The 1930 British Empire Games were the inaugural edition of what now is known as the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

, and were held in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

, from 16 to 23 August 1930. The games were organized by ''

Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation,''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. History ''The Hami ...

'' sportswriter Bobby Robinson after he attended the 1928 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. The events included

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

lawn bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

, and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. Women competed only in aquatic events. The opening ceremonies and many events were held at Civic Stadium (later renamed

Ivor Wynne Stadium Ivor Wynne Stadium (formerly Civic Stadium) was a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The stadium was the home of the Hamilton Tiger ...

) in east Hamilton. The games were opened by the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, ...

Lord Willingdon Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (12 September 1866 – 12 August 1941), was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and ...

on 16 August. Canadian triple jumper

Gordon Smallacombe Gordon Smallacombe (10 February 1907 – 1957) was a Canadian track and field athlete who competed in jumping events. A Torontonian based out of the West End YMCA, he was the gold medallist in the triple jump The triple jump, sometimes ...

would claim a few hours later the debut gold medal.

Sports

* ** ** * * * * *

Participating teams

There were 11 teams participating in these inaugural British Empire Games: * (51) * (1) * (4) * (86) * (60) * (59) * (16) * (37) * (22) * (12) * (50)

Medal table

Venues

Notable venues include: * Prince of Wales Public School – Male Accommodation * Royal Connaught Hotel – Female Accommodation * Civic Stadium – Athletics, Opening and Closing ceremonies * Hamilton Municipal Pool – Aquatics

References

External links

"Hamilton 1930"
''Thecgf.com''. Commonwealth Games Federation.
"Results and Medalists—1930 British Empire Games"
''Thecgf.com''. Commonwealth Games Federation. {{Portal bar, Sports, Canada, Ontario History of Hamilton, Ontario International sports competitions hosted by Canada Commonwealth Games in Canada British Empire Games 1930 in Canadian sports Commonwealth Games by year 1930 in Ontario August 1930 sports events Sports competitions in Hamilton, Ontario 20th century in Hamilton, Ontario