Commonwealth Games

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For the 2010 Commonwealth Games, see 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games Federation seal, adopted in 2001

HUMANITY – EQUALITY –
Motto
DESTINY

Headquarters London, United Kingdom

Commonwealth
Hon. Michael Fennell OJ, CD
Secretariat

Commonwealth Games
Website
Federation

The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the
Commonwealth of Nations.

As well as many Olympic sports, the Games also include some sports that are played mainly in
Commonwealth countries, such as lawn bowls, rugby sevens and netball.[1] The Games are
overseen by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which also controls the sporting
programme and selects the host cities. The host city is selected from across the Commonwealth,
with eighteen cities in seven countries having hosted it.

The event was first held in 1930 under the title of the British Empire Games in Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada. The event was renamed as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in
1954, the British Commonwealth Games in 1970, and gained its current title in 1978. Only six
teams have attended every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand,
Scotland and Wales. Australia has been the highest achieving team for eleven games, England
for seven and Canada for one.

There are currently 54 members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and 71 teams participate in
the Games. The four Home Nations of the United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland – send separate teams to the Commonwealth Games, and individual teams are
also sent from the British Crown dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man (unlike at
the Olympic Games, where the combined "Great Britain" team represents all four home nations
and the Crown dependencies). Many of the British overseas territories also send their own teams.
The Australian external territory of Norfolk Island also sends its own team, as do the Cook
Islands and Niue, two states in free association with New Zealand. It was reported that Tokelau,
another dependency of New Zealand would be sending a team to the 2010 Games in New Delhi,
India. In the end however they did not.

Contents
[hide]

 1 History
 2 Traditions
 3 Editions
 4 Approved sports
 5 Participation
o 5.1 Nations/dependencies that have competed
o 5.2 Commonwealth nations/dependencies/disputed territories yet to send teams
 6 Notable competitors
 7 See also
 8 References
 9 External links
o 9.1 Games sites
o 9.2 Associations

[edit] History

Flag of the
British Commonwealth Games

A sporting competition bringing together the members of the British Empire was first proposed
by the Reverend Astley Cooper in 1891 when he wrote an article in The Times suggesting a
"Pan-Britannic-Pan-Anglican Contest and Festival every four years as a means of increasing the
goodwill and good understanding of the British Empire".

In 1911, the Festival of the Empire was held in come London to celebrate the coronation of King
George V. As part of the festival an Inter-Empire Championships was held in which teams from
Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom competed in events such as boxing,
wrestling, swimming and athletics.

In 1928, Melville Marks Robinson of Canada was asked to organise the first ever British Empire
Games. These were held in Hamilton, Canada two years later.

The first Games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The name changed to British
Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954, to British Commonwealth Games in 1970 and
assumed the current name of the Commonwealth Games in 1978.[2]

At the 1930 games, women competed in the swimming events only.[3] From 1934, women also
competed in some athletics events[citation needed].

The Empire Games flag was donated in 1931 by the British Empire Games Association of
Canada. The year and location of subsequent games were added until the 1950 games. The name
of the event was changed to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games and the flag was
retired as a result.

 Commonwealth Winter Games

 Commonwealth Youth Games

[edit] Traditions

The 2006 relay passing through Wagga Wagga, Australia

 From 1930 until 1950, the parade of nations was led by a single flagbearer carrying the
Union Flag.
 Since 1958, the Queen's Baton Relay has taken place, in which athletes carry a baton
from Buckingham Palace to the games opening ceremony. This baton has within it Queen
Elizabeth II's message of greeting to the athletes. The baton's final bearer is usually a
famous sporting personage of the host nation.
  All other nations march in English alphabetical order, except that the first nation
marching in the Parade of Athletes is the host nation of the previous games, and the host
nation of the current games marches last. In 2006 countries marched in alphabetical order
in geographical regions.
 Three national flags fly from the stadium on the poles that are used for medal
ceremonies: Previous host nation, Current host nation, Next host nation.
 The military is more active in the Opening Ceremony than in the Olympic Games. This is
to honour the British Military traditions of the Old Empire

[edit] Editions

Countries which have hosted, or plan to host, the event

Other countries which enter the games
Countries which have entered the games but no longer do so
0•0 Host cities and year of games

The first edition of the event was the 1930 British Empire Games and eleven nations took part.
The quadrennial schedule of the games was interrupted by World War II and the 1942 Games
(set to be held in Montreal, Canada) were abandoned.[4] The games were continued in 1950 and
underwent a name change four years later with the first British Empire and Commonwealth
Games in 1954.[2] Over 1000 athletes participated in the 1958 Games as over thirty teams took
part for the first time.[5]

The event was briefly known as the British Commonwealth Games for the 1970 and 1974
editions and the 1978 Games, held in Edmonton, Canada, were the first to be held under the title
of the "Commonwealth Games".[2] The Edmonton event marked a new high as almost 1500
athletes from 46 countries took part.[5]

Participation at the 1986 Games was affected by a boycott by some African and Caribbean
nations in protest to the participation of New Zealand, following the All Blacks Rugby tour of
Apartheid era South Africa in 1985, but the Games rebounded and continued to grow thereafter.
The 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia saw the sporting programme grow
from 10 to 15 sports as team sports were allowed for the first time.[2] Participation also reached
new levels as over 3500 athletes represented 70 teams at the event. At the most recent Games (in
Melbourne, Australia in 2006), over 4000 athletes took part in sporting competitions.[5]

The three nations to have hosted the games the most number of times are Australia (4), Canada
(4) and New Zealand (3). Furthermore, five editions have taken place in the countries within the
United Kingdom. Two cities have held the games on multiple occasions: Auckland (1950 and
1990), and Edinburgh (1970 and 1986).

