Athletics is one of several sports contested at the quadrennial Commonwealth Games competition. It has been a Commonwealth Games sport since the inaugural edition of the event's precursor, the 1930 British Empire Games. It is a core sport and must be included in the sporting programme of each edition of the Games.
No new events have been added to the men's athletics programme since the 1998 addition of the 20 km and 50 km racewalks. The roster of events has not changed since then, with the exception of the omission of the 50 km racewalk from 2010 and the 20 km racewalk in 2014. A total of 35 different events have been held in the men's competition, 23 of which were contested at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Many of the discontinued events were similar to modern events but at different lengths as they were contested over distances measured in Imperial units. Events with distances measured in metric units were first contested in 1970.
| Event | 30 | 34 | 38 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 62 | 66 | 70 | 74 | 78 | 82 | 86 | 90 | 94 | 98 | 02 | 06 | 10 | 14 | 18 | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current program | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 100 metres | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| 200 metres | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| 400 metres | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| 800 metres | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| 1500 metres | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| 5000 metres | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| 10,000 metres | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| Marathon | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 21 |
| 110 metres hurdles | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| 400 metres hurdles | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| 3000 metres steeplechase | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 16 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres relay | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| 4 × 400 metres relay | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | ||||||||
| 20 kilometres race walk | X | X | X | X | X | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| High jump | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 21 |
| Pole vault | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 21 |
| Long jump | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 21 |
| Triple jump | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 21 |
| Shot put | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 21 |
| Discus throw | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 21 |
| Hammer throw | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 21 |
| Javelin throw | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 21 |
| Decathlon | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 14 | |||||||
| Past events | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 100 yards | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 220 yards | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 440 yards | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 880 yards | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 1 miles | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 3 miles | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 6 miles | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 120 yards hurdles | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 440 yards hurdles | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 20 miles walk | X | X | X | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 30 kilometres race walk | X | X | X | X | X | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| 50 kilometres race walk | X | X | X | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 × 440 yards relay | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |||||||||||||
| Events | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 23 | |
A total of 34 different events have been held in the women's competition, 23 of which were contested at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The women's program has been identical to the men's program since the 2006 Commonwealth Games (with the exception of the discontinued men's 50 km walk) when the women's 3000m steeplechase was added to the program. The 20 km racewalk was omitted from the program in 2014.
From the 2002 Commonwealth Games a number of events have been included in the program to include elite athletes with disabilities. The inclusion of events in this category has been inconsistent over the four Games where they have been included.
| Event | 02 | 06 | 10 | 14 | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 100 metres T12 | X | X | 2 | ||
| Men's 100 metres T37 | X | 1 | |||
| Men's 100 metres T46 | X | 1 | |||
| Men's 200 metres T46 | X | 1 | |||
| Men's 1500 metres T54 | X | X | 2 | ||
| Men's shot put F32/34/52 | X | 1 | |||
| Men's discus throw F42-44 | X | 1 | |||
| Men's discus throw seated | X | 1 | |||
| Women's 100 metres T12 | X | 1 | |||
| Women's 100 metres T37 | X | X | 2 | ||
| Women's 800 metres T54 | X | X | 2 | ||
| Women's 1500 metres T54 | X | X | 2 | ||
| Women's long jump F37/38 | X | 1 | |||
| Women's shot put seated | X | 1 | |||
| Women's shot put F32-34/52/53 | X | 1 | |||
| Events | 2 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Updated after the 2022 Commonwealth Games
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australia (AUS) | 206 | 172 | 141 | 519 |
| 2 |  England (ENG) | 202 | 215 | 195 | 612 |
| 3 |  Canada (CAN) | 86 | 100 | 137 | 323 |
| 4 |  Kenya (KEN) | 78 | 67 | 58 | 203 |
| 5 |  Jamaica (JAM) | 73 | 43 | 48 | 164 |
| 6 |  South Africa (RSA) | 45 | 41 | 36 | 122 |
| 7 |  New Zealand (NZL) | 39 | 50 | 53 | 142 |
| 8 |  Nigeria (NGR) | 27 | 29 | 24 | 80 |
| 9 |  Scotland (SCO) | 20 | 25 | 37 | 82 |
| 10 |  Wales (WAL) | 18 | 18 | 22 | 58 |
| 11 |  Bahamas (BAH) | 11 | 15 | 10 | 36 |
| 12 |  Uganda (UGA) | 11 | 6 | 8 | 25 |
| 13 |  Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) | 8 | 14 | 12 | 34 |
| 14 |  Northern Ireland (NIR) | 7 | 12 | 2 | 21 |
| 15 |  India (IND) | 6 | 14 | 16 | 36 |
| 16 |  Ghana (GHA) | 5 | 8 | 12 | 25 |
| 17 |  Tanzania (TAN) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 |
| 18 |  Botswana (BOT) | 5 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| 19 |  Pakistan (PAK) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| 20 |  Guyana (GUY) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 21 |  Grenada (GRN) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 22 |  Namibia (NAM) | 3 | 1 | 9 | 13 |
| 23 |  Mozambique (MOZ) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 24 |  Barbados (BAR) | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| 25 |  Zambia (ZAM) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 26 |  British Virgin Islands (IVB) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 27 |  Zimbabwe (ZIM) | 1 | 4 | 8 | 13 |
| 28 |  Cyprus (CYP) | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 29 |  Fiji (FIJ) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
 Sri Lanka (SRI) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
| 31 |  Bermuda (BER) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
 Saint Lucia (LCA) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | |
| 33 |  Malaysia (MAS) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 34 |  Cayman Islands (CAY) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 35 |  Lesotho (LES) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 38 |  Cameroon (CMR) | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 39 |  Dominica (DMA) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 40 |  Mauritius (MRI) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 41 |  Guernsey (GUE) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Samoa (SAM) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Seychelles (SEY) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Swaziland (SWZ) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 The Gambia (GAM) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Vanuatu (VAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (46 entries) | 883 | 872 | 879 | 2,634 | |
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Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping and throwing. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross-country running, and racewalking.
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events. Track and field is categorized under the umbrella sport of athletics, which also includes road running, cross country running and racewalking. In British English the term athletics is synonymous with American track and field and includes all jumping events. Outside of Canada and the United States, athletics is the official term for this sport with 'track' and 'field' events being subgroups of athletics events.
Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully assess that this is maintained throughout the race. Typically held on either roads or running tracks, common distances range from 3,000 metres (1.9 mi) up to 100 kilometres (62.1 mi).
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Racewalking events at the Summer Olympics have been contested over a variety of distances at the multi-sport event. There were three race walking events in the 2020 Summer Olympics: a men's and a women's 20 kilometres race walk, and a men's 50 kilometres race walk. The races were held in a final-only format.
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