1982 Commonwealth Games
Encyclopedia
The 1982 Commonwealth Games
were held in Brisbane
, Queensland
, Australia
from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium
(named for Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan
. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery
competitions during the Games. Other events were held at the purpose-built Sleeman Sports Complex in Chandler
.
The Chairman of the 1982 Commonwealth Games was Sir Edward Williams.
The 1982 Commonwealth Games Logo was designed by Hugh Edwards, who was the winner of a nation-wide competition held in 1978. The symbol is derived from the form of a bounding kangaroo. The three bands, forming stylized A's (for Australia), are in colours which are common to flags of many Commonwealth countries.
Matilda the kangaroo
mascot
for the 1982 Commonwealth Games was represented by a cartoon kangaroo, and a gigantic 13-metre (42 feet 8 inches) high mechanical "wink
ing" kangaroo
, who travelled around the stadium and wink
ed at the crowd.
The games were officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh
and closed by Queen Elizabeth II.
Brisbane was awarded by default of being the only Candidate City left at the bid election after Birmingham reversed its decision to submit and application. Nigeria's boycott of the Montreal Summer Olympics made Lagos' bid lobbying impractical. The Montreal Summer Olympics were plagued with cost overruns and bidding on a sports festival anywhere in the world was not good politically.
45 Commonwealth nations and territories took part in the 1982 Commonwealth Games. A total of 1,583 athletes and 571 officials participated in the event. The Griffith University campus was used as an athletes village.
, archery
, badminton, Lawn bowls, boxing
, cycling
, shooting
, swimming, diving
, weightlifting
and wrestling
.
The Bruce Highway
was used for road cycling events, boxing was held at Brisbane Festival Hall
while weightlifting and wrestling were held at Brisbane City Hall
.
was held on a fine but extremely windy day. The wind was so strong that skydivers who going to descend into the stadium were cancelled. Instead they made an entrance at the closing ceremony.
won the Gold Medal
in the event, and Australia won the Silver Medal
—coming second to England by only six seconds.
Other sports which were contested on the first day of competition included swimming and diving, weightlifting, shooting and bowls.
The day was marred by both Australia
and Canada
being disqualified in the 4 x 100 metres relay in swimming (both problems occurring during change-overs. The medals awarded for this race went to England
, Scotland
and New Zealand
.
The day was marred when Canada was again disqualified, this time in the 4 x 200 metres freestyle relay. Canada protested against the winners, Australia, as well as against their own disqualification.
.
rights movement in Australia, which brought to the centre of international media attention the lack of land rights
, poor living condition and suppression of personal and political rights in Queensland in particular, and in Australia as a whole. The protests, which were followed by large-scale arrests, are a significant event in the history of the Australian Aboriginal movement.
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
were held in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium
Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre
The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre , more commonly known by its former names ANZ Stadium or QE II, is a major sporting facility on the south side of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
(named for Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan
Nathan, Queensland
Nathan is a southern suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It was named in 1967 after Sir Matthew Nathan, Governor of Queensland from 1920 to 1926.Nathan is home to Toohey Forest Conservation Park, Griffith University's Nathan campus and the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre which hosted the opening...
. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
competitions during the Games. Other events were held at the purpose-built Sleeman Sports Complex in Chandler
Chandler, Queensland
Chandler is an outer suburb of Brisbane, Australia south-east of the CBD.Chandler was named after Sir John Beals Chandler and is a semi-rural suburb and not yet heavily developed or subdivided.-External links:** *...
.
The Chairman of the 1982 Commonwealth Games was Sir Edward Williams.
The 1982 Commonwealth Games Logo was designed by Hugh Edwards, who was the winner of a nation-wide competition held in 1978. The symbol is derived from the form of a bounding kangaroo. The three bands, forming stylized A's (for Australia), are in colours which are common to flags of many Commonwealth countries.
Matilda the kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for the 1982 Commonwealth Games was represented by a cartoon kangaroo, and a gigantic 13-metre (42 feet 8 inches) high mechanical "wink
Wink
A wink is a facial expression made by briefly closing one eye. A wink is an informal mode of non-verbal communication usually signalling shared hidden knowledge or intent, which may also include, in some contexts, sexual attraction....
ing" kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
, who travelled around the stadium and wink
Wink
A wink is a facial expression made by briefly closing one eye. A wink is an informal mode of non-verbal communication usually signalling shared hidden knowledge or intent, which may also include, in some contexts, sexual attraction....
ed at the crowd.
The games were officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
and closed by Queen Elizabeth II.
Bidding Cities
Bidding for the XII Commonwealth Games was held in Montreal at the 1976 Summer Olympics: Lagos (Nigeria), Brisbane (Australia), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Birmingham (England). On 14 July 1976 it was announced that Brisbane had won the rights to stage the Games after the other candidate cities withdrew bids earlier that year.Brisbane was awarded by default of being the only Candidate City left at the bid election after Birmingham reversed its decision to submit and application. Nigeria's boycott of the Montreal Summer Olympics made Lagos' bid lobbying impractical. The Montreal Summer Olympics were plagued with cost overruns and bidding on a sports festival anywhere in the world was not good politically.
Participating Nations
Sports
Sports contested during the 1982 Commonwealth Games included athleticsAthletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
At the 1982 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events took place at the QE II Stadium in Brisbane, Australia from 3–9 October 1982. A total of 39 events were contested, 23 for men and 16 for women athletes.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:Key:...
, archery
Archery medal winners at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
The following are the archery medal winners at the 1982 Commonwealth Games:...
