Common wealth Games,Commonwealth Games India,Commonwealth Games 2010,The Common wealth Games

The Common wealth Games are a multi-sport event that involves the best athletes of The Common Wealth of Nations.held every four years it is held in a set-up similar to the Olympic Games. The competitions are conducted in a wide variety of events and draw the best sporting talents of a large number of competitors. In terms of the scale of the event it one of the largest events of its kinds in the world, second only to the Olympic Games in its multidisciplinary appeal.

One of the most notable aspects about the Common wealth Games is that unlike most large events of the kind it not based on the geographical association of the participating nations but rather on historical ties. Most of the countries were in some way under rule of the British Crown at some point in their history and hence also share the English language as a medium of communication.

History of The Commonwealth Games

The Birth of the Common wealth Games

The inception of the games can be traced back to an article in The Times by Reverend Astley Cooper in which he suggested a "Pan-Britannic-Pan-Anglican Contest and Festival every four years" to increase the goodwill and of the British Empire. Subsequently an Inter-Empire Championship was held in the Festival of the Empire that was organized to celebrate the coronation of King George V in 1911. The events in these games were limited to games like boxing, wrestling, swimming and athletics and the competing teams were from Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

The First Few Years

The first large event dedicated in whole to sports that can be called the direct antecedent to the common wealth games was probably the British Empire Games held in 1930 in Hamilton, Ontario Canada. The games are held every four years and from 1930 to 1950 were known as the "British Empire Games". This was reflective of the political climate of the people where the games were largely a showcase of the sporting caliber of the different constituents of the British Empire. Another interesting fact of note is that during these years the parade of the nations was lead by a single flag bearer with the Union Jack symbolizing the principal role of nation in the Common wealth Games India.

What's in a name?

From 1954 onwards the games under went frequent name changes. Till 1966 they were known as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. In 1970 they started being called the British Commonwealth Games. From 1978 they were referred to as just the Common wealth Games without any ostensible mention of the historical character of the games in the name.

The Common wealth Games are now a major event. With more that 5000 participants taking part the event has a global appeal and reach and one of the largest in terms of the number of athletes