Badminton
The sport is not very popular in Commonwealth countries, which is why its inclusion in games was not anticipated. Badminton will be contested in both men’s and women’s singles competitions, as well as in mixed doubles. As in other sporting events, medals will be awarded for 1st through 4th place. The fact that two competitors share one medal can lead to interesting situations where an athlete may win multiple medals based on how many people they defeated and/or what place they achieved relative to other teammates or competitors.
Boxing
Commonly associated with pugilism in its traditional form, boxing involves one-on-one combat between two contestants. While not a part of every Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Boxing Federation President Adam Welfare says that’s changing. Commonwealth Games used to be more of European and British-focused games but you’re seeing them expand their horizons a little bit and incorporate more sports that are popular around the world, he said in an interview with SportsNavi. And boxing is one of those sports that has had great success at recent Olympics as well as in Asia and we expect Commonwealth Games to follow suit. Boxing will be considered a top-notch favorite sport in the future.
Cycling (Track)
Cycling has been a Commonwealth Games sport for a very long time, with events like individual sprint and 1000m time trial contested as early as 1934. Cycling is one of only four sports to have been in every edition of the Commonwealth Games; badminton, athletics, and lawn bowls make up that prestigious list. The men’s road race was also included in 2006 (but did not appear in 2014) and women have recently joined it since 2010. Still, track cycling is where it’s at.
Diving
Commonwealth Games diving is a major component of diving sports in Commonwealth Games.
It features three disciplines:
- Springboard diving,
- Mixed Synchronized Springboard diving,
- Mixed Platform Diving.
Among them, only Mixed Synchronized Springboard Diving was contested at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Victoria Bidoglio won a gold medal for Mixed Synchronized Springboard with Thomas Finchum and Stephanie Brown (both from England). Bergoglio won silver medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics and 2005 World Aquatics Championships in the 3m synchro springboard event.
Gymnastics
Sports in Commonwealth Games include Boxing. The sport is divided into six weight categories for men and five for women, with all boxers weighing in under 56 kilograms (125 pounds) competing in one class. The remaining boxers compete in separate classes based on their weights, although there is no upper limit to how much they can weigh. All of them must wear protective headgear during fights.
Hockey (Men's and Women's)
Despite not being a part of either, ice hockey is included in Commonwealth Games as a men's and women's team sport. Both events have been held since 1958 (the year England hosted its first Commonwealth Games). The winners of each event are awarded gold medals, while silver medals and bronze medals are rewarded to runners-up. Hockey is among the most popular sports in Commonwealth Games history; India has won 15 medals in total (seven gold, four silver, and two bronze), more than any other country. That tally includes seven titles since 2002—an impressive feat considering they were banned from participating between 1970 and 1986 because of their use of field hockey players as replacement athletes in badminton matches at several multi-sport competitions.
Lawn Bowls
The Commonwealth Games began in 1930, and currently include more than 50 sports in each game. However, there is one sport that is never a part of these games: lawn bowls. The Commonwealth Games Federation stipulates that only summer sports can be played to keep competition fair (otherwise, Canada and New Zealand would be heavily favored due to their snowboarding prowess). Lawn bowls will likely be allowed into future editions of these games as they have been deemed mature enough to join a big league. The maximum number of players allowed on each team is four so odds are good that lawn bowlers will show up at future Commonwealth Games soon.
Conclusion
The Commonwealth Games was started in 1930, the Games are organized by the Commonwealth Games Federation. The next Commonwealth Games will be held in 2018, with Australia set to host the event for the second time. As of now, 71 countries participate in the Games. They compete in a total of 21 sports and 7 para-sports.
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