Competitors
Games Year Host Dates Sports Events Nations Officials Ref
Total Men Women
British Empire Games
Hamilton, 16 – 23
I 1930 6 59 11 400 ? ? ?
Canada August
London, 4 – 11
II 1934 6 68 16 500 ? ? ?
England August
Sydney, 5 – 12
III 1938 7 71 15 464
Australia February
Auckland, 4 – 11
IV 1950 9 88 12 590 495 95
New Zealand February
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Vancouver, 30 July – 7
V 1954 9 91 24 662 127
Canada August
Cardiff,
VI 1958 18 – 26 July 9 94 36 1122 228
Wales
22
Perth,
VII 1962 November – 9 104 35 863 178
Australia
1 December
Kingston, 4 – 13
VIII 1966 9 110 34 1050 266
Jamaica August
British Commonwealth Games
Edinburgh,
IX 1970 16 – 25 July 9 121 42 1383 361
Scotland
Christchurch, 24 January –
X 1974 9 121 38 1276 977 299 372
New Zealand 2 February
Commonwealth Games
Edmonton, 3 – 12
XI 1978 10 128 46 1474
Canada August
30
Brisbane,
XII 1982 September 10 142 46 1583
Australia
— 9 October
Edinburgh, 24 July – 2
XIII 1986 10 163 26 1662
Scotland August
 Auckland, 24 January –
XIV 1990 10 204 55 2073
New Zealand 3 February
Victoria, 18 – 28
XV 1994 10 217 63 2557
Canada August
Kuala 11 – 21
XVI 1998 15 213 70 3633
Lumpur, Malaysia September
Manchester, 25 July – 4
XVII 2002 171 281 72 3679
England August
Melbourne, 15 – 26
XVIII 2006 162 245 71 4049
Australia March
3 – 14
XIX 2010 Delhi, India 17 272 71 6081
October
Glasgow, 23 July – 3
XX 2014
Scotland August
Gold Coast,
Australia or To be
XXI 2018
Hambantota, Sri decided
Lanka
Notes
1
Includes 3 team sports. 2Includes 4 team sports

[edit] Approved sports

Further information: Commonwealth Games sports and Commonwealth Games records

There are a total of 31 sports (with two multi-disciplinary sports) and a further 7 para-sports
which are approved by the Commonwealth Games Federation. They are categorised into three
types. Core sports must be included on each programme. A number of optional sports may be
picked by the host nation, which may include some team sports such as basketball. Recognised
sports are sports which have been approved by the CGF but which are deemed to need
expansion; host nations may not pick these sports for their programme until the CGF's
requirements are fulfilled.[6]

Sport Type Years Sport Type Years

Archery Optional 1982, 2010 Netball Core 1998–present
Athletics Core 1930–present Rowing Optional 1930, 1938–62, 1986
Badminton Core 1966–present Rugby sevens Core 1998–present
Basketball Optional 2006 Sailing Recognised Never
Billiards Recognised Never Shooting Optional 1966, 1974–present
Boxing Core 1930–present Softball Recognised Never
Canoeing Recognised Never[7] Squash Core 1998–present
Cricket Recognised 1998 Swimming Core 1930–present
Cycling Optional 1934–present Synchronized
Optional 1986, 2006
Diving Optional 1930–present swimming
Fencing Recognised 1950–1970 Table tennis Optional 2002–present
Golf Recognised Never Tennis Optional 2010
Gymnastics Tenpin bowling Recognised 1998
1978, 1990–
(Artistic and Optional Triathlon Optional 2002, 2006, 2014
present
Rhythmic) Volleyball Recognised Never
Handball Recognised 1930 Water polo Recognised 1950
Hockey Core 1998–present Weightlifting Core 1950–present
1990, 2002, 1930–present (except
Judo Optional Wrestling Optional
2014 1990,1998 and 2006)
1930–present
Lawn bowls Core
(except 1966)
Life saving Recognised Never

[edit] Participation
[edit] Nations/dependencies that have competed

Only six teams have attended every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New
Zealand, Scotland and Wales. Australia has been the highest scoring team for ten games,
England for seven and Canada for one.

