Hamilton 1930

The idea of a sports gathering for the countries of the British Empire was first suggested by Rev Astley Cooper in magazine and newspaper articles in 1891, but it was almost 40 years before it came to fruition.

Plans were made for a Games in the early 20th century, and the Inter-Empire Championships of 1911, in which teams from the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa, competed in sports such as boxing, wrestling, swimming and athletics as part of the Festival of Empire, were seen as a forerunner to a larger event.

It was not until after the First World War, however, that the concept of a quadrennial British Empire Games got off the ground.

In 1928 Bobby Robinson of Canada agreed to organise the first British Empire Games, and two years later Hamilton became the first host.

The event was a success - although it was far removed from the well-financed occasion it has become now and athletes' expectations have certainly risen since.

In Hamilton, competitors were accommodated in a school near the stadium and asked to sleep 24 to a classroom.

In all 400 athletes from Australia, Bermuda, British Guiana (now Guyana), Canada, England, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales competed in athletics, boxing, bowls, rowing, swimming, diving and wrestling.

England finished top of the medals table with 61.

London 1934

The second Games were originally scheduled for Johannesburg but were switched to London in order to avoid political controversy over South Africa's apartheid policy.

Again the event proved a success with five more nations competing alongside the 11 who took part in Hamilton - Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Trinidad and Tobago. It was also the last time Newfoundland competed as a separate nation independent from Canada.

Seven sports featured in the Games - athletics, boxing, cycling, lawn bowls, swimming, diving and wrestling - and for the first time women were to compete in track and field, although care was taken to ensure their events were "not exhaustive". For instance, running events were restricted to short sprints and the 4x440-yard relay was reduced to 4x220 yards for the women.

Around 500 competitors took part in total and England again topped the medals table with 73 - 29 of them gold - ahead of Canada's 51.

Sydney 1938

The Games moved to the southern hemisphere for the first time for their third staging, when a total of 466 athletes from 15 nations took part in seven sports.

Fiji and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) competed for the first time but Hong Kong and Jamaica were absent. Rowing was added to the list of sports.

The opening ceremony took place in front of a crowd of 40,000 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, most of whom were hoping for Australian success.

They were not to be disappointed as the host nation finished top of the medal table with 65 - 24 gold - ahead of England, who accumulated 39. Canada actually claimed more medals, 44, but they managed only 13 golds to England's 15.

Australia's neighbours New Zealand also performed creditably, finishing fifth with 24 medals. Fiji, Bermuda, India, Trinidad and Tobago and Northern Ireland did not win a single medal.

Auckland 1950

After the Games of 1942 and 1946 were cancelled because of the Second World War, the event was revived in 1950 in New Zealand's largest city.

The Kiwis' enthusiasm shone through, with 40,000 attending the opening ceremony at Eden Park and almost 250,000 paying to watch sport during the course of the Games.

A paragraph in the official record of the Games read: "The entrance of the gladiators in the days of ancient Athens and ancient Rome could not have been more impressive than was that Parade at Eden Park on the afternoon of February 4, 1950.

"As one, the crowd stirred by the majesty of the colourful scene, wonderful too in its simplicity, rose to its feet to remain standing throughout the ceremony, cheering to the echo as the parade passed on its way around the stadium."

This time 12 countries took part, with Nigeria and Malaya (now Malaysia) appearing for the first time but Bermuda, British Guiana, Northern Ireland, India and Trinidad and Tobago were unable to compete.

Nine sports were featured, with fencing and weightlifting included for the first time. A total of 590 athletes, 495 male and 95 female, took part.

The host nation acquitted themselves well, New Zealand finishing third in the medal table behind Australia and England. Australia won 80 medals in total, 34 gold, with England claiming 48. Again the Kiwis beat them overall, taking 52, but they won only 10 golds compared to England's 19.

Vancouver 1954

The Vancouver Games was memorable for the first competitive meeting between middle-distance legends Roger Bannister and John Landy.

The pair had both broken new ground that year by becoming the first men to run a mile in under four minutes - Englishman Bannister beat his Australian rival to it by six weeks - and their race was eagerly anticipated.

It lived up to expectations with Landy leading for most of the race only to be overtaken by Bannister in the closing stages. Both clocked sub four-minute times.

