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.
 | |
| 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 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
editUnlike 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
editIn 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
editDue to the boycott only 27 teams from across the Commonwealth were represented at the 1986 Games.
| Participating Commonwealth countries and territories |
|---|
|
^ Note: Bermuda withdrew from the games to join the boycott after the opening day of competition.[3] |
| Debuting Commonwealth countries and territories |
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Boycott
edit_boycotting_countries_(red).png)
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
edit
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
edit- 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
edit* Host nation (Scotland)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  England (ENG) | 52 | 43 | 49 | 144 |
| 2 |  Canada (CAN) | 51 | 34 | 31 | 116 |
| 3 |  Australia (AUS) | 40 | 46 | 35 | 121 |
| 4 |  New Zealand (NZL) | 8 | 16 | 14 | 38 |
| 5 |  Wales (WAL) | 6 | 5 | 12 | 23 |
| 6 |  Scotland (SCO)* | 3 | 12 | 18 | 33 |
| 7 |  Northern Ireland (NIR) | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 |
| 8 |  Isle of Man (IOM) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  Guernsey (GUE) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 |  Eswatini (SWZ) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 |  Hong Kong (HKG) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 12 |  Malawi (MAW) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 |  Botswana (BOT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Jersey (JEY) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Singapore (SIN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (15 entries) | 163 | 163 | 176 | 502 | |
Medals by event
editAquatics
editAthletics
editBadminton
editBowls
editBoxing
editCycling
editTrack
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||||
| Time Trial | Martin Vinnicombe (AUS) |
00:01:06 | Gary Anderson (NZL) |
00:01:06 | Max Rainsford (AUS) |
00:01:07 |
| Sprint | Gary Neiwand (AUS) |
Alex Ongaro (CAN) |
Eddie Alexander (SCO) |
|||
| Individual Pursuit | Dean Woods (AUS) |
00:04:44 | Colin Sturgess (ENG) |
00:04:51 | Gary Anderson (NZL) |
00:04:54 |
| Team Pursuit | Australia Glenn Clarke Brett Dutton Bill Hardy Wayne McCarney Dean Woods |
00:04:27 | New Zealand Gary Anderson Russell Clune Stephen Swart Andrew Whitford |
00:04:34 | England Chris Boardman Gary Coltman Rob Muzio Jon Walshaw Guy Rowland |
overtaken |
| 10 Miles (16 Kilometres) Scratch | Wayne McCarney (AUS) |
00:19:41 | Dean Woods (AUS) |
00:19:41 | Gary Anderson (NZL) |
00:19:41 |
Road
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||||
| Road Race | Paul Curran (ENG) |
04:08:50 | Brian Fowler (NZL) |
04:08:50 | Jeff Leslie (AUS) |
04:08:50 |
| Team Time Trial | England Alan Gornall Deno Davie Keith Reynolds Paul Curran |
02:13:16 | New Zealand Blair Cox Graeme Miller Greg Fraine Paul Leitch |
02:14:50 | Northern Ireland Alastair Irvine Cormac McCann Joseph Barr Martin Quinn |
02:16:13 |
Judo (demonstration sport)
editRowing
editShooting
editPistol
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men/Open | ||||||
| 50m Free Pistol | Greg Yelavich (NZL) |
551 | Phil Adams (AUS) Ho Kar Fai (HKG) |
549 | ||
