1970 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games

Last updated

III Commonwealth Paraplegic Games
1970 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games logo.jpg
Host city Edinburgh, Scotland
Nations14
Athletes197 (145 Male/52 Female)
Sport11
Events150
Opening26 July 1970
Closing1 August 1970
Opened by Edward Heath
Main venue Meadowbank Stadium

The Third Commonwealth Paraplegic Games was a multi-sport event that was held in Edinburgh, Scotland from 26 July to 1 August 1970. Dubbed the "little games", they followed the 1970 British Commonwealth Games which were held in Edinburgh from 16 to 25 July of that year.

Contents

Background and administration

The chairman of the Organising Committee was Lieutenant-Colonel John Fraser. [1] It was also known as the "little games" and the "Wheelchair Games". [1] [2]

Ceremonies

The Games were opened by the British Prime Minister Edward Heath. The opening ceremony was at Meadowbank stadium and was attended by a crowd of 2,000 people. [3] The teams were led in by the hosts of the previous games, Jamaica. [3] On behalf of all the competitors, James Laird, the Scottish team captain, took an oath. [3] A message of support from the Provosts of 28 towns and cities across Scotland was read out, having been relayed from John o' Groats by runners from the Scottish Youth Clubs Association. [3]

The games were closed by James MacKay, Lord Provost of the Edinburgh Corporation. [4]

Participating teams

197 athletes from fourteen Commonwealth countries took part. [3] Countries at this games that had not previously participated were Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Malta and Uganda. [1]

Sports

Sports included: [3]

Venues

Meadowbank Stadium Meadowbank-track-and-field.jpg
Meadowbank Stadium

The following were the venues for the games:

VenueSport
Games Village (RAF Turnhouse)Archery, Precision Javelin
Meadowbank Sports ComplexAll other sports including some archery
Royal Commonwealth Pool Swimming
Lochend Bowling GreenLawn Bowls
Redcraig Shooting RangeShooting

Logistics

An athletes' village was located at Turnhouse, with accommodation provided free of charge to the athletes by the Ministry of Defence. [1] The Edinburgh Corporation had supplied fourteen adapted buses, which volunteer drivers used to transport the athletes between venues during the games. [4] Athletics events were held at Meadowbank stadium. [5] Shooting events were held at Redcraigs shooting range in West Lothian. [6] There was some criticism of the lack of day-to-day television coverage from the BBC and ITV broadcasters. [2]

Medal table

The final medal table is: [7]

NationsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Flag of England.svg  England 483223103
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 29313999
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 27292177
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica 25141049
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 1214430
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 56213
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 1269
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 1102
Flag of India.svg  India 1001
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago 1001
Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 0224
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 0101
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 0000
Flag of Hong Kong 1959.svg  British Hong Kong 0000
150132107389

See also

Commonwealth Games hosted in Scotland:

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Premier to open games for invalids". Glasgow Herald. 11 April 1970. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 Elder, Dorothy-Grace (1 August 1970). "Wheelchair Games attack on the B.B.C." The Herald. p. 14. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cheers and praise for the wheel-chair athletes". Glasgow Herald. 27 July 1970. p. 16. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Wheelchair athletes close Games on a proud note". Glasgow Herald. 3 August 1970. p. 16. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  5. "Paraplegic games: Gold for Mercer". The Herald. 29 July 1970. p. 7. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  6. "Paraplegic games: Three gold medals for Scotland". The Herald. 28 July 1970. p. 6. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  7. "Third Commonwealth Paraplegic Games – Edinburgh, Scotland 1970". paralympicanorak. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2017.

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