Commonwealth Games 2022: Medal Tally, Daily Schedule, and Updates

Indian Athletes have never failed to impress us with their performances at various international events, be it Neeraj Chopra or Mirabai Chanu, etc.  They deserve every bit of felicitation and appreciation as winning medals for our country or even showcasing sportsman spirit at these highly competitive events, irrespective of the wins is a sign of honour. The beginning of this 21st century marked an improvement in India's standard of performance in sports. The sport of athletics was introduced during the British Raj since then, India has performed immensely well at many events such as the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. 

The Commonwealth (CWG) marked its origins in the first half of the 20th century when an increasing number of states declared their independence from the British Empire. Since the rebirth of the Olympic Games, this very concept of a united Commonwealth event has been discussed amongst Commonwealth nations. Commonwealth Games is aimed at bringing together the members of the British Empire, which were first proposed by Reverend Astley Cooper in 1891, 

This article will discuss its history, sports events, and Commonwealth Games 2022. We will keep updating the winners' list in the ongoing CWG 2022.

History of Commonwealth Games

In 1911, the 'Festival of Empire' was held in London to celebrate the coronation of King George V. An Inter-Empire Championships was held as part of this festival in which teams from Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom competed in various events like boxing, wrestling, swimming & athletics. The championship winner was given a trophy in the form of a silver cup, 2ft 6in high and weighing 340oz, i.e., the gift of Lord Lonsdale was presented to the winning country, Canada.

• Until 1928, no further developments were witnessed; when the Olympic Games were in progress in Amsterdam on the other hand. 

• The magnificent feelings of friendliness that were building among the Empire athletes at this Olympic Games refreshed the idea for the revival of Empire meetings (Empire meetings referred to here means Games organized where several nations participate) and;

• In 1930, the first ever Commonwealth Games, known as the British Empire Games, were held in Canada in Hamilton, Ontario (This is how Empire meetings were revived and inspired by Olympics). 

• 'Bobby Robinson’, a major player in athletics (Canada) back then, was the shining star and limelight of the show. The first Games included 400 athletes from 11 countries. To cover the travelling costs for the visiting countries, the City of Hamilton provided $30,000.

Countries like England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland strongly supported the event by sending their strong teams to Canada. Other teams were from Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, British Guiana, Newfoundland & South Africa. The events at this meeting were composed of track and field athletics, rowing, swimming, boxing and wrestling, and lawn bowls. While no points were allotted, Great Britain filled the premier position.

How many years have Commonwealth Games been held in?

Since 1930, the Commonwealth Games have been held every four years, except in 1942 and 1946 (due to World War II). However, these Games have undergone several name changes as well; here are the names:

• British Empire Games (from 1930 to 1950)

• British Empire and Commonwealth Games (from 1954 to 1966)

• British Commonwealth Games (from 1970 to 1974)

• Commonwealth Games (since 1978)

Ten nations have hosted the Commonwealth Games:

• Australia (1938, 1962, 1982, 2006, 2018)

• Canada (1930, 1954, 1978, 1994)

• New Zealand (1950, 1974, 1990)

• Scotland (1970, 1986, 2014)

• England (1934, 2002)

• Wales (1958)

• Jamaica (1966)

• Malaysia (1998)

• India (2010)

• Birmingham, England (2022)

The country that will be hosting Commonwealth Games 2026 is Victoria, Australia.

Which sports are included in Commonwealth Games?

The first Commonwealth Games only included 6 sports. While, presently, the host nation must include a minimum of 20 core sports, disciplines, and para-sports, In 2022 at Birmingham, these are the main 19 sports included:

• Aquatics

• Athletics

• Badminton

• Basketball

• Beach volleyball

• Boxing

• T20 Cricket

• Cycling

• Gymnastics

• Hockey

• Judo

• Lawn bowls

• Netball

• Rugby sevens

• Squash

• Table tennis

• Triathlon

• Weightlifting

• Wrestling

Note: Some sports are further sub-divided on the official website making it 19+ sports categories. Refer to this link for a complete sports list. 

The three new sports included in 2022 are women’s T20 cricket, three-a-side basketball, and mixed synchronized swimming. This year the games will include 283 medal events with 4500+ athletes participating. Discussing India, 215 Indian athletes are participating in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, comprising 108 males and 107 females. India won no medal on the first day of the Commonwealth Games 2022, which took place on 29th July 2022. But India has opened its medal count from Day 2, 30 July 2022. 

Indian Medal Winners at Commonwealth Games 2022

Medal Tally of all countries

Commonwealth Games 2022 Facts:

Unfortunately, the Tokyo Olympics javelin champion & world championships silver medallist Neeraj Chopra withdrew from Commonwealth Games due to injury, thereby making India fall short of maybe one medal that he could have won if he participated. However, on the other hand, Mirabai Chanu has gracefully become the first Indian athlete to win a Gold medal in Commonwealth Games 2022. 

Conclusion

Indian athletes are performing well at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. India is expected to win more medals with a great start on the event's second day itself. From the medal tally, it is can be presumed that India is acing at weightlifting event along with few other events, as India has been the 2nd most successful nation in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games with 125 medals in the past and topped the charts in 2018 with 9 medals. But, fingers crossed, as we can even witness more wins in different categories as well with each day passing.