The 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow in 2026 with 3,000 athletes expected to compete across 215 events in 10 different sports.
Known as the second largest multi-sport event in the world and the fourth most watched global sports event, the Games have certainly come a long way since they were first held in 1930.
We have taken a look back at the origins of the quadrennial international multi-sport event taking us from the very beginning through to the modern day.
Routes can be traced back to 19th century
John Astley Cooper was the man who first proposed the idea of a sporting competition involving the British Empire in 1891, five years before the modern Olympics were first held.
Cooper felt the competition would increase goodwill and understanding within the Empire and he garnered support in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa where committees were formed.
However, it wasn't until 1911 that an Inter-Empire Championship was first held as part of the Festival of Empire to celebrate the coronation of George V.
Teams from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa competed across four sports - athletics, boxing, swimming and wrestling - although the Games were not generally well received.
First Games held in Hamilton, Canada
A further 17 years passed by before the idea of the Commonwealth Games was raised again, with John Howard Crocker, the executive of the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada, declaring that he wanted to hold an event involving the British Empire in Hamilton, Ontario.
And so, in 1930, the first Commonwealth Games, known then as the British Empire Games, were staged in Hamilton, with a total of 400 athletes from 11 different countries competing in sports such as athletics, lawn bowls, diving and swimming.
The first gold medal of the Games was won by Canadian Gordon Smallacombe in the triple jump, although he also competed in the high jump and long jump, finishing fifth in the latter.
Both male and female athletes competed at the inaugural Games, but women only took part in the aquatic events.
The next two British Empire Games were held in London (1934) and Sydney (1938) with 15 and 16 countries taking part respectively before the outbreak of World War II meant the fourth edition was not staged until 1950 in Auckland where although only 12 countries were represented, a record 590 athletes competed.
From British Empire to Commonwealth Games
The 1954 Games were held in Vancouver and brought about a change of name to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
That name was used for the next three Games as well in Cardiff, Perth and Kingston, Jamaica before the Commonwealth Games as we know it was adopted for the first time for the Edinburgh Games in 1970.
The 1970 edition also saw metric distances and electronic photo-finish technology used for the first time, while HM Queen Elizabeth II attended the Games for the first time in her role as Head of the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth Games has continued to grow over the last 56 years and the 100th anniversary of the first official Games will be celebrated in 2030 when Ahmedabad, India hosts the 24th edition.