The profile of the Games increased considerably in 1954, with 24 nations sending 662 athletes to compete. The Bahamas, Barbados, Gold Coast (now Ghana), Kenya, Pakistan and Uganda took part for the first time while Northern and Southern Rhodesia were separate entities.

Vancouver was also widely considered to have set new standards in terms of facilities and organisation, not only for the Commonwealth Games, but any sporting event.

England regained its eminent position at the top of the medals table ahead of Australia and South Africa.

A subtle but significant change was also made to the name in Vancouver with the event now being known as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The Games' old flag was retired and the practice of the teams being led out by a single flagbearer carrying the Union Jack at the opening ceremony was also discontinued.

Cardiff 1958

Welsh capital Cardiff, originally scheduled to host the 1946 Games, finally got its chance to play host 12 years later.

The event continued to grow with 35 nations competing, including Isle of Man, Jersey and Singapore for the first time, and 1,130 athletes involved. It was the largest sporting event ever held in Wales.

Wales proved a good host but the Games saw the first murmurings of serious political discontent over the participation of South Africa, who were selecting their teams on race rather than ability. Cardiff proved to be South Africa's last appearance until 1994 as the country withdrew from the Commonwealth under pressure in 1961.

Wales managed to claim 11 medals, including a gold for Howard Winstone in the bantamweight boxing. John Merriman won their only track and field medal with a silver in the six-mile race.

England again dominated and topped the table by winning 80 medals, 29 of them gold. Australia were again second with South Africa third and Scotland fourth.

Perth 1962

Despite searing temperatures - the Australian military were pressed into service to deliver water to athletes - the Games continued to go from strength to strength.

Again 35 nations participated, including newcomers St Lucia, Papua New Guinea, British Honduras and Dominica. Aden - the port city of Yemen which was controlled by Britain - took part by invitation and Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak competed as separate nations for the final time before becoming Malaysia.The temperature before the opening ceremony at the new Perry Lakes Stadium was recorded at 105 degrees Fahrenheit and the mercury dropped little during the event. Yet despite such oppressive heat, Perth excelled, raising the bar yet further in terms of facilities.

Jersey won their first medal with Albert Turmel claiming a bronze in the welterweight boxing.

Kingston 1966

There were fears the Jamaican city would be unable to cope with the influx of more than 1,000 athletes from 34 nations for the 1966 event but these proved largely unfounded.

Again Aden competed, as did Saudi Arabia, and for the first time since 1950 a change was made to the sporting programme. Lawn bowls and rowing were dropped and replaced by badminton and shooting.

England finished top of the medals table once again, ahead of Australia and Canada. England won 80 medals including 33 gold.

Host nation Jamaica managed to score with 12 medals, none of them was gold but they did manage four silvers.

Edinburgh 1970

From 1970, the event became known as the British Commonwealth Games and again the ceremonial flags were changed.

The Edinburgh Games were also the first in which metric distances were used and electronic photo-finish technology was introduced.

Scotland performed well, winning six gold medals. Ian Stewart memorably triumphed in the 5,000 metres while his brother Peter finished fourth. Lachie Stewart, who was no relation, took gold in the 10,000 metres.

Australia again topped the medals table with 36 golds ahead of England's 27. England, however, did win more medals than Australia overall, 84 to 82.

The nations competing increased to 42 in 1970 and the likes of Tanzania, Malawi and St Vincent won medals for the first time.

A total of 1,750 athletes and officials attended the first of two Games to be held in the Scottish capital and Queen Elizabeth II was also present in her capacity as head of the Commonwealth.

On the sporting front, lawn bowls returned to the programme but fencing featured for the last time.

Christchurch 1974

The Christchurch Games were marked for their heavy security presence. After the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, safety was of paramount importance. Security guards surrounded the athletes' village and there were high numbers of police at the sporting arenas.

Nevertheless, Christchurch did produce some memorable sporting moments, not least the stirring success of Jamaica's Don Quarrie, who successfully defended his 100 and 200 metre titles.

Audiences were also further captivated simply because the Games were the first event in New Zealand to be televised in colour.

Only 22 countries managed to get themselves onto the medals table, but Western Samoa, Lesotho and Swaziland featured on it for the first time.

Australia just edged England out at the top of the medals table by 29 golds to 28. Their overall tally of 82 also bettered England by just two.

Edmonton 1978

The name changed again in 1978, with British being dropped from the title for good and the event assuming its modern guise as the Commonwealth Games.