 Aden1 1962  Malta 1958–1962, 1970, 1982–

 Anguilla 1982, 1998–
 Antigua and Barbuda 1966–
1970, 1978, 1994–
 Australia 1930–
 Bahamas 1954–1970, 1978–
1982, 1990–
 Bangladesh 1978, 1990–
 Barbados 1954–1966, 1970–
1982, 1990–
 Belize 1978, 1994–
 Bermuda 1930–1938, 1954–
1982, 1990–
 Botswana 1974, 1982–
 British Guiana² 1930–1938,
1954–1962
 British Honduras³ 1962–1966
 British Virgin Islands 1990–
 Brunei Darussalam 1958,
1990–
 Mauritius 1958, 1966–1982, 1990–
 Montserrat 1994–
 Mozambique 1998–
 Namibia 1994–
 Nauru 1990–
 Newfoundland9 1930–1934
 New Zealand 1930–
 Nigeria 1950–1958, 1966–1974, 1982,
1990–1994, 2002–
 Niue 2002–
 Norfolk Island 1986–
 North Borneo8 1958–1962
 Northern Ireland7 1934–1938, 1954–
 Northern Rhodesia10 1954
 Pakistan 1954–1970, 1990–
 Papua New Guinea 1962–1982, 1990–
2010
 Rhodesia11 1934–1950
 Rhodesia and Nyasaland10 1958–1962
  Cameroon 1998–
 Canada 1930–
 Cayman Islands 1978–
 Ceylon4 1938–1950, 1958–
1970
 Cook Islands 1974–1978,
1986–
 Cyprus 1978–1982, 1990–
 Dominica 1958–1962, 1970,
1994–
 England 1930–
 Falkland Islands 1982–
 Fiji15 1938, 1954–1986,
1998–2006
 The Gambia 1970–1982,
1990–
 Ghana 1958–1982, 1990–
 Gibraltar 1958–
 Gold Coast5 1954
 Grenada 1970–1974, 1994–
 Guernsey 1970–
 Guyana 1966–1970, 1978–
1982, 1990–
 Hong Kong6 1934, 1954–
1962, 1970–1994
 India 1934–1938, 1954–
1958, 1966–1982, 1990–
 Ireland7 1930
 Irish Free State7 1934
 Isle of Man 1958–
 Jamaica 1934, 1954–1982,
1990–
 Jersey 1958–
 Kenya 1954–1982, 1990–
 Kiribati 1998–
 Lesotho 1974–
 Malawi12 1970–
 Malaya8 1950, 1958–1962
 Malaysia 1966–1982, 1990–
 Maldives 1986–
Notes:
1: Aden became South Arabia which left the Commonwealth in 1968.
2: Became Guyana in 1966.
3: Became Belize in 1973.
 Rwanda 2010-
 Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da
Cunha 1982, 1998–
 Saint Kitts and Nevis (Saint Christopher-
Nevis-Anguilla 1978), 1990–
 Saint Lucia 1962, 1970, 1978, 1994–
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1958,
1966–1978, 1994–
 Samoa and Western Samoa 1974–
 Sarawak8 1958–1962
 Scotland 1930–
 Seychelles 1990–
 Sierra Leone 1966–1970, 1978, 1990–
 Singapore8 1958–
 Solomon Islands 1982, 1990–
 South Africa 1930–1958, 1994–
 South Arabia1 1966
 Southern Rhodesia10 1954
 Sri Lanka 1974–1982, 1990–
 Swaziland 1970–
 Tanganyika13 1962
 Tanzania 1966–1982, 1990–
 Tonga 1974, 1982, 1990–
 Trinidad and Tobago 1934–1982, 1990–
 Turks and Caicos Islands 1978, 1998–
 Tuvalu 1998–
 Uganda 1954–1982, 1990–
 Vanuatu 1982–
 Wales 1930–
 Zambia12 1970–1982, 1990–
 Zimbabwe12,14 1982, 1990–2002
4: Became Sri Lanka in 1972.
5: Became Ghana in 1957.
6: Left the Commonwealth when handed over to China in 1997.
7: Ireland was represented as a team from the whole of Ireland in 1930, and from the Irish Free State and Northern
Ireland in 1934. The Irish Free State, renamed Ireland in 1937 (but also known by its name in the Irish Éire)
formally left the Commonwealth when it declared that it was a Republic on 1 January 1949.
8: Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore federated as Malaysia in 1963. Singapore left the federation in
1965.
9: Joined Canada in 1949.
10: Southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia federated with Nyasaland from 1953 as Rhodesia and Nyasaland
which lasted till 1963.
11: Divided into Southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia in 1953.
12: Competed from 1958–1962 as part of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
13: Zanzibar and Tanganyika federated to form Tanzania in 1964.
14: Withdrew from the Commonwealth in 2003.
15: Suspended from the Commonwealth and Games in 2009. [8]

[edit] Commonwealth nations/dependencies/disputed territories yet to send

teams

Very few Commonwealth dependencies and nations have yet to take part:

 Tokelau was expected to take part in the 2010 Games in Delhi but did not do so.
 Pitcairn Islands' tiny population (50 as of July 2009) would appear to prevent this British
overseas territory from competing.
 The British Indian Ocean Territory currently has no permanent population although there
is a sizeable population who were born in the BIOT but currently live in Mauritius and
the United Kingdom and so would be eligible to compete on birth criteria.
 The lack of a permanent population would seem to prevent the British overseas territories
of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory, the
New Zealand territory of Ross Dependency and the Australian external territories of
Australian Antarctic Territory, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands and Heard
Island and McDonald Islands from competing.
 Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has made applications to the CGF to send teams.
 Other states, territories and territorial autonomies with native populations within the
Commonwealth that may be eligible include Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling)
Islands, Rodrigues, Nevis and Zanzibar.
 It is also conceivable that any future members of the Commonwealth such as applicants
such as Sudan and Yemen may participate in future games. The Colony of Aden and
Federation of South Arabia, precursors to modern Yemen have participated before in
1962 and in 1966. Sudan was an Anglo-Egyptian protectorate until independence in
1956. A referendum on independence of Southern Sudan is scheduled for early 2011 and
a future independent Southern Sudan may also be eligible to join the Commonwealth.

