns about costs and the lack of preparation time.
The Malaysian Olympic Council had this week proposed holding a downsized Games, with limited spending on athletes’ accommodations and smaller opening and closing ceremonies.
-Reuters
Malaysia has rejected an offer to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to uncertainty over costs and insufficient funding offered, its government said on Friday, in a major setback for the quadrennial multi-sport event.
Malaysia was asked to step in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew as host, citing ballooning costs, with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) offering 100 million pounds ($126 million) in supporting funds.
Malaysia ruling itself out raises the possibility that the Games may not take place for the first time since being cancelled due to the Second World War.
The funding offered was not enough, officials said, and Malaysia could not commit to hosting the event at such short notice and with little time to assess the potential economic impact.
“If we had a longer time, we would definitely do it, but because there’s such a short time, we definitely can’t do it,” government spokesperson and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil told a regular briefing.
“When we assessed the viability of hosting the Games, the length of time needed and the cost was seen to be particularly prohibitive.”
The London-based CGF did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on Malaysia declining its offer.
The youth and sports ministry said the 100 million pounds funding it had offered would not be enough to cover the costs of hosting a large-scale sports event.
“Additionally, the economic impact could not be identified in this short timeframe,” it said in a statement.
RELEVANCE QUESTIONED
The Games are typically contested by about 70 countries and territories of the former British empire and medals tables have in recent editions been dominated by Australia, England, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa.
Victoria’s withdrawal had already placed the future of the event in doubt and raised questions about whether a Games with colonial origins was still relevant in the modern era, and over its place in an already packed global sporting calendar.
The Games has struggled to find a willing host in recent years and five of the last six editions have been held in Australia or Britain.
The English city of Birmingham, which had been due to host in 2026, stepped in to save the 2022 event after South Africa were stripped of hosting rights over a lack of progress in preparations.
Birmingham’s move led to the CGF scrambling to find another host for 2026 and Victoria had been the only viable candidate after several other cities withdrew from the bidding process over cost issues.
The proposal had received a mixed response in Malaysia, which hosted the 1998 edition, due to concerns about costs and the lack of preparation time.
The Malaysian Olympic Council had this week proposed holding a downsized Games, with limited spending on athletes’ accommodations and smaller opening and closing ceremonies.
-Reuters
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