CWG 2022: 10 Interesting Facts about the Commonwealth Games

10 Interesting Facts about the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial global multi-sport tournament in which representatives from the Commonwealth of Nations participate and engage in intense battles with fellow competitors from other nations to imprint their and their nation’s names in gold with pride.

The Commonwealth Games Federation, situated in London, England, oversees the organization and smooth functioning of the event. CWG 2022 is all set to kick-start next month in Birmingham from July 28th to August 8th.

Commonwealth Games 2022: India Full Schedule & Time Table | Indian Athletes | Events | Timings IST

With the mega-event just around the corner, here are 10 interesting facts about the Commonwealth Games that you might not have heard till now,

• The concept of establishing a Commonwealth came up at the “Festival of Empire,” which was held in honor of George Pancham’s coronation in 1911.
• The Commonwealth Games are the only international platform for British athletes to represent their home nations of England, Scotland, and Wales.
• The Commonwealth Games encompass around 20% of the Earth’s surface area and 32% of the worldwide population.
• Except for 1942 and 1946, the CWG has been held every four years since 1930 (due to WW II).
• Although 71 nations are eligible to participate in the Commonwealth Games, only six countries have attended every Games to date: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales.
• In 2010, India hosted the Commonwealth Games for the first time in Delhi. India won 101 medals and finished second in the medals tally at the Commonwealth Games. In their 17 appearances at the tournament, it was their most excellent showing at a Commonwealth Games event.
• Mozambique is the only country that has never been a part of the British Empire but remains a Commonwealth member. The United States, on the other hand, has been a part of the British Empire but is not a member of the Commonwealth.
• Australian swimmer Jenny Turrell was just 13 years old when she competed and won the gold medal in the 1974 Games, making her the youngest gold medalist in the competition’s history.
• You are never too old to achieve your dreams, and Australia’s Dorothy Roche was the living epitome of that quote. At 61, he won gold in lawn bowling at the 1990 Games in Auckland and showed the world that age was indeed just a number.
• After the Olympics and the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games are the world’s third-largest multi-nation sporting galore spectacle. To make an account of it, 11,326 athletes competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, 11,300 athletes featured in the Asian Games in 2018, and 4426 athletes in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Also Read: Full List of Indian Athletes Qualified for CWG 2022