 Cornwall, represented by the Cornwall Commonwealth Games Association (CCGA), sent

a bid for participation in the 2006 Commonwealth Games, however, their application was
rejected by the CGF, who stated that the Constitutional status of Cornwall was not an
issue that should be resolved through this medium. However, in 2010, the CCGA sought
to launch a legal challenge to the decision of the CGF, stating that the Cornish bid of
 2006 fulfilled the entire criterion of the CGF, and by rejecting the bid, the CGF had
violated their own code, failing to follow their own criteria for participation. The
Cornwall team will therefore seek competition in the 2014 games.[9]

[edit] Notable competitors

Lawn bowler Willie Wood from Scotland is the first competitor to have competed in seven
Commonwealth Games, from 1974 to 2002. Also, Greg Yelavich, a sports shooter from New
Zealand, has won 11 medals in seven games from 1986 to 2010.

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Commonwealth Games

 Indian Empire Games

 Jeux de la Francophonie
 Lusophony Games
 Pan American Games
 Kingdom Games

[edit] References
1. ^ Harold, Perkin (September 1989). "Teaching the nations how to play: sport and society
in the British Empire and Commonwealth". International Journal of the History of Sport
6 (2): pp. 145–155. doi:10.1080/09523368908713685.
2. ^ a b c d "The story of the Commonwealth Games". Commonwealth Games Federation.
http://www.thecgf.com/games/story.asp. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
3. ^ "1930 British Empire Games – Introduction". Commonwealth Games Federation.
http://www.thecgf.com/games/intro.asp. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
4. ^ High Achievers. Australian Commonwealth Games Association. Retrieved on 2010-04-
05.
5. ^ a b c Growth of the Commonwealth Games. Commonwealth Games Federation.
Retrieved on 2010-04-05.
6. ^ Sports Programme. Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved on 26 June 2009.
7. ^ "Canoeing closer to being a full-medal event
8. ^ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10594683
9. ^ http://www.campaignkernow.com

[edit] External links

 Commonwealth Games Official website
 Statistics (1911 to 2006)
  Flags and emblems of the Commonwealth Games – evolution of the emblems of the
Games

[edit] Games sites

 Glasgow 2014 Official website

 Delhi 2010 Official website
 Pune 2008 Youth Games Official website
 Melbourne 2006 Official website

[edit] Associations

 Australian Commonwealth Games Association

 Commonwealth Games Council for England
 Guernsey Commonwealth Games Association
 Commonwealth Games Association of the Isle of Man
 Commonwealth Games Association of Jersey

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Multi-sport events
[hide]

International
Olympic Games • World Games
Commonwealth Games • Inter-Allied Games1 • Island Games • Jeux de la
Associations
Francophonie • Lusophony Games
Islamic Solidarity Games • Gay Games • Maccabiah Games • Pan-Armenian
Communities
Games • Women's Islamic Games • World Outgames
Disabled Deaflympics • Défi sportif • Extremity Games • Paralympic Games • Special
sport Olympics • World Wheelchair and Amputee Games
Professions Military World Games • World Police and Fire Games
Australian Youth Olympic Festival • Commonwealth Youth Games • CPLP
Youth and
Games • World Festival of Youth and Students • Youth Olympic Games •
students
Gymnasiade • SELL Student Games • Universiade • World Interuniversity Games
Other sport World Mind Sports Games • X Games
Olympic Friendship Games • Games of the New Emerging Forces • Goodwill Games •
alternatives Olympic Boycott Games • People's Olympiad
1

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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_Games"
Categories: Host cities of the Commonwealth Games | Commonwealth Games | Commonwealth
sport | Recurring sporting events established in 1930 | Multi-sport events
Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements
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The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were
held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71
Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events. It was the
largest international multi-sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the Asian Games
in 1951 and 1982.

The opening and closing ceremonies were held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main
stadium of the event. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India and
the second time it was held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998. The official mascot of
the Games was Shera and the official song of the Games, "Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto", was composed
by celebrated Indian musician A.R. Rahman.The commonwealth games Delhi 2010 were the
most expensive gaming event ever.The budget reached 157,731,000,000$. Which includes
Flyover construction,Roads construction,New Airport Terminal construction,Stadiums
construction.[2]

Initially, several concerns and controversies surfaced before the start of the Games. Despite these
concerns, all member nations of the Commonwealth of Nations participated in the event, except
Fiji, which is suspended from the Commonwealth, and Tokelau, which didn't send a team. A
widely-praised opening ceremony helped improve the image of the Games.[3][4] The concerns
raised during the buildup to the Games proved largely unfounded as most events progressed
smoothly. The final medal tally was led by Australia. The host nation India gave its strongest
performance yet to emerge second, while England placed third. The day after the conclusion of
the Games, the Indian Government announced the formation of a special investigation committee
to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement that had marred the buildup to the
Games.[5][6]

