 | |
| Host city | Edinburgh, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Nations | 42 |
| Athletes | 1,744 (inc. officials) |
| Events | 121 events in 10 sports |
| Opening | 16 July 1970 |
| Closing | 25 July 1970 |
| Opened by | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh |
| Athlete's Oath | Crawford Fairbrother |
| Queen's Baton Final Runner | Jim Alder |
| Main venue | Meadowbank Stadium |
The 1970 British Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 16 to 25 July 1970. This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first time metric units rather than imperial units were used in all events, and also the first time the event was held in Scotland.[1]
Also, the event saw the first unique Games trademark logo: an emblem showing the Games emblem intertwined with a St Andrews Cross and a thistle. The event was followed by the 1970 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games for wheelchair athletes. The 1970 Games was one of the most successful in the history of the event.[2][3]
The Meadowbank Stadium
Host selection
[edit]In August 1966, the bid vote was held in Jamaica. The successful bidder was Edinburgh, Scotland with 18 votes beating Christchurch, New Zealand, with 11.[4] In 1967, an appeal fund was launched, aiming to raise £200,000 towards the cost of running the games.[5]
| City | Country | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | .svg){kind=small} Scotland
|
18 |
| Christchurch |  New Zealand
|
11 |
Participating teams
[edit]
Countries that participated
42 teams were represented at the 1970 Games.
(Teams competing for the first time are shown in bold).
Antigua
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Bermuda
Canada
Ceylon
Dominica
England
Fiji
Ghana
Gibraltar
Grenada: first appearance
Guernsey: first appearance
Guyana
Hong Kong
India
Isle of Man
Jamaica
Jersey
Kenya
Malawi: first appearance
Malaysia
Malta
Mauritius
New Zealand
Nigeria
Northern Ireland
Pakistan
Papua and New Guinea
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Scotland (host)
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Swaziland: first appearance
Tanzania
The Gambia: first appearance
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
Wales
Zambia
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
Venues
[edit]
Pollock Halls of Residence and the Royal Commonwealth Pool
The Meadowbank Sports Centre was built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, at a cost of £2.8 million.[6] It was opened by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent on 2 May 1970.[6] Adjacent to the main stadium were three sports halls for the fencing, badminton and wrestling competitions and a velodrome built at the cost of £90,000.[7][8]
- Athletes' Village – Pollock Halls of Residence[9]
- Athletics, Opening and Closing Ceremonies - Meadowbank Sports Centre[1]
- Badminton – Meadowbank Sports Centre[1]
- Boxing – Murrayfield Ice Rink[1]
- Cycling (track) – Meadowbank Velodrome[1]
- Cycling (road) – Holyrood Park 102 miles (31 circuits)[10]
- Diving – Royal Commonwealth Pool
- Fencing – Meadowbank Sports Centre[1]
- Lawn bowls - Balgreen Bowling Club[1]
- Swimming – Royal Commonwealth Pool
- Weightlifting - Leith Town Hall[1]
- Wrestling – Meadowbank Sports Centre[1]
Medal table
[edit]* Host nation (Scotland)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australia (AUS) | 36 | 24 | 22 | 82 |
| 2 |  England (ENG) | 27 | 25 | 32 | 84 |
| 3 |  Canada (CAN) | 18 | 24 | 24 | 66 |
| 4 |  Scotland (SCO)* | 6 | 8 | 11 | 25 |
| 5 |  Kenya (KEN) | 5 | 3 | 6 | 14 |
| 6 |  India (IND) | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 7 |  Pakistan (PAK) | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| 8 |  Jamaica (JAM) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 9 |  Uganda (UGA) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 |  Northern Ireland (NIR) | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| 11 |  New Zealand (NZL) | 2 | 6 | 6 | 14 |
| 12 |  Wales (WAL) | 2 | 6 | 4 | 12 |
| 13 |  Ghana (GHA) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 14 |  Nigeria (NGR) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 |  Malaysia (MAS) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 |  British Hong Kong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 |  Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 18 |  Zambia (ZAM) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 19 |  Singapore (SIN) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 |  Barbados (BAR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Tanzania (TAN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 22 |  Fiji (FIJ) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Gambia (GAM) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Guyana (GUY) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Isle of Man (IOM) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Malawi (MAW) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Saint Vincent | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (27 entries) | 121 | 121 | 133 | 375 | |
Sports
[edit]- Aquatics
Athletics ()
Badminton ()
Boxing ()
Cycling ()
Fencing ()
Lawn bowls ()
Weightlifting ()
Wrestling ()
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Its a First for Scotland at IXth Commonwealth Games". Leven Mail. 19 February 1969. p. 19. Retrieved 1 January 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Glasgow makes final call for 2014 games". The Scotsman. Johnston Publishing. 9 May 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
- ^ Buttle, Cameron (7 March 2013). "The good and bad of Commonwealth Games". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
- ^ "Edinburgh Get 1970 Games". Glasgow Herald. 8 August 1966. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "S.R.U. gift of £1,000 to Games fund". Glasgow Herald. 9 December 1967. p. 1. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ^ a b Inglis, Simon (1987). Football Grounds of Britain. Collins Willow. ISBN 0-00-218249-1.
- ^ "Edinburgh builds athletes village". Aberdeen Evening Express. 29 June 1970. p. 6. Retrieved 1 January 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Facilities for evey sport". The Scotsman. 2 May 1970. p. 9. Retrieved 16 January 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Remembering Edinburgh's 1970 Commonwealth Games". The Scotsman. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ "Cyclists spin round 'drome at 60 mph". Dalkeith Advertiser. 12 March 1970. p. 10. Retrieved 1 January 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
External links
[edit]- "Edinburgh 1970". Commonwealthsport.com. Commonwealth Sport.
- 1970 British Commonwealth Games – Australian Commonwealth Games official website
| Preceded by Kingston |
British Commonwealth Games Edinburgh IX British Commonwealth Games |
Succeeded by Christchurch |
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