The Games are awarded to Brisbane by default

The Australian city of Brisbane was awarded the 1982 Commonwealth Games after every other candidate city withdrew their bid in 1976.

Few nations were keen on hosting a sports festival following the disastrous Montreal 1976 Olympics. The Montreal Games features huge costs that overran to leave the city with crushing financial debts.

In the following years, bidding on a sports festival anywhere in the world was not good politically and it seemed that only Brisbane were willing rise to the challenge of hosting a Commonwealth Games in 1982.

However, the city of Brisbane, Australia’s third city to host a Commonwealth Games, provided a truly spectacular Games that are still hailed as one of the very best ever.

The opening ceremony featured a 13-metre mechanical kangaroo called Matilda who cheekily winked at the Queen.

To the delight of the Australian crowds, the sun shone brightly throughout the duration of the XII Games As the home nation headed the medal table ahead of England.

One of the highlights of the Games was the men’s 200 metreswhich featured England's Mike McFarlane and Scotland's Allan Wells. So close were the two athletes as the crossed the finish line, the judges failed to separate the pair and both were awarded a gold medal. 

At the closing of the Games Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were driven from the stadium while the Australian team formed a guard of honour and ran beside and behind the car as it circled the stadium several times before finally leaving.  In an iconic moment that sums up the spirit of the Commonwealth Games, team members from other countries also joined in running after the royal car.

Date Games held: September 30-October 9

Number of nations represented: 45

Number of competitors: 1,580

Number of medals awarded: 437