The Commonwealth Games are an international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and has taken place every four years since then. The Commonwealth Games were known as the British Empire Games from 1930 to 1950, the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1954 to 1966, and British Commonwealth Games from 1970 to 1974. It is the world's first multi-sport event which inducted equal number of women’s and men’s medal events and was implemented recently in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held in Melbourne, Australia from 19 March to 25 March 2006. A total of 47 events were contested, of which 24 by male and 23 by female athletes. Furthermore, three men's and three women's disability events were held within the programme. All athletics events took place within the Melbourne Cricket Ground, while the marathon and racewalking events took place on the streets of Melbourne and finished at the main stadium.
The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from 30 July to 7 August 1954. These were the first games since the name change from British Empire Games took effect in 1952.
The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica, from 4 to 13 August 1966. This was the first time that the Games had been held outside the so-called White Dominions. They were followed by the 1966 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games for wheelchair athletes. Jamaica remains the only host nation of a Commonwealth Games that did not win at least one gold medal in its own games.
The 1970 British Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 16 July to 25 July 1970.
This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first time metric units rather than imperial units were used in all events, and also the first time the games were held in Scotland.
Also, these games saw the first unique Games trademark logo: an emblem showing the Games emblem intertwined with a St Andrews Cross and a thistle. They were followed by the 1970 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games for wheelchair athletes.
Independence Park is a sports and cultural complex in Kingston, Jamaica built for the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. It houses a variety of sports facilities. A statue of Bob Marley marks the entrance to the site. The main sports venue at the complex is the National Stadium.
Bertland "Bert" Cameron is a retired Jamaican sprinter who mainly competed over 400 metres. He represented Jamaica at three consecutive editions of the Summer Olympics. Cameron won the 400 m title at the first World Championships in Athletics. He was also the 1982 Commonwealth Games champion in the event and won a number of gold medals at regional competitions. He helped the Jamaican runners to a silver medal in the 4×400 metres relay at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Lacena Golding-Clarke is a retired female hurdling athlete from Jamaica. She represented Jamaica at the Summer Olympics in 1996, 2000 and 2004, and took part in the World Championships in Athletics on five separate occasions.
At the 1990 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand from 27 January to 3 February 1990. A total of 42 events were contested, 23 by male and 19 by female athletes.
At the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. A total of 38 events were contested, 23 for men and 15 for women.
At the 1982 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events took place at the QE II Stadium in Brisbane, Australia from 3–9 October 1982. A total of 39 events were contested, 23 for men and 16 for women athletes.
Jamaica has competed in seventeen of the twenty previous Commonwealth Games; starting at the second Games in 1934.
Alia Shanee Atkinson, OD is a Jamaican swimmer and Olympian.
At the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at Independence Park in Kingston, Jamaica. A total of 34 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 11 by female athletes. This was the final athletics competition at the quadrennial competition to feature events measured in imperial units, rather than metric units. Eleven Games records were improved over the course of the competition.
The athletics competition at the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held in New Delhi, India between 6 and 14 October. The track and field events took place between 6–12 October at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium while the marathon contests were held on a street course running through the city on 14 October.
Netball was one of 17 sports that were contested at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Netball is a core sport for women at the Commonwealth Games, and one of only three events in the 2010 programme for women only. Netball at the Commonwealth Games is one of the premier events in international netball, and the 2010 event was the fourth time that the sport has been contested at the Games. Matches were held between 4–14 October at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex.
The Jamaican national cricket team is the representative first-class cricket team of Jamaica.
Athletics was one of ten core sports that appeared at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. As a founding sport, athletics has appeared consistently since its introduction at the 1911 Inter-Empire Games; the recognised precursor to the Commonwealth Games.
Lawn bowls at the 2018 Commonwealth Games was held at the Broadbeach Bowls Club in the Gold Coast, Australia from April 5 to 13.
Paula Thompson is a Jamaican netball player who currently plays for Jamaica internationally. She was one of the members of the Jamaican netball team which secured bronze medals at the 2010 World Netball Series, 2013 Fast5 Netball World Series, 2014 Commonwealth Games, and in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