Contents
[hide]

 1 Bidding
 2 Organisation
o 2.1 Organising committee
o 2.2 Costs
o 2.3 Transport
o 2.4 Green Games
o 2.5 Other preparation
 3 Symbols
o 3.1 Mascot
o 3.2 Official song
 4 Queen's Baton relay
 5 Calendar
 6 Opening ceremony
 7 Sports
o 7.1 Medal table
 8 Terrorist attack plans
 9 Closing ceremony
 10 Participating nations
 11 Venues
 12 Concerns and controversies
o 12.1 Formation of dedicated investigation committee
 13 Long-term impact
 14 See also
 15 References
 16 External links
Bidding
The two principal bids for the 2010 Commonwealth Games were from Delhi, India and
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. A ballot of members was held in November 2003 at the
Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Delhi bid won
by a margin of 46 votes to 22, confirming India's first successful bid for the Games. The bid was
Canada's attempt to hold the games for the fifth time.[7][8][9] India's bid motto was New Frontiers
and Friendships.[10]

India shifted the balance in its favour in the second round of voting with a promise that it would
provide US$100,000 to each participating country, along with air tickets, boarding, lodging and
transport.[11] The successful 2003 Afro-Asian Games held in Hyderabad was also seen as having
showed India has the resources, infrastructure and technical know-how to stage a big sporting
event. India also thanked Latif Butt, former vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia, for
his support in the winning bid, by saying, "You played a vital role in the Commonwealth Games
2010 being allotted to India. Such actions are worthy of emulation by all concerned in Pakistan
and India. I have no doubt that if both sides continue to live by such ideals, one day, sooner than
later our generations to come will reap the benefits of and be grateful to those making such
contributions. You would certainly be such person."[10] The Indian government stated that it
would underwrite the total cost of the Games.[12]

Organisation
This section may need to be updated. Please update this section to reflect recent events
or newly available information, and remove this template when finished. Please see the
talk page for more information. (October 2010)

Organising committee

The organisation was beset by delays: in January 2010, the Indian Olympic Association vice-
chairman Raja Randhir Singh expressed concern that Delhi was not up to speed in forming and
organising its games committee and, following a 2009 Indian Government report showing two
thirds of venues were behind schedule, Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike
Fennell stated that the slow progress of preparations represented a serious risk to the event.[13]
Singh called for a revamp of the games' organising committees:[14] Jarnail Singh, a former
Secretary of the Government of India, was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Indian
Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi was appointed as head of the committee.[15] In
spite of delays and the corruption cases levied on the organisors, commentators stated that they
were confident that India will successfully host the games and do so on time.[16][17]

At the launch of the Queen’s Baton Relay in October 2009, the Business Club of India (BCI) was
formed through the partnership of the organising committee, the Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The
BCI was formed to both market the Games and promote Indian business interests
internationally.[18]
Costs

Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport

The initial total budget estimated by Indian Olympic Association in 2003 for hosting the Games
was 16.2 billion (US$364.5 million) but escalated official total budget estimation in 2010
became 115 bn ($2.6 B), which excludes non-sports-related infrastructure development in the
city such as airports, city beautification and roads.[19] Business Today magazine estimated that
the Games cost 300 bn ($6.8 bn).[20] The 2010 Commonwealth Games are the most expensive
Gaming event ever .[21]

Transport

Further information: Transport in Delhi

Road Transport, Delhi

Delhi a four-lane flyway, 2.2 km stretch from Lodhi Road to trans-Yamuna, linking the Games
Village to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadiumwas constructed which reduced the travelling time
between the village and the Stadium to six minutes.
Delhi Metro

Delhi–Gurgaon Expressway, Delhi

In response to concerns over the large number of trains that pass by the Delhi metropolitan
region daily, construction of road under-bridges and over-bridges along railway lines have been
completed. To expand road infrastructure, flyovers, cloverleaf flyovers, and bridges were built to
improve links for the Games and city in general. Road-widening projects have begun with an
emphasis being placed on expanding national highways. To improve traffic flow on existing
roads, plans are underway to make both the inner and outer Ring roads signal free.

To support its commitment to mass transport, nine corridors have been identified and are being
constructed as High Capacity Bus Systems (for example, one from Ambedkar Nagar to Red
Fort). Six of these corridors are expected to be operational in 2010. Additionally, The Delhi
Metro had been expanded to accommodate more people and boost the use of public transport
during the 2010 games. The metro has extended to Gurgaon and the Noida area. For this large
increase in the size of the network, Delhi Metro had deployed 14 tunnel boring machines.[22]

Indira Gandhi International Airport is being modernised, expanded, and upgraded. Costing
nearly $1.95 billion, Terminal 3 has improved airport passenger capacity to more than 37 million
passengers a year by 2010. A new runway has been constructed, allowing for more than 75
flights an hour. At more than 4400 metres long, it will be one of Asia's longest.

