 | |
| Host city | Dunedin, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Nations | 13 plus three invited individual athletes |
| Athletes | 229 (175 Male / 54 Female) |
| Sport | 12 |
| Events | 150 |
| Opening | 13 January 1974 |
| Closing | 19 January 1974 |
| Opened by | Sir Denis Blundell (Governor-General) |
| Main venue | Caledonian Ground |
The fourth Commonwealth Paraplegic Games were held in Dunedin, New Zealand from 13 to 19 January 1974. The Games were opened by Sir Denis Blundell, Governor-General of New Zealand.
The competing countries and competitors were: [1]
Three New Zealand based competitors competed by special invitation of the organising committee – T. Cullen, R. Porter and P. Read.
The following sports were included in the Games: [2]
The following were the venues used for the Games: [3]
| Venue | Sport |
|---|---|
| Caledonian Sports Ground | Athletics, Pentathlon, Wheelchair Basketball |
| Logan Park | Archery, Dartchery, Lawn Bowls, Pentathlon, Slalom |
| University of Otago Physical Education School Gym | Table tennis, Wheelchair Basketball |
| University of Otago Union Hall | Weightlifting, Wheelchair Fencing |
| Moana Pool | Pentathlon, Swimming |
| St Kilda Indoor Rifle Range | Shooting |
| RSA Billiard Room | Snooker |
| Otago Museum | Arts & Crafts Competition and Exhibition |
Australia's Gwen Milburn won gold in the women's 60 m track athletics event. [4] Australia also picked up medals in the bowls event. [5]
The Outstanding Performers in Dunedin
The most successful athlete in Dunedin amongst the men was P. Reid from Jamaica who won 4 gold and 1 silver medal in field events, pentathlon and swimming. Amongst the women the most successful athlete was Caz Bryant from England who won 5 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal in fencing, field events, pentathlon, table tennis and track events.
| Nations | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | 45 | 36 | 29 | 110 |
 England | 44 | 33 | 24 | 101 |
 New Zealand | 29 | 20 | 24 | 73 |
 Jamaica | 18 | 13 | 10 | 41 |
 Scotland | 10 | 21 | 22 | 53 |
 Northern Ireland | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
 Wales | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
 Hong Kong | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Invitational Athletes | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 Kenya | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 Malaysia | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 Singapore | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Fiji | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 150 | 143 | 124 | 417 |
Commonwealth Games hosted in New Zealand
The 1968 Summer Paralympics were the third Paralympic Games to be held. Organised under the guidance of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), they were known as the 17th International Stoke Mandeville Games at the time. The games were originally planned to be held alongside the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, but in 1966, the Mexican government decided against it due to difficulties. The Israeli government offered to host the games in Tel Aviv, a suggestion that was accepted.
The 1974 British Commonwealth Games was held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 24 January to 2 February 1974. The bid vote was held in Edinburgh at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. The event was officially named "the friendly games". There were 1,276 competitors and 372 officials, according to the official history, and public attendance was excellent. The main venue was the QEII Park, purpose-built for this event. The Athletics Stadium and fully covered Olympic standard pool, diving tank, and practice pools were all on the one site. The theme song was "Join Together", sung by Steve Allen. The event was held after the 1974 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Dunedin for wheelchair athletes.
Athletics at the 1980 Summer Paralympics consisted of 275 events. The Games saw 1,973 Para athletes from 43 countries compete in 13 sports.
Australia competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Games significantly expanded in 1968 when compared to previous years, as did the Australian team and the events included in the Games. Mexico City were originally to host the 1968 Paralympics, however, they were moved to Tel Aviv in Israel.
Daphne Jean Hilton was an Australian Paralympic competitor. She was the first Australian woman to compete at the Paralympic Games. She won fourteen medals in three Paralympics in archery, athletics, fencing, swimming, and table tennis from 1960 to 1968.
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Terry Mason is an Australian Paralympic athlete and weightlifter, who won two bronze medals at two Paralympics.
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Raymond Barrett was an Indigenous Australian Paralympic athlete left a paraplegic following a car accident. Prior to this he was a champion juvenile athlete in able-bodied sports. A bronze medalist at the 1972 Summer Paralympics Heidelberg Germany, a high achiever at the Stoke Mandeville Games England, Commonwealth Paraplegic Games, National Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Games, FESPIC Games and State selection trials. A sporting complex in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney is named in his honor. The people of this Shire were his 'significant others'.
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Victor Salvemini was an Australian Paralympic athlete from Western Australia. As a wheelchair athlete, he competed in several sports including archery, basketball and track sprinting in the 1970s. A paraplegic, he lost the use of both his legs after a car accident in Fremantle, Western Australia in 1961 when he was 14 years old.
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