Political problems hampered some of the preparation for the Games, as organisers were forced to play a careful balancing act to avoid a repeat of the boycott of the 1976 Olympics in Montreal by some African nations. That controversy had been caused by a tour of the New Zealand rugby union team to South Africa but further problems in Edmonton were averted and 46 nations attended. Between them they sent 1,405 athletes to the Canadian city.

As host nation, Canada excelled and themedals table for the first time. They won a record 109 medals, 45 of them gold, to leave England and Australia trailing with 88 and 84 respectively.

Brisbane 1982

The Brisbane Games are widely regarded as the best ever. From the moment a 13-metre tall robotic kangaroo called Matilda wowed audiences at the opening ceremony, the Games went without hitch.

There had again been fears of a boycott but these were overcome and Brisbane went on to set new standards.

This time 1,538 athletes from 46 nations took part with hosts Australia edging out England at the top of the medals table by 39 golds to 38. England won one more medal overall, however, 108 to 107.

There was also the remarkable occurrence of England's Mike McFarlane and Scotland's Allan Wells sharing gold in the men's 200 metres after judges were unable to separate the pair.

Edinburgh 1986

The 'Boycott Games'. After carefully managing to steer clear of political controversy throughout the previous two decades, the XIII Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh proved the unlucky one.

Boycott threats over apartheid had hung over the 1974 and 1982 Games but were averted. Edinburgh was not so fortunate as 32 nations, mainly from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, withdrew because of England's links with South Africa.

It still left 26 countries and 1,162 athletes to compete but the Games were overshadowed by the whole fiasco and more low key than on previous occasions.

England finished top of medal table by winning 52 golds to Canada's 51. Australia slipped unusually to third, collecting 40 golds. Their respective overall medal tallies with 144, 117 and 121.

Sporting-wise, rowing made its first return to the Games for the first time in 20 years but it has not been included since.

Auckland 1990

With the threat of another boycott overcome, the Commonwealth Games returned to full strength in 1990 as New Zealand played host for the third time.

A new record of 54 nations took part and 29 of them managed to get onto the medals table, which was topped by Australia with a huge 161, 52 of them gold. England won 129 medals, 47 gold, and Canada 115 with 36 gold. New Zealand were next best, winning 17 gold medals.

Judo made its first appearance in the Commonwealth Games but it has only been included in the programme once since and, for the first time, wrestling did not feature.

Auckland proved a success and re-established the spirit of the 'Friendly Games' after the controversy of Edinburgh.

Victoria 1994

The Commonwealth Games entered a new era as South Africa, apartheid abolished, returned to the fray and the perennial threat of boycotts ended.

This time 63 nations competed, sending nearly 2,450 athletes to Canada. Australia again headed the medals table but Canada impressed as hosts and forced England into third place.

Nigeria made its made by winning more gold medals than New Zealand and India and Hong Kong took part for the final time before returning to Chinese rule.

Kuala Lumpur 1998

The Games broke new ground as it was hosted by an Asian country for the first time in its history.

The event in Malaysia was yet another success, attracting record numbers of participants and television audiences.

Key to this was the introduction of team sports for the first time, with one-day cricket, rugby sevens, field hockey and netball included. Ten-pin bowling and squash also made their debuts.

Cricket and ten-pin bowling have not featured since but the others remain part of the Games programme.

Again the host nation excelled, Malaysia finishing fourth in the medals table behind Australia, England and Canada. Australia 198medals, 80 gold.

Manchester 2002

After two failed Olympic bids, Manchester finally got its chance to host a premier sporting event and the city made sure it put on a show.

The Games were a sporting and logistical triumph and did wonders for Manchester's image.

Triathlon and table tennis were added, judo returned and there was widespread praise for the inclusion of events for elite athletes with a disability (EAD) in the full programme. The EAD sports were athletics, bowls, swimming, table tennis and weightlifting.

Again new records were set with 72 nations competing. Australia won a record 206 medals, 82 gold, to top the medals table. England were second with 165 and 54 and India came in third.

Australian Ian Thorpe made history by claiming six gold medals in the pool and South African Natalie du Toit, a disabled swimmer missing the lower part of her left leg, reached the 800 metres able-bodied freestyle.

Such was the great enthusiasm and uplifting atmosphere that Manchester's famously poor weather held off - until the closing ceremony, when it poured down.