1986 Commonwealth Games
| File:1986 Commonwealth Games logo.svg | |
| Host city | Edinburgh, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Nations | 27 |
| Athletes | 1,660 |
| Events | 161 events in 10 sports |
| Opening | 24 July 1986 |
| Closing | 2 August 1986 |
| Opened by | Elizabeth II |
| Queen's Baton Final Runner | Allan Wells |
| Main venue | Meadowbank Stadium |
The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 24 July and 2 August 1986. This was the second Commonwealth Games to be held in Edinburgh. This event served as a qualifying event for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul for the events that was contested at the Olympic Games. Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries (largely African, Asian and Caribbean states) boycotted the event because of the Thatcher government's policy of keeping Britain's sporting links with apartheid South Africa. The Games were commemorated on the UK’s first-ever £2 circulating coin, which showed a Scottish thistle upon the St. Andrew’s saltire design on the reverse side of the coin.
Organisation
Unlike the 1970 Games in Edinburgh, which were popular and successful, the 1986 Games are ill-famed for the wide political boycott connected with them and the resulting financial mismanagement.[1]
Controversies
In addition to the boycott, further controversy arose when it was revealed that through this much-reduced participation and the resultant decline in anticipated broadcasting and sponsorship revenues, the Organising Committee was facing a big financial black hole. The boycott ended any prospect of securing emergency government assistance. Businessman Robert Maxwell stepped in to offer funding, taking over as chairman; but although he promised to invest £2m, his contribution was just £250,000. On a budget of £14m, the Games opened with a deficit of £3m, which later grew to £4.3m, and instead of putting enough money into the event to save it, the new chairman of the Games asked creditors to forgo half the payment due to them to keep the event out of liquidation. The debt was finally paid off in 1989, with the city of Edinburgh losing approximately £500,000.[2] Several athletes were excluded because they breached the amateurism rules, most notably lawn bowlers Phil Skoglund from New Zealand and Willie Wood from Scotland, both of whom have competed in subsequent Games.
Participating teams
Due to the boycott only 27 teams from across the Commonwealth were represented at the 1986 Games.
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Boycott
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Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries (largely African, Asian and Caribbean states) boycotted the event because of the Thatcher government's policy of keeping Britain's sporting links with apartheid South Africa in preference to participating in the general sporting boycott of that country and the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Consequently, Edinburgh 1986 witnessed the lowest turnout since Auckland 1950.[4] Bermuda was a particularly late withdrawal, as its athletes had appeared in the opening ceremony and in the opening day of competition before the Bermuda Olympic Association decided to formally withdraw.[5]
Opening ceremony
The theme of the opening ceremony celebrated the "Spirit of Youth" and included 6500 Scottish schoolchildren taking part in a series of large Mass Games-style Gymnastics routines. The theme song "Spirit of Youth" was written by Gerard Kenny. The ceremony began on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle from which hundreds of schoolchildren ran down the Royal Mile, through Holyrood Park to Meadowbank Stadium.[7]
Venues
- Balgreen, (Bowls)[8]
- Barry Buddon (Shooting)[9]
- Ingliston Centre (Boxing)[8]
- Meadowbank Stadium (Badminton)[8]
- Playhouse Theatre (Wrestling and weightlifting)[10]
- Royal Commonwealth Pool (Aquatics)[8]
- Strathclyde Park, Glasgow (Rowing)[8]
Medals by country
* Host nation (Scotland)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Flag of England.svg England (ENG) | 52 | 43 | 49 | 144 |
| 2 | File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada (CAN) | 51 | 34 | 31 | 116 |
| 3 | File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia (AUS) | 40 | 46 | 35 | 121 |
| 4 | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand (NZL) | 8 | 16 | 14 | 38 |
| 5 | File:Flag of Wales (1959–present).svg Wales (WAL) | 6 | 5 | 12 | 23 |
| 6 | File:Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland (SCO)* | 3 | 12 | 18 | 33 |
| 7 | File:Ulster Banner.svg Northern Ireland (NIR) | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 |
| 8 | File:Flag of the Isle of Man.svg Isle of Man (IOM) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | File:Flag of Guernsey.svg Guernsey (GUE) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | File:Flag of Eswatini.svg Eswatini (SWZ) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | File:Flag of Hong Kong 1959.svg Hong Kong (HKG) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 12 | File:Flag of Malawi.svg Malawi (MAW) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 | File:Flag of Botswana.svg Botswana (BOT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| File:Flag of Jersey.svg Jersey (JEY) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| File:Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore (SIN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (15 entries) | 163 | 163 | 176 | 502 | |
