Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games – Complete GK for Railway Exams
1. Introduction
- Commonwealth Games (CWG) is a multi-sport event held every 4 years among athletes from Commonwealth of Nations (former British Empire).
- First edition: 1930 (Hamilton, Canada) as British Empire Games.
- Renamed:
– British Empire Games → 1930–50
– British Empire & Commonwealth Games → 1954–66
– British Commonwealth Games → 1970–74
– Commonwealth Games → 1978 onward - Motto: “Humanity – Equality – Destiny” (since 2018).
2. Quick-Fact Table
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1st Edition | 1930, Hamilton (Canada) |
| 2022 Host | Birmingham, England (22nd edition) |
| 2026 Host | Regional Victoria, Australia |
| Only country to host 5 times | Australia (1938, 1962, 1982, 2006, 2018) |
| India’s debut | 1934 London (as British India) |
| India’s first medal | 1934 – Silver (Rasheed, Wrestling) |
| India’s first Gold | 1958 Cardiff – Milkha Singh (Athletics, 440 yds) |
| India’s best tally | 2022 Birmingham – 61 medals (22 G, 16 S, 23 B) |
| Para-sports introduced | 1994 Victoria (exhibition) & 2002 Manchester (full medal events) |
| First integrated CWG (able & para) | 2022 Birmingham |
| Queen’s Baton Relay starts from | Buckingham Palace; ends at CWG opening ceremony |
| Current CWG Federation HQ | London, UK |
| President (Oct 2023) | Chris Jenkins (Wales) |
3. Host Cities & Year-wise Snapshot
| Year | Edition | Host City (Country) | Countries | Sports | Events | Top Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 1 | Hamilton (Canada) | 11 | 6 | 59 | England |
| 1958 | 6 | Cardiff (Wales) | 35 | 9 | 94 | England |
| 1982 | 12 | Brisbane (Australia) | 46 | 10 | 142 | Australia |
| 1998 | 16 | Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) | 70 | 15 | 213 | Australia |
| 2002 | 17 | Manchester (England) | 72 | 17 | 281 | Australia |
| 2010 | 19 | New Delhi (India) | 71 | 17 | 272 | Australia |
| 2014 | 20 | Glasgow (Scotland) | 71 | 17 | 261 | England |
| 2018 | 21 | Gold Coast (Australia) | 71 | 19 | 275 | Australia |
| 2022 | 22 | Birmingham (England) | 72 | 20 | 283 | Australia |
| 2026 | 23 | Regional Victoria (Aus.) | TBA | TBA | TBA | — |
4. India @ CWG – Medal Tally
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 30 | 22 | 17 | 69 | 4 |
| 2006 | 22 | 16 | 12 | 50 | 4 |
| 2010 | 38 | 27 | 36 | 101 | 2 |
| 2014 | 15 | 30 | 19 | 64 | 5 |
| 2018 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 66 | 3 |
| 2022 | 22 | 16 | 23 | 61 | 4 |
Overall (till 2022): 564 medals (203 G, 164 S, 197 B) – 4th on all-time table.
5. Sports Added/Deleted Recently
- Added in 2022: Women’s Cricket (T20), 3×3 Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby.
- Dropped after 2018: Greco-Roman Wrestling, Shooting (not in 2022).
- Shooting returns: 2026 Victoria programme confirmed.
6. One-Liner Revision Bullets
- Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) founded 1930; HQ London.
- 2022 mascot: Perry – bull with Birmingham’s cultural icons.
- 2022 theme colour: Birmingham blue & yellow.
- Most successful athlete: Ian Thorpe (Aus) – 10 CWG golds.
- India’s flag-bearer 2022 opening: Manpreet Singh (Hockey); closing: Sharath Kamal (TT).
- First Asian host: Kuala Lumpur 1998.
- First CWG held outside Europe/America: 1938 Sydney.
- Only nation to boycott CWG: Nigeria 1978 (NZ sporting links with South Africa).
- First CWG hosted by India: 2010 New Delhi – cost ≈ ₹1,620 cr.
- CWG 2010 theme song: “Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto” – A. R. Rahman.
7. 15+ MCQs for Railway Exams
Click to view MCQs & answers
-
In which year were the first Commonwealth Games held?
A) 1928 B) 1930 C) 1934 D) 1936
Ans: B -
The 2010 Commonwealth Games were hosted by which Indian city?
A) Mumbai B) Bengaluru C) New Delhi D) Hyderabad
Ans: C -
How many gold medals did India win in CWG 2022?
A) 26 B) 24 C) 22 D) 20
Ans: C -
Which country has hosted the Commonwealth Games the most times?
A) England B) Canada C) Australia D) New Zealand
Ans: C -
The Commonwealth Games 2026 will be held in
A) Durban B) Victoria C) Sydney D) Perth
Ans: B -
Who was the first Indian to win an individual CWG gold?
A) K. D. Jadhav B) Milkha Singh C) Norman Pritchard D) Dhyan Chand
Ans: B -
The official motto of Commonwealth Games introduced in 2018 is
A) Faster-Higher-Stronger B) Humanity-Equality-Destiny
C) One World One Dream D) Share the Spirit
Ans: B -
Which sport was dropped from the 2022 CWG programme?
A) Badminton B) Shooting C) Wrestling D) Weightlifting
Ans: B -
The Queen’s Baton Relay tradition started in which CWG edition?
A) 1930 B) 1958 C) 1998 D) 2006
Ans: B -
Which athlete has won the maximum CWG gold medals?
A) Usain Bolt B) Ian Thorpe C) Michael Phelps D) Sachin Tendulkar
Ans: B -
India’s overall rank in the all-time CWG medal table (till 2022) is
A) 3rd B) 4th C) 5th D) 6th
Ans: B -
First Asian city to host Commonwealth Games was
A) Tokyo B) Seoul C) Kuala Lumpur D) Beijing
Ans: C -
The mascot of CWG 2022 Birmingham was
A) Shera B) Perry C) Borobi D) Clyde
Ans: B -
Which of the following was added as a new medal sport in CWG 2022?
A) Squash B) Women’s Cricket T20 C) Baseball D) Karate
Ans: B -
The Commonwealth Games Federation headquarters is located in
A) Lausanne B) London C) Delhi D) Sydney
Ans: B -
In which CWG did India achieve its highest medal tally?
A) 2010 B) 2014 C) 2018 D) 2022
Ans: A -
The 1998 Commonwealth Games were held in which country?
A) South Africa B) Malaysia C) Canada D) Scotland
Ans: B
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