Editing Commonwealth Games (section)

==== During the 21st century ====

The [[2002 Commonwealth Games]] were held in [[Manchester]], England. The event was hosted in England for the first time since 1934 and hosted to coincide with the [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II]], head of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]]. In terms of sports and events, the 2002 event was until the 2010 edition the largest Commonwealth Games in history featuring 281 events across 17 sports. The final medal tally was led by Australia, followed by host England and Canada. The 2002 Commonwealth Games had set a new benchmark for hosting the Commonwealth Games and for cities wishing to bid for them with a heavy emphasis on legacy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/games/manchester-2002|title=Manchester 2002|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|language=en|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407120044/https://thecgf.com/games/manchester-2002|archive-date=7 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The theme song for the 2002 Commonwealth Games was called "[[Faith of the Heart|Where My Heart Will Take Me]]".

[[File:MSC, 2006 Commonwealth Games.jpg|thumb|Athletics at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] (MCG) during the [[2006 Commonwealth Games]], [[Melbourne]]]]

The [[2006 Commonwealth Games]] were held in [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria, Australia]]. The only difference between the [[2006 Commonwealth Games|2006 games]] and the [[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002 games]] was the absence of [[Zimbabwe]], which withdrew from the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] after being suspended by the organization in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |last=York |first=Geoffrey |date=November 18, 2024 |title=Commonwealth leaders push for Zimbabwe to rejoin despite tainted elections |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-zimbabwe-commonwealth-readmission-push/ |publisher=The Globe & Mail |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250102114924/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-zimbabwe-commonwealth-readmission-push/ |archive-date=January 2, 2025 |access-date=May 13, 2025}}</ref> For the first time in the history of the Games the [[Queen's Baton Relay|Queen's Baton]] visited every single Commonwealth nation and territory taking part in the Games, a journey of {{convert|180000|km|mi}}. Over 4000 athletes took part in the sporting competitions. Again the Top 3 on the medal table is Australia, followed by England and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/games/melbourne-2006|title=Melbourne 2006|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|language=en|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407120010/https://thecgf.com/games/melbourne-2006|archive-date=7 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The theme song for the 2006 Commonwealth Games was called "Together We Are One".

The [[2010 Commonwealth Games]] were held in [[Delhi]], India. The Games cost $11 billion and were the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games was held in India, also the first time that a [[Republics in the Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth republic]] hosted the games and the second time it was held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 [[The Commonwealth|Commonwealth nations and dependencies]] competed in 21 sports and 272 events. The final [[2010 Commonwealth Games medal table|medal tally]] was led by [[Australia at the 2010 Commonwealth Games|Australia]]. The host nation India achieved its [[India at the 2010 Commonwealth Games|best performance ever in any sporting event]], finishing second overall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/games/delhi-2010|title=Delhi 2010|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|language=en|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407120108/https://thecgf.com/games/delhi-2010|archive-date=7 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Rwanda]] made its Games debut.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=RWA|title=Rwanda|website=thecgf.com|access-date=12 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130063104/http://thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=RWA|archive-date=30 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> The theme song for the 2010 Commonwealth Games was called "Live, Rise, Ascend, Win".

The [[2014 Commonwealth Games]] were held in [[Glasgow]], Scotland. These games were the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland with around 4,950 athletes from 71 different nations and territories competing in 18 different sports, outranking the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games in [[Edinburgh]], capital city of Scotland. [[Usain Bolt]] competed in the [[Athletics at the 2014 Commonwealth Games|4×100 metres relay]] of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and set a [[List of Commonwealth Games records in athletics#Men.27s records|Commonwealth Games record]] with his teammates.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/commonwealth-games/28626118|title=Usain Bolt: Glasgow 2014 gold for Jamaica in 4x100m relay|date=2 August 2014|work=BBC Sport|access-date=28 April 2017|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716171902/http://www.bbc.com/sport/commonwealth-games/28626118|archive-date=16 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The Games received acclaim for their organisation, attendance, and the public enthusiasm of the people of Scotland, with the CGF chief executive Mike Hooper hailing them as "the standout games in the history of the movement".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/games/glasgow-2014|title=Glasgow 2014|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|language=en|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407182710/https://thecgf.com/games/glasgow-2014|archive-date=7 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[2018 Commonwealth Games]] were held in [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]], [[Queensland]], Australia, the fifth time Australia hosted the Games. There were an equal number of events for men and women, the first time in history that a major multi-sport event had equality in terms of events.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.insidethegames.biz/index.php/articles/1042362/gold-coast-2018-to-offer-same-amount-of-medals-for-men-and-women-after-seven-events-added|title=Gold Coast 2018 to offer same amount of medals for men and women after seven events added|access-date=28 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208034918/http://www.insidethegames.biz/index.php/articles/1042362/gold-coast-2018-to-offer-same-amount-of-medals-for-men-and-women-after-seven-events-added|archive-date=8 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/games/gold-coast-2018|title=Gold Coast 2018|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|language=en|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413185707/https://thecgf.com/games/gold-coast-2018|archive-date=13 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[2022 Commonwealth Games]] were held in [[Birmingham]], England. It was the third Commonwealth Games to be hosted in England, following [[1934 British Empire Games|London 1934]] and [[2002 Commonwealth Games|Manchester 2002]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/games/birmingham-2022|title=Birmingham 2022|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|language=en|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407120125/https://thecgf.com/games/birmingham-2022|archive-date=7 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2022 Commonwealth Games coincided with the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II]] and the tenth anniversary of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] and the [[2012 Summer Paralympics]], both staged in [[London]]. The 2022 Commonwealth Games was the last edition to be held under Queen Elizabeth II, before her [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|death]] on 8 September 2022.

On 16 February 2022, it was announced that the [[2026 Commonwealth Games]] would be held for a record sixth time in [[Australia]], but for the first time they would be decentralised, as the state of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] signed as host 'city'. The event were to have four regional clusters mainly focused in [[Bendigo]] region, and another three regional centres. However, in July 2023, the Victorian Premier [[Daniel Andrews]] announced that Victoria would no longer host the 2026 Games.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Australia's Victoria state pulls out of hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games|url=https://news.sky.com/story/victoria-state-pulls-out-of-hosting-2026-commonwealth-games-12922606|access-date=19 July 2023|website=Sky News|language=en}}</ref> The Scottish government later agreed to hold the 2026 games in Glasgow, following Victoria's cancellation, however the games will be "scaled down" with only 10 sports being staged in four venues, and a commitment that public funds would not be required.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2024-09-17 |title=Scotland agrees to host Commonwealth Games in 2026 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8ddeeklxko |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be the first held under the reign of [[King Charles III]].
The three nations to have hosted the Commonwealth Games the most times are Australia (5), Canada (4) and New Zealand (3). With the 2022 games, England increased its number to three. Seven Games have taken place in the countries within the United Kingdom ([[Scotland]] (3) and [[Wales]] (1)), two in Asia ([[Malaysia]] (1) and [[India]] (1)) and one in the Caribbean ([[Jamaica]] (1)).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://thecgf.com/games/story.asp|title=The Story of The Commonwealth Games|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|access-date=28 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416125811/http://thecgf.com/games/story.asp|archive-date=16 April 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The event has been awarded to, but never been held in, Africa, with [[Durban]] being stripped of the 2022 Games following financial issues.