The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 as the British Empire Games and, with the exception of 1942 and 1946, has successively run every four years since. The event was called 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. The event removed the word British from its title for the 1978 Games and has maintained its current name ever since.
Scotland is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since the first Empire Games in 1930. The others are Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand and Wales. The Commonwealth Games is the only major multi-sport event in which Scottish athletes and teams compete as Scotland; otherwise Scotland participates in multi-sport events as part of a Great Britain team.
The United Kingdom has been represented at every modern Olympic Games, and as of the 2020 Summer Olympics is third in the all-time Summer Olympic medal table by both number of gold medals won and overall number of medals. London has hosted the Summer Olympic Games three times: in 1908, 1948, and 2012.
Field hockey was introduced at the Olympic Games as a men's competition at the 1908 Games in London. India has been the most successful team at the Olympics. Having won a total of 12 medals at field hockey.
Sport in Pakistan is a significant part of Pakistani culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan. Football has also gained popularity in recent years, and is the second most popular sport in the country. Field hockey is the national sport, and was popular for several decades, with some of Pakistan's greatest sporting accomplishments having taken place in this sport, along with squash. Polo and traditional sports like kabaddi and other well-known games are also played.
Australia first competed at the Games, then titled the British Empire Games, in 1930; and is one of only six countries to have sent athletes to every Commonwealth Games. The others are Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales. Australian athletes competed for Australasia at the 1911 Festival of the Empire, the forerunner to the British Empire Games.
India men's national field hockey team represents India in international field hockey competitions, and is governed by Hockey India. The team was formerly under the control of Indian Hockey Federation. India was the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation. India's hockey team is the most successful team ever in the Olympics, having won a total of eight gold medals – in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964 and 1980.
The Pakistan national field hockey team represents Pakistan in international field hockey. Having played its first match in 1948, it is administered by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), the governing body for hockey in Pakistan. It has been a member of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) since 1948 and was founding member of the Asian Hockey Federation (ASHF), which was formed in 1958. Pakistan is one of the most successful national field hockey teams in the world with a record four Hockey World Cup wins.
Pakistan first participated in the Olympic Games in 1948 in London, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then, except for when they participated in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in the Soviet Union. It has participated in every Winter Olympic Games since the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, when alpine skier Mohammad Abbas became the first Pakistani athlete to qualify for a Winter Olympics event.
Greece has risen to prominence in a number of sporting areas in recent decades. Football in particular has seen a rapid transformation, with the Greece national football team winning the UEFA Euro 2004. Many Greek athletes have also achieved significant success and have won world and olympic titles in numerous sports during the years, such as basketball, wrestling, water polo, athletics, weightlifting, with many of them becoming international stars inside their sports. The successful organisation of the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games led also to the further development of many sports and has led to the creation of many world class sport venues all over Greece and especially in Athens. Greek athletes have won a total 169 medals for Greece in 17 different Olympic sports at the Summer Olympic Games, including the Intercalated Games, an achievement which makes Greece one of the top nations globally, in the world's rankings of medals per capital
India has competed in all except four editions of the Commonwealth Games; starting at the second Games in 1934. India has also hosted the games once, in 2010. The most successful event for India in these games is shooting.
Nauru has competed in seven editions of the Commonwealth Games to date, beginning in 1990. This very small country, which had a population of just 9,872 at the time of the 2002 census, succeeded in winning at least one medals on each occasion, including at least one gold in their first four appearances.
Papua New Guinea made its Commonwealth Games début in the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia. The country has competed in 15 editions of the Games, as of 2022
India has a history of sports dating back to the Vedic period. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport; it generates the highest television viewership, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) being the most-followed league in the country. Football has also gained popularity, with the Indian Super League (ISL) being the highest level of domestic football, and the national team winning multiple gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games. Additional football accomplishments include India having reached the Groupstage of the 1960 Olympics, qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and won the SAFF Championship. Other sports include kabaddi, badminton, tennis, and athletics, with kho-kho becoming the fourth-most viewed sport. India has also had success in field hockey, winning the World Cup and multiple medals in the Olympic Games. Sports such as golf, rugby, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, motorsport, wrestling, and basketball are featured throughout the country.
Triathlon is one of the sports at the quadrennial Commonwealth Games competition. It was first granted Commonwealth Games sport status in 2002, and has been held in each edition since, except in Delhi 2010 Games due to the lack of suitable venue for the swimming leg in Delhi. Until 2022, it was a core sport which had to be included in each competition's sporting programme. Para-triathlon was first included as an optional sport in the Gold Coast 2018 games. The next appearance of the sport will take place in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Australia
India hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games which were held in Delhi from 3 to 14 October 2010. India won 101 medals in total, including 38 Gold medals, enabling it to finish the Games at second position behind Australia. For the first time in the history of the Games India won over 100 medals in total. For the first time in the history of the Games, India won a medal in Gymnastics, where Ashish Kumar won a Silver and a Bronze. And it was after a gap of 52 years that India won a Gold in Athletics when Krishna Poonia won Gold in Women's discus throw and when Geeta Phogat won India's first ever gold medal in women's wrestling.
Canada competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23 to August 3, 2014. It was the nation's 20th appearance at the Commonwealth Games, having competed at every Games since their inception in 1930. Canada competed in 16 out of 17 sports with the only exception being netball. Canada's team consisted of 265 athletes and 100 support staff, the largest team for a games not hosted by the country. On September 12, 2012 former Commonwealth Games medalist Chantal Petitclerc was named as the Chef de mission of the team, marking the first time a former para athlete was named to the post.
Vinesh Phogat is an Indian wrestler. She became the first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games. She is the only Indian woman wrestler to win multiple medals at the World Wrestling Championships. Phogat became the first Indian athlete to be nominated for the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2019.
Erica Elizabeth Wiebe is a Canadian retired wrestler. She won gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in women's 75 kg freestyle. Wiebe was the third Canadian champion ever in wrestling at the Olympics, and second Canadian woman to win gold after Carol Huynh. Wiebe also won gold at two Commonwealth Games: the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
India competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham, England from 28 July to 8 August 2022. It was India's 18th appearance at the Commonwealth Games.