The airport has been connected to the city via a six-lane expressway (Delhi–Gurgaon
Expressway) and the $580 million Delhi Airport Metro Express line.[23]

Green Games
Logo for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games being recognised as the first ever "Green
Commonwealth Games"

The organisers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations
Environment Programme to show the intention to host a "sustainable games" and to take the
environment into consideration when constructing and renovating venues. Thyagaraj Stadium is
intended to be a key example of environmentally considered construction.

In opposition to this intention, a number of environmental controversies arose and the adverse
ecological impact of various aspects of the games have been protested by city residents.[24][25]
City residents filed a public interest petition to the Supreme Court of India against the felling of
'heritage' trees in the Siri Fort area to make way for Games facilities. The court appointed
architect Charles Correa to assess the impact and he severely criticised the designs on ecological
grounds.[26] In spite of this, in April 2009 the Supreme Court allowed the construction on the
grounds that "much time had been lost" and "the damage already caused to the environment
could not be undone".[27][28]

The Commonwealth Games village, located on the flood plains of the Yamuna, has also been the
subject of controversies about the flouting of ecological norms.[29] After a prolonged legal battle
between city residents and the state, construction was permitted to continue on the basis of an
order of the Supreme Court of India in July 2009, which held that the government had satisfied
the requirements of "due process of the law" by issuing public notice of its intention to begin
construction work in September 1999 (a date four years prior to the acceptance of Delhi's bid for
the games).[30]

Other preparation

In preparation for an influx of English-speaking tourists for the Games, the Delhi government is
implementing a program to teach English, and the necessary skills for serving tourists, to key
workers—such as cab drivers, security workers, waiters, porters, and service staff. In the two
years prior to the Games 2,000 drivers were taught English. The program aims to teach 1,000
people English per month in the hope of reaching all key workers by March 2010. In addition to
Delhi, the Indian Government plans to expand the program to teach people in local tourist
destinations in other parts of India.[31]

To prepare for the energy-usage spike during the Games and to end chronic power cuts in Delhi,
the government is undertaking a large power-production initiative to increase power production
to 7,000 MW (from the current 4,500 MW). To achieve this goal, the government plans to
streamline the power distribution process, direct additional energy to Delhi, and construct new
power plants. In fact, the government has promised that by the end of 2010, Delhi will have a
surplus of power.[32]

In addition to physical preparation, India will offer free accommodation for all athletes at the
Games Village, as well as free transport and other benefits, such as a free trip to the famed Taj
Mahal and a reserved lane for participants on selected highways.[33] The Games Village will
house over 8,000 athletes and officials for the Games. Indian states will train state police forces
to handle tourist-related issues and deploy them prior to the Games. A large-scale construction
and "beautification" project has resulted in the demolition of hundreds of homes and the
displacement of city dwellers—at least 100,000 of New Delhi’s 160,000 homeless people have
removed from shelters, some of which have been demolished.[34][35] Bamboo screens have been
erected around city slums to separate visitors from the sights of the slums,[36] a practice which
human rights campaigners have deemed dishonest and immoral.[37]

The Delhi High Court is set to implement a series of "mobile courts" to be dispatched throughout
Delhi to relocate migrant beggars from Delhi streets. The mobile courts would consider each
beggar on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the beggar should be sent back to his/her
state of residence, or be permitted to remain in government-shelters.[38]

Symbols
Mascot

The official mascot for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is Shera, an anthropomorphised tiger.[39]
His name comes from "Sher", a hindi word meaning tiger (Hindi "Bagh" means tiger. However,
Sher is colloquially used for both lion and tiger). The logo and the look for the games were
designed by Idiom Design and Consulting.There is one song for Shera also composed by the
popular composer of INDIA the song contains initiative "Shera Shera" [40]

The mascot Shera is visiting many schools across Delhi to create enthusiasm and interest for the
Commonwealth Games being held .

Official song

Main article: Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto

The official song of the 2010 Commonwealth Games "Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto" was composed and
performed by the Indian musician A. R. Rahman.[41] The song's title is based on the slogan of the
games, "Come out and play". The song is penned by Mehboob in Hindi with a sprinkling of
English words. It was released on 28 August 2010. The music video, directed by Bharath Bala
was released on 23 September and featured a shorter version of the song. A. R. Rahman also
gave a live concert for the theme song in Gurgaon , Haryana which was previewed on various
news channels . The official video of the song has been released on youtube .

Queen's Baton relay

The Queen's Baton Relay began when the baton, which contains Queen Elizabeth II's message to
the athletes, left Buckingham Palace on 29 October 2009. The baton arrived at the 2010 Games
opening ceremony on 3 October 2010, after visiting the other 54 nations of the Commonwealth
and travelling throughout India, reaching millions of people to join in the celebrations for the
Games.The baton arrived in India on 25 June 2010 through the Wagah Border crossing from
Pakistan.[42]

The baton was designed by Michael Foley, a graduate of the National Institute of Design.[43] It is
a triangular section of aluminium twisted into a helix shape and then coated with coloured soils
collected from all the regions of India. The coloured soils are a first for the styling of a Queen's
Baton. A jewel-encrusted box was used to house the Queen's message, which was laser-engraved
onto a miniature 18 carat gold leaf—representative of the ancient Indian 'patras. The Queen's
baton is ergonomically contoured for ease of use. It is 664 millimetres (26.1 in) high,
34 millimetres (1.3 in) wide at the base, and 86 millimetres (3.4 in) wide at the top and weighs
1,900 grams (67 oz).

