1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games

Last updated

V British Empire and Commonwealth Games
BECG1954 logo.jpg
Host city Vancouver, Canada
Nations24
Athletes662
Events91
Opening30 July 1954
Closing7 August 1954
Opened by Earl Alexander of Tunis
Closed by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Athlete's Oath Bill Parnell
Main venue Empire Stadium
  IV
VI  
Empire Stadium Vancouver July 1954 Empire Stadium Vancouver Hastings Park July 1954.png
Empire Stadium Vancouver July 1954
Opening ceremony.
Attribution:Province newspaper 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, opening ceremony Empire Stadium.png
Opening ceremony.
Attribution:Province newspaper

The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, from 30 July to 7 August 1954. This was the fifth edition of the event that would eventually become known as the Commonwealth Games, the second post-war Games, the second Canadian Games after the inaugural event in Hamilton and the first event since the name change from British Empire Games took effect in 1952.

Contents

The main venue was the Empire Stadium, which had neen specifically constructed for the games at the cost of £500,000. Work on the 25,000 seated stadium started in October 1953 and the keys were handed over to Stan Smith (General chairman of the games) on 12 July 1954. [1]

The games were attended by 24 nations and 662 competitors. [2] It was the first time that the games gained a television audience, when CBC and NBC transmitted pictures to an estimated 100 million North American viewers. [3]

It was at these games that the "Miracle Mile" took place between Roger Bannister and John Landy at the Empire Stadium. This was the first time these two (and at that time the only two) sub-four-minute mile runners appeared in the same race, and also the first time two runners broke four minutes in the same race. On the same afternoon, Jim Peters, the holder of the world best time for the marathon, entered the stadium 17 minutes ahead of his nearest rival, but collapsed on his final lap, and never completed the race.

Venues

[4] [3]

Participating teams

Countries that participated Commonwealth games 1954 countries map.PNG
Countries that participated

24 teams were represented at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

Medal table

Statue in Vancouver commemorating the "Miracle Mile" between Roger Bannister and John Landy Bannister and Landy.jpg
Statue in Vancouver commemorating the "Miracle Mile" between Roger Bannister and John Landy
Medals won by nation, ranked and sortable
RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1Flag of England.svg  England 23242067
2Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 20111748
3Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa 1661335
4Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957).svg  Canada *9201443
5Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 77519
6Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 62513
7Flag of Southern Rhodesia (1924-1964).svg  Southern Rhodesia 2215
8Flag of Trinidad and Tobago (1889-1958).svg  Trinidad and Tobago 2204
9Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 2103
10Flag of Northern Rhodesia (1939-1964).svg  Northern Rhodesia 1438
11Flag of Nigeria (1914-1952).svg  Nigeria 1337
12Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 1326
13Flag of Wales (1953-1959).svg  Wales 1157
14Flag of Jamaica (1906-1957).svg  Jamaica 1001
15Flag of Barbados (1870-1966).svg  Barbados 0101
Flag of Hong Kong (1959-1997).svg  Hong Kong 0101
Flag of the Uganda Protectorate.svg  Uganda 0101
18Flag of British Guiana (1955-1966).svg  Guiana 0011
Totals (18 entries)928989270

Sports

References

  1. "Empire Stadium Ready" . Hull Daily Mail. 13 July 1954. Retrieved 20 September 2025 via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. "Commonwealth Games Federation – 1954 Commonwealth Games – Introduction". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  3. 1 2 "The Mega-event that Set a Pace for Vancouver". The Tyee. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  4. "Growing Interest in Empire Games" . Birmingham Daily Post. 7 June 1954. Retrieved 20 September 2025 via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. 1 2 "Wednesday at the BEG". Vancouver Sun. 3 August 1954. p. 14. Retrieved 20 September 2025 via Google Newspapers.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Tuesday at the BEG". Vancouver Sun. 2 August 1954. p. 12. Retrieved 20 September 2025 via Google Newspapers.
Preceded by
Auckland
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Vancouver
V British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Succeeded by
Cardiff