Medals by event
Aquatics
Athletics
Badminton
Bowls
Boxing
Cycling
Track
Road
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||||
| Road Race | File:Flag of England.svg Paul Curran (ENG) | 04:08:50 | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg Brian Fowler (NZL) | 04:08:50 | File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jeff Leslie (AUS) | 04:08:50 |
| Team Time Trial | File:Flag of England.svg England Alan Gornall Deno Davie Keith Reynolds Paul Curran |
02:13:16 | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand Blair Cox Graeme Miller Greg Fraine Paul Leitch |
02:14:50 | File:Ulster Banner.svg Northern Ireland Alastair Irvine Cormac McCann Joseph Barr Martin Quinn |
02:16:13 |
Judo (demonstration sport)
Rowing
Shooting
Pistol
Rifle
Shotgun
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men/Open | ||||||
| Trap | File:Flag of England.svg Ian Peel (ENG) | 195 | File:Flag of England.svg Peter Boden (ENG) | 192 | File:Flag of Wales (1959–present).svg Roland Phillips (WAL) | 192 |
| Trap – Pairs | File:Flag of England.svg England Peter Boden Ian Peel |
185 | File:Ulster Banner.svg Northern Ireland Tom Hewitt Eamon Furphy |
183 | File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia Terry Rumbel Domingo Diaz |
183 |
| Skeet | File:Flag of the Isle of Man.svg Nigel Kelly (IOM) | 196 | File:Flag of England.svg Joe Neville (ENG) | 195 | File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Brian Gabriel (CAN) | 195[20] |
| Skeet – Pairs | File:Flag of England.svg England Joe Neville Ken Harman |
195 | File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada Brian Gabriel Don Kwasyncia |
193 | File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand John Woolley Jeff Farrell |
189 |
Weightlifting
Wrestling
See also
- 1970 Commonwealth Games, held in Edinburgh
- 2014 Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow.
- 2026 Commonwealth Games, to be held in Glasgow.
References
- ↑ "The forgotten story of … Robert Maxwell's 1986 Commonwealth Games | Sport | theguardian.com". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ↑ "Glasgow makes final call for 2014 Games - Athletics - Scotsman.com". News.scotsman.com. 9 May 2007. Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ Fraser, Graham (25 April 2014). Glasgow 2014: The Bermuda boycott of 1986 that still hurts Archived 11 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. BBC Sport. Retrieved on 19 August 2015.
- ↑ "Scottish independence referendum will increase interest in Glasgow 2014, it is claimed | Glasgow 2014". insidethegames.biz. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ↑ Fraser, Graham (25 April 2014). Glasgow 2014: The Bermuda boycott of 1986 that still hurts Archived 11 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2 November 2014.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 "8 More Nations Join Boycott of Commonwealth Games; Total Now 23". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ↑ "Power From Within – Commonwealth Games 1986 Opening Ceremony – YouTube". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Bell, Daniel (2003). Encyclopedia of international games. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. p. 122. ISBN 0-7864-1026-4.
- ↑ "Barry Buddon Training Centre from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ↑ Ducker, Chris (30 July 1986). "Colossus of Oz fills the stage". Evening Post. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ↑ "Mike Burrell". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Neil Gibson". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Barrie Mabbott". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Shane O'Brien". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Andrew Stevenson". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Don Symon". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Carl Vincent". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Ian Wright". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Andrew Hay". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Day Eight: All the Results". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 August 1986. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
External links
- Commonwealth Games Official Site
- 1986 Commonwealth Games – Australian Commonwealth Games Association official website
- Video of the Opening Ceremony
| Preceded by Brisbane |
Commonwealth Games Edinburgh XIII Commonwealth Games |
Succeeded by Auckland |
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- 1986 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games by year
- 1986 in multi-sport events
- 1986 in Scottish sport
- Commonwealth Games in the United Kingdom
- 1980s in Edinburgh
- International sports competitions in Edinburgh
- International sports boycotts
- July 1986 sports events in the United Kingdom
- August 1986 sports events in the United Kingdom