Why Commonwealth Games Are Played? Well, this is the query that is becoming more and more prevalent right now. So, before we delve too further into this hot topic, let’s just recap the Commonwealth Games. Well, starting with the fundamentals, the 2022 Commonwealth Games kicked out with stunning opening ceremonies hosted in Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, which caused a buzz of excitement among competitors, coaches, and volunteers.
The Commonwealth Games, sometimes known as the Friendly Games, is an international multi-sport event that takes place every four years and is competed in by athletes from countries who are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was initially organized for the first time in 1930, and ever since then, with the exception of the years 1942 and 1946 when it was postponed owing to World War II, it has been held regularly once every four years.
From 1930 to 1950, the games were known as the British Empire Games, from 1954 to 1966 as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games, and from 1970 to 1974 as the British Commonwealth Games.
Since 2002, the Commonwealth Games have been the first international multi-sport event to include athletes with disabilities as full members of their respective country teams, making them the first completely inclusive international multi-sport competition. The Games first created history in 2018 when they had an equal number of medal events for men and women. They then made history again in 2022 when they featured more women’s events than men’s events for the first time. Continue reading to gain an in-depth understanding of the question, “Why Commonwealth Games Are Played?”
Why Commonwealth Games Are Played?
The Commonwealth Games’ purpose is to bring the Commonwealth family together through sport. The core principles of the CGF, which include humanity, equality, and destiny, are embodied throughout the Games themselves. The Commonwealth Games unite the Commonwealth of Nations in an endeavour to improve the sport for all people and provide an even playing field where athletes participate in a spirit of camaraderie and fair play.
Additionally, the Commonwealth Games are held because they are essential to an athlete’s quest for excellence. A medal at these Games might indicate to an athlete that they have arrived and are among the best in the world at their sport because of the high level of competition.
Most importantly, this can significantly boost an athlete’s confidence, which is the basis of any outstanding performance. In point of fact, 53 per cent of the Canadian athletes who participated in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 went on to compete in the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. And of the 22 medals that were awarded at the Rio Games, 14 of them were taken home by competitors who had previously participated in the Glasgow Games in 2014.
The Commonwealth Games are an important stepping stone on the path to achieving success at the Olympic Games. Athletes are able to evaluate how far along they are in the quadrennial cycle and compare their performance to that of their rivals while taking part in a massive sporting event.
This allows the athletes to determine how well they are doing relative to the rest of the field. These Games serve as a straight qualifier for the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 for many Canadian competitors on Gold Coast. These Games could represent the apex of athletes’ non-Olympic sports careers. Thus, you should not take the Commonwealth Games lightly.
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Commonwealth Games 2022
The XXII Commonwealth Games, more popularly referred to as Birmingham 2022, is an international multi-sport event that is being held in Birmingham, England, for members of the Commonwealth of Nations from the 28th of July through the 8th of August in the year 2022. The official name of the event is the Commonwealth Games, while the more familiar name is Birmingham 2022.
Following London in 1934 and Manchester in 2002, England will be hosting the Commonwealth Games for the third time in Birmingham, which was announced as the host city on December 21, 2017. This will be the seventh time the Games have been held in the United Kingdom after London and Manchester, Cardiff in 1958, Edinburgh in 1970 and 1986, and Glasgow in 2014.
It was anticipated that more than one million tickets were already sold for the Games. On July 14, 2021, a ticket ballot was made available to local inhabitants. The primary public ticket ballot was held from August 8th through September 30th, 2021.
On July 28, 2022, the Commonwealth Games opening ceremonies took place at Alexander Stadium. The ceremony would try to highlight Birmingham’s “vivid and energetic confidence,” according to director Iqbal Khan.
The new wave band, Duran Duran from Birmingham, served as the event’s headliners, and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, who is also a native of Birmingham, performed alongside Soweto Kinch during one section of the ceremony. The ceremony to mark the end of the games is set to take place at Alexander Stadium on August 8, 2022. This will include the official handover of the games to Victoria, which will be the host city for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
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Broadcasting Details Of Commonwealth Games 2022
The rights to broadcast the 2022 and 2026 Games in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands were purchased by Sky New Zealand in November 2019. It was announced in July of 2020 that production company Sunset+Vine would serve as the event’s host broadcaster. The event will be aired in the UK by BBC starting in October 2020. In October of 2021, Seven Network made the purchase that gave them the rights to broadcast the 2022 Olympic Games in Australia.
The news that Mediacorp secured the rights to broadcast the 2022 Games in Singapore came out in June of that same year.
India At The Commonwealth Games
Beginning with the second Games in 1934, India has participated in all of the Commonwealth Games with the exception of four of the competitions. India also once served as the host nation in 2010. In these competitions, shooting has been India’s most successful event. In 2010, the Games were held in Delhi, which was hosted by India. With 38 gold, 27 silver, and 36 bronze medals won by Indian sportsmen, it was India’s most successful Commonwealth Games to date. India finished its competition at the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a total of 66 medals (26 gold, 20 silver, and 20 bronze).
With 503 total medals—181 gold, 173 silver, and 149 bronze—India is ranked fourth all-time in the Commonwealth Games medal standings. Rashid Anwar earned the first ever Commonwealth medal for India in 1934, taking home a bronze in the wrestling division.
Is The Commonwealth Games And Olympics The Same?
The 33rd Olympic Games are scheduled to take place in Paris in 2024, whereas the 22nd Commonwealth Games have already started in Birmingham. Although these multi-sport competitions are held every four years, there are some differences between them, including the number of participating nations, the format, and the sports that are included.
The first Olympics were held in 1896 and were a modest competition with few countries taking part. The Commonwealth Games, on the other hand, debuted with its first edition in 1930. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), whose headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, administers the Olympic Games, whereas the Commonwealth Games (CWG) are organized and controlled by the Commonwealth Games Federation in London, England.
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Commonwealth Games vs. Olympic Games:
1. Format
The Olympic Games are split into two groups: able-bodied athletes (Olympics) and athletes with disabilities (Paralympics). On the basis of the season, it can be further subdivided into two different competitions, which are known as the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics. For approximately 17 days, the Olympics are held. On the other hand, the Commonwealth Games are held at the same time for athletes who are able-bodied and those who are disabled. The Commonwealth Games typically last for ten days.
2. Participating Countries
The Olympic Games are open to any nation on the earth, but participation in the Commonwealth Games is restricted to those nations that were formerly controlled by the British Empire. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics featured 206 nations in all. At CWG 2020, there will be a total of 72 teams. While the CWG has 56 members, the Olympics only include 32 nations as honorary members.
3. Events
There will be 280 events in the Commonwealth Games in 2022, spread over 19 sports, and more than 5000 competitors are expected to compete. On the other side, a record 33 competitions and 339 events were held at the Summer Olympics in 2020, which included more than 12,000 athletes.
Tenpin Bowling, Lawn Bowls, Netball, and Squash are the four sports that are featured at the Commonwealth Games but are never featured at the Olympics. Athletes from all around the world participate in both of these quadrennial multi-sport competitions, with the Olympic Games enjoying greater popularity than the Commonwealth Games. It is believed to be more difficult to qualify for the CWG, but the contests themselves are believed to be easier because there are fewer players.
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