• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Gowling WLG
  • Legal information
  • Privacy statement
  • Cookie Policy
  • Home
  • About
  • Posts
  • Blogs
    • B2022
    • The IP Blog
    • Public Law & Regulation
    • AI
    • The UPC Blog

LoupedIn

Athletics and the Commonwealth Games: a history

Published on August 16, 2022 by Mali Cooksey

Athletics and the Commonwealth Games: a history

The Commonwealth Games and Athletics go hand in hand – in fact, it is one of the founding sports of the Games and has appeared consistently since its introduction at the 1911 Inter-Empire Games (the recognised precursor to the Commonwealth Games).

In 1911, teams from Australia, Canada, South Africa and the UK participated to win the prize – a trophy in the form of a silver cup. In that year, the overall winning team was Canada.

Not too dissimilar to what we’re used to watching at the Commonwealth Games today, the sports on the programme were Boxing, Wrestling, Swimming and, of course, Athletics.

Through the ages

Following on from the Inter-Empire Games, the official Commonwealth Games was born in 1930 – although it only got its current name during the 1978 Games in Edmonton, Canada. Before then it was better known as the British Empire Games.

In 1930, 11 countries competed in the Games – England, Wales, Ireland, Australia, Bermuda, British Guiana, Canada, Newfoundland (now part of Canada), New Zealand, Scotland and South Africa. England topped the leader board with 61 medals and Canada came in a close second with 54 medals.

As the years went on more countries and sports joined the Games, more medals were awarded and more athletes were born. Still, despite names changes and decades between, one thing still remained consistent – Athletics.

In fact, while the 1930 Games was strictly men only, it was Athletics that saw women compete for the first time in the 1934 Games. The women’s running events were restricted to short sprints and a shortened 4 x 220 yard relay instead of the 4 x 440 yard relay as per the men’s programme. Despite this, it was a breakthrough for women in sport that would one day lead to full recognition and programming for women’s Athletics on the international stage.

Welcome to Alexander Stadium: the home of UK Athletics

There couldn’t be a more fitting place for the Athletics to be held for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games than Alexander Stadium. It is the official home of UK Athletics and has had a recent revamp ready for the Games. Post-Games it will revert to a permanent capacity of around 18,000, the largest permanent facility capable of hosting major athletics in the UK. The stadium also champions women in sport and has named one of its stands – the Nelson – after Dorothy Nelson Neal OBE who was influential in the early days of women’s Athletics in the UK and was awarded the OBE for services to Athletics.

Over the course of the Games, the people of Birmingham and beyond turned out in their thousands to support all the Athletics athletes. They were able to witness many highlights such as Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts setting a new Commonwealth Games record in the Women’s triple jump – joining one of many Athletics records that have been made at the Commonwealth Games over the years.

As Birmingham 2022 closed, it was wonderful to see the support that the attendees have given to Athletics and it is exciting to see where the legacy goes from here. In addition to being the base for UK Athletics following the Games, Alexander Stadium will also be home to 1,000 Birmingham City University Sport Science students, as well as a community venue to support local athletics opening in 2023. “The Games for Everyone” has focussed on helping to grow the region, improving health and wellbeing, bringing people together, being a catalyst for change and putting Birmingham and the West Midlands on a global stage – a legacy that will far outlast 2022. A lot might have changed over the past 111 years but one thing remains, sports such as Athletics can truly captivate an audience and bring people together.

Mali Cooksey

Filed Under: B2022 Tagged With: Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of Gowling WLG.

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Information made available on this website in any form is for information purposes only. It is not, and should not be taken as, legal advice. You should not rely on, or take or fail to take any action based upon this information. Never disregard professional legal advice or delay in seeking legal advice because of something you have read on this website. Gowling WLG professionals will be pleased to discuss resolutions to specific legal concerns you may have.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Crossing the finish line: My apprenticeship journey
  • Environmental law in 2023 – Key areas to follow
  • AI and copyright in 2022

Tags

Artificial Intelligence (AI) (51) Autonomous vehicles (11) b2022 (18) Birmingham 2022 (8) Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (14) Blockchain (4) brand protection (5) Brexit (23) china (5) Climate change (12) COP26 (11) COP27 (5) Copyright (7) COVID-19 (23) Cyber security (5) Data protection (6) Employment (13) employment law (9) Environment (8) ESG (21) ESG and pensions (9) GowlingAtTheGames (5) Intellectual Property (56) IP (9) Life sciences (6) net zero (6) Patents (28) Pensions (39) Pension scams (5) Pension Schemes Act 2021 (10) Pensions dashboards (6) Pensions in 2022 (10) Pensions law (30) Procurement (7) Public Law & Regulation (39) Real Estate (16) Retail (6) sustainability (7) Tech (42) The Week In Pensions (11) Trademarks (12) UK (15) unified patents court (9) UPC (24) Week in HR (8)

Categories

Archives

Gowling WLG is an international law firm comprising the members of Gowling WLG International Limited, an English Company Limited by Guarantee, and their respective affiliates. Each member and affiliate is an autonomous and independent entity. Gowling WLG International Limited promotes, facilitates and co-ordinates the activities of its members but does not itself provide services to clients. Our structure is explained in more detail on our Legal Information page.

Footer

LoupedIn is the Official Gowling WLG Blog. Gowling WLG is an international law firm comprising the members of Gowling WLG International Limited, an English Company Limited by Guarantee, and their respective affiliates. Each member and affiliate is an autonomous and independent entity. Gowling WLG International Limited promotes, facilitates and co-ordinates the activities of its members but does not itself provide services to clients. Our structure is explained in more detail on our Legal Information page.

  • Home
  • About
  • Gowling WLG
  • Legal information
  • Privacy statement
  • Cookie Policy

© 2023 Gowling WLG

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT