Athletics at the Commonwealth Games

Athletics is one of several sports contested at the quadrennial Commonwealth Games competition. It has been a Commonwealth Games sport since the inaugural edition of the event's precursor, the 1930 British Empire Games. It is a core sport and must be included in the sporting programme of each edition of the Games.

Editions

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Games Year Host city Host country Best nation
I 1930 Hamilton, Ontario  Canada  England
II 1934 London  England  England
III 1938 Sydney, New South Wales  Australia  Canada
IV 1950 Auckland  New Zealand  Australia
V 1954 Vancouver, British Columbia  Canada  England
VI 1958 Cardiff  Wales  Australia
VII 1962 Perth, Western Australia  Australia  Australia
VIII 1966 Kingston  Jamaica  Australia
IX 1970 Edinburgh  Scotland  Australia
X 1974 Christchurch  New Zealand  England
XI 1978 Edmonton, Alberta  Canada  England
XII 1982 Brisbane, Queensland  Australia  England
XIII 1986 Edinburgh  Scotland  England
XIV 1990 Auckland  New Zealand  England
XV 1994 Victoria, British Columbia  Canada  England
XVI 1998 Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia  Australia
XVII 2002 Manchester  England  England
XVIII 2006 Melbourne, Victoria  Australia  Australia
XIX 2010 Delhi  India  Kenya
XX 2014 Glasgow  Scotland  Kenya
XXI 2018 Gold Coast, Queensland  Australia  Australia
XXII 2022 Birmingham  England  Australia

Events

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Men's events

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No new events have been added to the men's athletics programme since the 1998 addition of the 20 km and 50 km racewalks. The roster of events has not changed since then, with the exception of the omission of the 50 km racewalk from 2010 and the 20 km racewalk in 2014. A total of 35 different events have been held in the men's competition, 23 of which were contested at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Many of the discontinued events were similar to modern events but at different lengths as they were contested over distances measured in Imperial units. Events with distances measured in metric units were first contested in 1970.

Event 30 34 38 50 54 58 62 66 70 74 78 82 86 90 94 98 02 06 10 14 18 Games
Current program
100 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
200 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
400 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
800 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
1500 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
5000 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
10,000 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
Marathon X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 21
110 metres hurdles X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
400 metres hurdles X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
3000 metres steeplechase X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 16
4 × 100 metres relay X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
4 × 400 metres relay X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13
20 kilometres race walk X X X X X 5
High jump X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 21
Pole vault X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 21
Long jump X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 21
Triple jump X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 21
Shot put X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 21
Discus throw X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 21
Hammer throw X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 21
Javelin throw X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 21
Decathlon X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 14
Past events
100 yards X X X X X X X X 8
220 yards X X X X X X X X 8
440 yards X X X X X X X X 8
880 yards X X X X X X X X 8
1 miles X X X X X X X X 8
3 miles X X X X X X X X 8
6 miles X X X X X X X X 8
120 yards hurdles X X X X X X X X 8
440 yards hurdles X X X X X X X X 8
20 miles walk X X X 3
30 kilometres race walk X X X X X 5
50 kilometres race walk X X X 3
4 × 440 yards relay X X X X X X X X 8
Events 19 20 19 19 19 19 20 22 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 24 24 24 23 22 23

Women's events

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A total of 34 different events have been held in the women's competition, 23 of which were contested at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The women's program has been identical to the men's program since the 2006 Commonwealth Games (with the exception of the discontinued men's 50 km walk) when the women's 3000m steeplechase was added to the program. The 20 km racewalk was omitted from the program in 2014.

Event 30 34 38 50 54 58 62 66 70 74 78 82 86 90 94 98 02 06 10 14 Games
Current program
100 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X 12
200 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X 12
400 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X 12
800 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X 12
1500 metres X X X X X X X X X X X X 12
5000 metres X X X X X 5
10,000 metres X X X X X X X X 8
Marathon X X X X X X X 7
100 metres hurdles X X X X X X X X X X X 11
400 metres hurdles X X X X X X X X X X X X 12
3000 metres steeplechase X X X 3
4 × 100 metres relay X X X X X X X X X X X X 12
4 × 400 metres relay X X X X X X X X X X X X 12
High jump X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 20
Pole vault X X X X X 5
Long jump X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 20
Triple jump X X X X X 5
Shot put X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 16
Discus throw X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 16
Hammer throw X X X X X 5
Javelin throw X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 20
Heptathlon X X X X X X X X X 9
Past events
110 yards X X X X X X X X 8
220 yard X X X X X X X X 8
440 yard X 1
880 yard X X X 3
1-mile X X X X X X X X 8
3000 metres X X X X X 5
10 kilometres race walk X X X 3
20 kilometres race walk X X X 3
4 × 110 yards relay X X X X 4
4 × 440 yards relay X X X X X X X X 8
Events 7 8 7 7 10 10 11 12 13 15 15 16 17 19 18 22 22 23 23 22

Elite Athletes with a Disability events

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From the 2002 Commonwealth Games a number of events have been included in the program to include elite athletes with disabilities. The inclusion of events in this category has been inconsistent over the four Games where they have been included.

Event 02 06 10 14 Games
Men's 100 metres T12 X X 2
Men's 100 metres T37 X 1
Men's 100 metres T46 X 1
Men's 200 metres T46 X 1
Men's 1500 metres T54 X X 2
Men's shot put F32/34/52 X 1
Men's discus throw F42-44 X 1
Men's discus throw seated X 1
Women's 100 metres T12 X 1
Women's 100 metres T37 X X 2
Women's 800 metres T54 X X 2
Women's 1500 metres T54 X X 2
Women's long jump F37/38 X 1
Women's shot put seated X 1
Women's shot put F32-34/52/53 X 1
Events 2 5 6 6

All-time medal table

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Updated after the 2022 Commonwealth Games

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Australia (AUS)206172141519
2 England (ENG)202215195612
3 Canada (CAN)86100137323
4 Kenya (KEN)786758203
5 Jamaica (JAM)734348164
6 South Africa (RSA)454136122
7 New Zealand (NZL)395053142
8 Nigeria (NGR)27292480
9 Scotland (SCO)20253782
10 Wales (WAL)18182258
11 Bahamas (BAH)11151036
12 Uganda (UGA)116825
13 Trinidad and Tobago (TRI)8141234
14 Northern Ireland (NIR)712221
15 India (IND)6141636
16 Ghana (GHA)581225
17 Tanzania (TAN)55616
18 Botswana (BOT)54211
19 Pakistan (PAK)33612
20 Guyana (GUY)3317
21 Grenada (GRN)3227
22 Namibia (NAM)31913
23 Mozambique (MOZ)2215
24 Barbados (BAR)2158
25 Zambia (ZAM)2013
26 British Virgin Islands (IVB)2002
27 Zimbabwe (ZIM)14813
28 Cyprus (CYP)1438
29 Fiji (FIJ)1225
 Sri Lanka (SRI)1225
31 Bermuda (BER)1135
 Saint Lucia (LCA)1135
33 Malaysia (MAS)1124
34 Cayman Islands (CAY)1012
35 Lesotho (LES)1001
 Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN)1001
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG)1001
38 Cameroon (CMR)0437
39 Dominica (DMA)0213
40 Mauritius (MRI)0112
41 Guernsey (GUE)0011
 Samoa (SAM)0011
 Seychelles (SEY)0011
 Swaziland (SWZ)0011
 The Gambia (GAM)0011
 Vanuatu (VAN)0011
Totals (46 entries)8838728792,634

See also

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