 | |
| Host city | Hamilton, Canada |
|---|---|
| Nations | 11 |
| Athletes | 400 |
| Events | 59 |
| Opening | 16 August 1930 |
| Closing | 23 August 1930 |
| Opened by | Lord Willingdon |
| Athlete's Oath | Percy Williams[1] |
| Main venue | Civic Stadium |
II → | |
The1930 British Empire Games were the inaugural edition of what is now known as theCommonwealth Games, and was held inHamilton, Ontario, from 16 to 23 August 1930.[2][3]
The event was organized byHamilton Spectator sportswriterBobby Robinson after he attended the1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam as manager of the Canadian track and field team and was inspired to create a similar event for the British Empire. After campaigning for the idea among contacts he met at the Olympics, he was asked to organise the first British Empire Games in Hamilton.[4] Fellow Hamilton journalistIvan Miller helped with the organizing committee.[5]
The sports includedathletics,boxing,lawn bowls,rowing,swimming, andwrestling. Women competed only in aquatic events. The opening ceremony and athletics events were held at Civic Stadium (later renamedIvor Wynne Stadium) in east Hamilton.[6]
The event was opened by theGovernor General of Canada,Lord Willingdon, on 16 August. Canadian triple jumperGordon Smallacombe claimed the debut gold medal a few hours later.[1]
The 1930 British Empire Games made use of pedestals for dignitaries to present medals to winning athletes, as proposed by Bobby Robinson. This inspired the Olympic medalpodium ceremonies which began at the1932 Winter Olympics.[7][8]
Aquatics (details)
Athletics (details)
Boxing (details)
Lawn bowls (details)
Rowing (details)
Wrestling (details)
There were 11 teams participating in these inaugural British Empire Games:
* Host nation (Canada)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  England | 25 | 22 | 13 | 60 |
| 2 |  Canada* | 20 | 17 | 17 | 54 |
| 3 |  South Africa | 6 | 4 | 8 | 18 |
| 4 |  New Zealand | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| 5 |  Australia | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 6 |  Scotland | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| 7 |  Wales | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 |  British Guiana | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 |  Ireland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 59 | 57 | 49 | 165 | |
Notable venues include:
| Preceded by – | British Empire Games Hamilton I British Empire Games | Succeeded by London |
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