, badminton, Lawn bowls, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, cycling
Cycling at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
These page represents the results at the Cycling Competition at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia.-Individual Road Race :-Team Time Trial :-1.000m Time Trial:-1.000m Match Sprint:-4.000m Individual Pursuit:...
, shooting
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
, swimming, diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, weightlifting
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
.
The Bruce Highway
Bruce Highway
The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is a part of the Australian National Highway and also part of Highway 1...
was used for road cycling events, boxing was held at Brisbane Festival Hall
Brisbane Festival Hall
Brisbane Festival Hall was an indoor arena, located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.The Festival Hall was originally known as Brisbane Stadium, which was built in 1910. In 1958, the venue was demolished and a new building constructed, by then leading Queensland Construction Company E.J.Taylor &...
while weightlifting and wrestling were held at Brisbane City Hall
Brisbane City Hall
Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entrances in both Ann Street and Adelaide Street...
.
Opening Ceremony (30 September)
The ceremony at the QEII StadiumQueensland Sport and Athletics Centre
The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre , more commonly known by its former names ANZ Stadium or QE II, is a major sporting facility on the south side of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
was held on a fine but extremely windy day. The wind was so strong that skydivers who going to descend into the stadium were cancelled. Instead they made an entrance at the closing ceremony.
Day 1 (1 October)
The first event of the Games was 100 km Road Trial in cycling. EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
won the Gold Medal
Gold Medal
Gold Medal is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2004 on Atlantic Records. It was one of the first albums released in the DualDisc format, but was recalled due to a mastering error which resulted in the final track being partially omitted from the CD...
in the event, and Australia won the Silver Medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
—coming second to England by only six seconds.
Other sports which were contested on the first day of competition included swimming and diving, weightlifting, shooting and bowls.
Day 2 (2 October)
Sports contested included swimming, diving, weightlifting, shooting, cycling, bowls and archery.The day was marred by both Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
being disqualified in the 4 x 100 metres relay in swimming (both problems occurring during change-overs. The medals awarded for this race went to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Day 4 (4 October)
Sports contested included swimming, diving, cycling, athletics, archery, hammer throwing and shooting.The day was marred when Canada was again disqualified, this time in the 4 x 200 metres freestyle relay. Canada protested against the winners, Australia, as well as against their own disqualification.
Closing Ceremony
Elizabeth II closed the Games during a colourful ceremony, which included parachute jumpers (who had originally been also intended as part of the Opening Ceremony display) jumping and landing in a special target area within the stadium and red, white and blue balloons. Matilda the Kangaroo also winked at the Queen. Following the closing of the Games, the Queen and Duke left the stand to be driven from the stadium. However, nobody wanted the Games to end and the Australian team formed a 'guard of honour' and ran beside and behind the car in which Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were travelling, as it circled the stadium several times before finally leaving. Team members from other countries also joined in running after the royal car.Medals table
This is the full table of the medal count of the 1982 Commonwealth Games. These rankings sort by the number of gold medals earned by a country. The number of silvers is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze. If, after the above, countries are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically. This follows the system used by the IOC, IAAF and BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
| 1 |  Australia |
39 | 39 | 29 | 107 |
| 2 |  Kingdom of England |
38 | 38 | 32 | 108 |
| 3 |  Canada |
26 | 23 | 33 | 82 |
| 4 |  Kingdom of Scotland |
8 | 6 | 12 | 26 |
| 5 |  New Zealand |
5 | 8 | 13 | 26 |
| 6 |  India |
5 | 8 | 3 | 16 |
| 7 |  Nigeria |
5 | 0 | 8 | 13 |
| 8 |  Wales |
4 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 9 |  Kenya |
4 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| 10 |  The Bahamas |
2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 11 |  Jamaica |
2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 |  Tanzania |
1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 13 |  Malaysia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 |  Fiji |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Hong Kong |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Zimbabwe |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 |  Northern Ireland |
0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 18 |  Uganda |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 19 |  Zambia |
0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 20 |  Guernsey |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 21 |  Bermuda |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Singapore |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Swaziland |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 143 | 141 | 153 | 437 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aboriginal movement protests
The Brisbane Commonwealth Games were also noted by large-scale protests by the AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
rights movement in Australia, which brought to the centre of international media attention the lack of land rights
Aboriginal title
Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism...
, poor living condition and suppression of personal and political rights in Queensland in particular, and in Australia as a whole. The protests, which were followed by large-scale arrests, are a significant event in the history of the Australian Aboriginal movement.
See also
- 1982 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony1982 Commonwealth Games Opening CeremonyThe Opening Ceremony of the 1982 Commonwealth Games was held on 30 September 1982 at the QEII Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia....
- Australia at the Commonwealth GamesAustralia at the Commonwealth GamesAustralia became independent of the United Kingdom in 1901 and officially became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations in 1931 under the Statute of Westminster....
- Australia at the 1982 Commonwealth GamesAustralia at the 1982 Commonwealth GamesAustralia hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Queensland and their team was abbreviated AUS.This was Australia's twelfth of 12 Commonwealth Games having participated in all Games meets up to these Games.-Gold:...
- Canada at the 1982 Commonwealth GamesCanada at the 1982 Commonwealth GamesCanada took part at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane . With a total of 82 medals, Canada ranked third on the medal tally.- Medals :- Gold medalists:Athletics:* Mark McKoy, Men's 100 Metres Hurdles* Milton Ottey, Men's High Jump...