The Commonwealth Games has a distinguished sporting history and has gone from strength to strength. The first games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada, where 11 countries sent 400 athletes to take part in six sports and 59 events.
Since then, the Games have been held every four years (except for 1942 and 1946 because of the Second World War) and the event has seen many changes, not least in its name. From 1930 to 1950 the Games were known as the British Empire Games, from 1954 until 1966 the British Empire and Commonwealth Games and from 1970 to 1974 they took on the title of British Commonwealth Games. It was the 1978 Games in Edmonton that saw this multi-sports event change its name to the Commonwealth Games.
The 2002 Games in Manchester saw for the first time, full medal events for elite athletes with a disability (EAD) in a fully inclusive sports programme. This will be continued at Glasgow in 2014.
In 2000 the Commonwealth Games Federation created the Commonwealth Youth Games, open to athletes from 14 to 18 years of age. The inaugural Games were in Scotland in Edinburgh. The 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games will be held in the Isle of Man.