The Queen's baton has a number of technological features including:

 The ability to capture images and sound

 Global positioning system (GPS) technology so the baton's location can be tracked
 Embedded light emitting diodes (LEDs) which will change into the colours of a country’s
flag whilst in that country
 A text messaging capability so that people can send messages of congratulations and
encouragement to the baton bearers throughout the relay

Calendar
The official calendar for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is as follows.[44] Click on the blue dots
in the table to read about the individual events.

● Opening ceremony Event competitions ● Event finals ● Closing ceremony

Gold
October 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Venue
Medals

Jawaharlal
Ceremonies ● ●
Nehru Stadium
 ●● ●● ●●
● ●● ●● ●
●● ●● SPM
●● ● ●● ●● ●● ●●
Aquatics ● ● ●● ●● 56 Swimming
● ●● ●● ● ● ●
●● ●● Pool Complex
●● ●● ●● ●●
● ● ●

Yamuna
Archery ●● ●● ●● ●● 8 Sports
Complex

●● ●●
●● ●● ●●
●● ● ●
● ● ● Jawaharlal
● ●● ●●
Athletics ●● ●● ●● ●● ●● 52 Nehru Stadium
●● ● ●
● ● ● & India Gate
●● ●● ●●
●● ●● ●
● ●

●● Siri Fort
Badminton ● ● 6 Sports
●● Complex

●●
●●
●● Talkatora
Boxing 10
● Stadium
●●
●

I. G. Indoor
●● ●● ●● ●● Stadium
Cycling ●● ●● 18
● ●● ●● ● Complex &
India Gate

●● ●● I. G. Indoor
●●
Gymnastics ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● 20 Stadium
●●
●● ●● Complex

Maj. Dhyan
Chand
Hockey ● ● 2
National
Stadium

Jawaharlal
Lawn bowls ●● ●● ●● 6
Nehru Stadium
 Thyagaraj
Netball ● 1 Sports
Complex

Delhi
Rugby sevens ● 1 University
Stadium

●● Dr. Karni
●●
●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ● Singh
Shooting ● ●● 36
●● ●● ●● ●● ● ●● ●● Shooting
●●
● Range

Siri Fort
●●
Squash ●● 5 Sports
●
Complex

Yamuna
●●
Table tennis ● ● ● ●● 8 Sports
●
Complex

R.K. Khanna
●●
Tennis ●● 5 Tennis
●
Complex

Jawaharlal
Weightlifting ●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ● ●● 17
Nehru Stadium

I. G. Indoor
●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ●●
Wrestling 21 Stadium
● ●● ●● ● ● ●●
Complex

Total Gold Total Gold

8 18 28 35 43 31 29 14 21 29 16 272
Medals Medals

Gold
October 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Venue
Medals

Opening ceremony
Main article: 2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium, the main stadium of the event, in New Delhi, India. It began at 7:00 PM (IST) on 3
October 2010 ending at 11:00 PM (IST) displaying India's varied culture in a plethora of cultural
showcases. It was watched live by a global audience of around three billion.[45]

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (representing Queen Elizabeth II as Head of the

Commonwealth) and President of India Pratibha Patil officially declared the Games open.[46]
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the host nation, India, attended the opening ceremony as
well.

A total of three heads of state from outside India attended the opening ceremony; two from
Commonwealth nations and one from a non-Commonwealth nation. The three head of states are
Mohamed Nasheed, President of the Maldives, Marcus Stephen, President of Nauru and a
multiple Commonwealth gold medallist, and Prince Albert II of Monaco, whose country Monaco
is not a member of the Commonwealth.[47] As well, Sir Anand Satyanand, the Governor General
of New Zealand (the first of Indian descent), attended the ceremony.[48]

Sports
There were events in 21 disciplines across 17 sports for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

 Aquatics (details)  Cycling (details)  Netball (1) (details)

o Diving o Road
o Swimming o Track
o Synchronised  Gymnastics (details)
swimming o Artistic
 Archery (8) (details) gymnastics
 Athletics (46) (details) o Rhythmic
gymnastics
 Badminton (6)
(details)  Hockey (2) (details)
 Boxing (11) (details)  Lawn bowls (6)
(details)
 Rugby sevens (1)
(details)
 Shooting (44) (details)
 Squash (5) (details)
 Table tennis (7)
(details)
 Tennis (5) (details)
 Weightlifting (15)
(details)
 Wrestling (21)
(details)
Kabaddi was a demonstration sport at the Games.[49]

Triathlon was excluded from the games as there was no suitable location for the swimming
stage.[citation needed] The organisers have also removed basketball, but included archery, tennis and
wrestling. Cricket, although in strong demand, did not make a come-back as the Board of
Control for Cricket in India were not keen on a Twenty20 tournament, and the organisers did not
want a one day tournament.[50]

Medal table

Only the top ten nations by medal rank are shown in this medal table. Nations are ranked first by
count of gold medals, then silver medals, then bronze medals. For the full medal table, see the
main article.

