 | |
| Host city | London, England |
|---|---|
| Nations | 17 |
| Athletes | 500 |
| Events | 68 |
| Opening | 4 August 1934 |
| Closing | 11 August 1934 |
| Opened by | George V |
| Athlete's Oath | Robert Howland |
| Main venue | White City Stadium |
The1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as theCommonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venues atWembley Park and theWhite City Stadium, although the track cycling events were inManchester. Seventeen national teams took part, including theIrish Free State (the only Games in which they participated, although anall-Ireland team competed at the1930 Games).[1]
The 1934 Games had been originally awarded toJohannesburg, South Africa, but the change of venue to London was made due to concerns regarding the treatment of black and Asian athletes by South African officials and fans.[2]
Six sports were featured in the Games with rowing being dropped from 1930 but cycling making its first appearance. Athletics took place at theWhite City Stadium, while boxing, wrestling, and aquatics (swimming and diving) were held at theWembley Empire Pool, where the swimming pool would be converted overnight into an arena with 7,000 additional seats brought in to increase the capacity to 12,000.[3]Lawn bowls was held at two clubs inPaddington andTemple,[4] while the cycling was held at theFallowfield Stadium in Manchester.
Events for women athletes included a debut inathletics; the previous games had women's events in swimming and diving only.
The Wembley Empire Pool was built specifically for the games on the instruction ofArthur Elvin and had been completed in just nine months, opening 10 days before the start of the Games on 25 July.[5][6]
Aquatics (details)
Athletics (details)
Boxing (details)
Cycling (details)
Lawn bowls (details)
Wrestling (details)
(Teams participating for the first time inbold).
*The affiliation of Irish athletes at these games is unclear, seeIreland at the British Empire Games § 1934 games
* Host nation (England)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  England* | 29 | 20 | 24 | 73 |
| 2 |  Canada | 17 | 25 | 9 | 51 |
| 3 |  Australia | 8 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| 4 |  South Africa | 7 | 10 | 5 | 22 |
| 5 |  Scotland | 5 | 4 | 17 | 26 |
| 6 |  New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 |  British Guiana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  Wales | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 9 |  Northern Ireland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 |  Jamaica | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 |  Southern Rhodesia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 12 |  India | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (12 entries) | 68 | 68 | 68 | 204 | |
| Preceded by Hamilton | British Empire Games London II British Empire Games | Succeeded by Sydney |
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