Which countries are a part of the Commonwealth Games? What are the qualifications for a country to be a part of the Games?

Which countries are a part of the Commonwealth Games? What are the qualifications for a country to be a part of the Games?

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games are a quadrennial event that hosts multi sporting international athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and since then has been successfully held every four years. The Games were initially called the British Empire Games from 1930s to 1950s. From 1954 to 1966, the Games were renamed to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games after which the names was shortened to the British Commonwealth Games. After 1974 the Games took the form that they currently have- the Commonwealth Games.

The Games are overseen by the Commonwealth Games Federation or the CGF. Certain traditions, such as the hoisting of the CWG flag and Queen’s Baton Relay, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, are unique to the Games. Over 4,500 athletes competed at the latest CWGs in 25 sports and over 250 medal events, which features Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as new popular sports.

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Which countries are a part of the Commonwealth Games and why?

Indian contingent for Commonwealth Games
Indian contingent for Commonwealth Games

There are 56 members who are a part of the Commonwealth of Nations, but 72 teams participate in the CWGs. Dependent teams such as Anguilla and Niue send their own teams, while the four home Nations of the United Kingdom- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland- send their own separate teams. 22 cities have since hosted the CWGs, with Australia hosting them the most of the times- 5. Only six nations have participated in every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales.

The CWGs initially began after being proposed by John Astley Cooper in 1891. The idea was to get together members of the British Empire, to ‘increase goodwill and understanding’ of the countries. Following that, in 1911  an Inter-Empire Championship was held where teams from Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom competed in events for athletics, boxing, swimming and wrestling.

Melville Marks Robinson, who served as the manager for the 1928 Canadian track and Field Olympic team, heavily lobbied for organising the first British Empire Games in Hamilton in 1930. These games later came to be known as the popularly known CWGs- one of the biggest events conducted.

Following is a list of countries that are a part of the Commonwealth Games:

  • Anguilla,
  • Antigua and Barbuda,
  • Australia,
  • Bahamas,
  • Bangladesh,
  • Barbados,
  • Belize,
  • Bermuda,
  • Botswana,
  • British Virgin Islands,
  • Brunei,
  • Cameroon,
  • Canada,
  • Cayman Islands,
  • Cook Islands,
  • Cyprus,
  • Dominica,
  • England,
  • Eswatini,
  • Falkland Islands,
  • Fiji,
  • Ghana,
  • Gibraltar,
  • Grenada,
  • Guernsey,
  • Guyana,
  • India,
  • Isle of Man,
  • Jamaica,
  • Jersey,
  • Kenya,
  • Kiribati,
  • Lesotho,
  • Malawi,
  • Malaysia,
  • Maldives,
  • Malta,
  • Mauritius,
  • Montserrat,
  • Mozambique,
  • Namibia,
  • Nauru,
  • New Zealand,
  • Nigeria,
  • Niue,
  • Norfolk Island,
  • Northern Ireland,
  • Pakistan,
  • Papua New Guinea,
  • Rwanda,
  • Saint Helena,
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis,
  • Saint Lucia,
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
  • Samoa,
  • Scotland,
  • Seychelles,
  • Sierra Leone,
  • Singapore,
  • Solomon Islands,
  • South Africa,
  • Sri Lanka,
  • Tanzania,
  • The Gambia,
  • Tonga,
  • Trinidad and Tobago,
  • Turks and Caicos Islands,
  • Tuvalu,
  • Uganda,
  • Vanuatu,
  • Wales,
  • Zambia.

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