Host nation India

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 Australia 74 55 48 177
2 India 38 27 36 101
3 England 37 60 46 143
4 Canada 26 17 33 76
5 South Africa 12 11 10 33
6 Kenya 12 11 9 32
7 Malaysia 12 10 14 36
8 Singapore 11 11 9 31
9 Nigeria 11 8 14 33
10 Scotland 9 10 7 26
Total 272 274 282 828[51]

Terrorist attack plans

On October 10, 2010, the Indian government received detailed reports from the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) that Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al Qaida were planning to attack a luxury
hotel in Delhi and a games venue on October 12 or 13. In response, the Federal Government
increased security at Delhi's top eight hotels and 80 trucks of sand were checked "shovel by
shovel" for hidden bombs and grenades. [52]

Closing ceremony
This section requires expansion.
The games closed on 14 October in a colourful and appreciated closing ceremony featuring both
Indian and Scottish performers.[53][54][55] The Commonwealth Games flag was handed over to
representatives of Glasgow, Scotland, which will host the XX Commonwealth Games in 2014.
At the closing ceremony, the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation declared that
Delhi had hosted a "truly exceptional Games".[56]

Participating nations
There were 71 participating nations at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. As Fiji was suspended
from the Commonwealth, it was banned from participating in the Games.[57] Rwanda fielded a
team for the games for the first time after becoming a Commonwealth member in 2009.[58]
Numbers of athletes are shown in brackets. Tokelau was initially expected to compete, but did
not do so.[59][clarification needed]

 Anguilla  Falkland  Mauritius (55)[94]  Scotland

[60]
(12) Islands (15)[78]  Montserrat (5)[95] (191) [112]
 Antigua  Gambia  Mozambique (10) 
and Barbuda (17)[79] [96] Seychelles
(17)[61]  Ghana  Namibia (30) [97] (26)[113]
 Australia (64)[80]
 Nauru (6)[98]  Sierra
(377) [62]  Gibraltar  New Zealand Leone
 Bahamas (15)[81]
(192)[99] (31)[114]
(24) [63]  Grenada  Nigeria (101) [100] 
 (10)[82]  Niue (24)[101] Singapore
Bangladesh  Guernsey  Norfolk Island (68) [115]
(70) [64] (43) [83] (22)[102]  Solomon
 Barbados  Guyana  Northern Ireland Islands
(39) [65]
(34)[84] (80)[103] (12)[116]
 Belize  India (495)  Pakistan (54)[104]  South
(9)[66]
 Africa
Isle of Man  Papua New
 Bermuda [83] (113)[117]
(33) Guinea (79)[105]
(14) [67]   Sri Lanka
Jamaica  Rwanda (22) [106]
 Botswana (48)[85] (94)[118]
 Saint Helena
(49)[68]  
Jersey (33) (4)[107] Swaziland
 British [86]
 Saint Kitts and
Virgin Islands (11)[119]
 Kenya Nevis (7)[108]
(2)[69]  Tanzania
(136)[87]  Saint Lucia
 Brunei (40)[120]
 (13)[109]
(12) [70]
Kiribati(17)[88]  Tonga
 Saint Vincent and [121]
  Lesotho (22)
the  Trinidad
Cameroon (10)[89]
Grenadines(14)[110] and Tobago
(20)[71]  Malawi  Samoa (53)[111] (82) [122]
 Canada (43)[90]
(251)[72]  Malaysia  Turks and
 Cayman (203)[91] Caicos
Islands  Maldives Islands (8)[123]
 (17)[73] (28) [92]  Tuvalu
[124]
 Cook  Malta (22) (3)
[93]
Islands  Uganda
(31)[74] (65) [125]
 Cyprus  Vanuatu
(56)[75] (14)[126]
 Dominica  Wales
(15)[76] (175) [83]
 England  Zambia
(365) [77] (22)[127]

Nations that competed at the Games

Venues
Main article: Venues of the 2010 Commonwealth Games

The main venue of the Games, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Events took place at 12 competition venues. A total of 20 training venues were used in the
Games. Of these 20, one was used for archery; three for aquatics; two for lawn bowls; two for
netball; eight for rugby sevens, including seven venues within Delhi University; two for
shooting; one for squash; two for table tennis; one for weightlifting, three for wrestling and two
for tennis.[128]

The Commonwealth Games Village provided accommodation and training for athletes of the
Games, and was opened from 23 September to 18 October 2010. It is located along the east bank
of the River Yamuna, in proximity to competition and training venues as well as city landmarks,
and is spread over an area of 63.5 hectares (157 acres). Comprising five main zones—the
Residential Zone, the International Zone, the Training Area, the Main Dining and the
Operational Zone—the Games Village, which is a non-smoking zone,[129] is universally
accessible particularly to accommodate para-sport athletes.[130]

There were three main non-competition venues in the Games, besides the Commonwealth
Games Village (see above); namely the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising
Committee Headquarters (OC CWG Delhi 2010), the Main Media Centre, and the Games Family
Hotel, Hotel Ashok.