| 50m Free Pistol – Pairs | Canada Tom Guinn Claude Beaulieu |
1099 | England Paul Leatherdale Richard Wang |
1090 | Australia Phil Adams Bengt Sandström |
1085 |
| 25m Centre-Fire Pistol | Bob Northover (ENG) |
583 | Phil Adams (AUS) |
582 | Rod Hack (AUS) |
580 |
| 25m Centre-Fire Pistol – Pairs | Australia Phil Adams Rod Hack |
1165 | England Bob Northover Michael Cutler |
1157 | New Zealand Rex Hamilton Barry O'Neale |
1153 |
| 25m Rapid-Fire Pistol | Pat Murray (AUS) |
591 | Adrian Breton (GGY) |
588 | Mark Howkins (CAN) |
585 |
| 25m Rapid-Fire Pistol – Pairs | England Brian Girling Terry Turner |
1169 | Australia Pat Murray Jack Mast |
1152 | Canada Mark Howkins André Chevrefils |
1150 |
| 10m Air Pistol | Greg Yelavich (NZL) |
575 | Tom Guinn (CAN) |
574 | Gilbert U (HKG) |
574 |
| 10m Air Pistol – Pairs | England Paul Leatherdale Ian Reid |
1143 | Australia Phil Adams Bruce Favell |
1143 | New Zealand Greg Yelavich Barrie Wickins |
1140 |
Rifle
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men/Open | ||||||
| 50m Rifle Prone | Alan Smith (AUS) |
599 | Alister Allan (SCO) |
598 | Gale Stewart (CAN) John Knowles (SCO) |
597 |
| 50m Rifle Prone – Pairs | Canada Michael Ashcroft Gale Stewart |
1175 | Australia Donald Brook Alan Smith |
1171 | Wales Terry Wakefield Colin Harris |
1165 |
| 50m Rifle Three Positions | Malcolm Cooper (ENG) |
1170 | Alister Allan (SCO) |
1167 | Jean-François Sénécal (CAN) |
1150 |
| 50m Rifle Three Positions – Pairs | England Malcolm Cooper Sarah Cooper |
2278 | Canada Jean-François Sénécal Michael Dion |
2276 | Scotland Alister Allan Bill MacNeill |
2241 |
| Full Bore Rifle | Stan Golinski (AUS) |
396 | Alain Marion (CAN) |
396 | John Bloomfield (ENG) |
395 |
| Full Bore Rifle – Pairs | Canada Bill Baldwin Alain Marion |
583 | Australia James Corbett Stan Golinski |
583 | Northern Ireland David Calvert Martin Millar |
582 |
| 10m Air Rifle | Guy Lorion (CAN) |
588 | Sharon Bowes (CAN) |
583 | Malcolm Cooper (ENG) |
582 |
| 10m Air Rifle – Pairs | Canada Guy Lorion Sharon Bowes |
1167 | Australia Wolfgang Jobst Anton Wurfel |
1151 | England Malcolm Cooper Robert Smith |
1146 |
Shotgun
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men/Open | ||||||
| Trap | Ian Peel (ENG) |
195 | Peter Boden (ENG) |
192 | Roland Phillips (WAL) |
192 |
| Trap – Pairs | England Peter Boden Ian Peel |
185 | Northern Ireland Tom Hewitt Eamon Furphy |
183 | Australia Terry Rumbel Domingo Diaz |
183 |
| Skeet | Nigel Kelly (IOM) |
196 | Joe Neville (ENG) |
195 | Brian Gabriel (CAN) |
195[20] |
| Skeet – Pairs | England Joe Neville Ken Harman |
195 | Canada Brian Gabriel Don Kwasyncia |
193 | New Zealand John Woolley Jeff Farrell |
189 |
Weightlifting
edit| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||||
| Flyweight – Overall | Greg Hayman (AUS) |
212.5 | Charlie Revolta (SCO) |
185 | Alan Ogilvie (SCO) |
177.5 |
| Bantamweight – Overall | Nick Voukelatos (AUS) |
245 | Clayton Chelley (NZL) |
217.5 | Teo Yong Joo (SIN) |
215 |
| Featherweight – Overall | Ray Williams (WAL) |
252.5 | David Lowenstein (AUS) |
250 | Jeffrey Brice (WAL) |
235 |
| Lightweight – Overall | Dean Willey (ENG) |
315 | Ron Laycock (AUS) |
307.5 | Langis Côté (CAN) |
290 |
| Middleweight – Overall | Bill Stellios (AUS) |
302.5 | Louis Payer (CAN) |
300 | Neil Taylor (WAL) |
270 |
| Light Heavyweight – Overall | Dave Morgan (WAL) |
350 | Robert Kabbas (AUS) |
325 | Peter May (ENG) |
317.5 |
| Middle Heavyweight – Overall | Keith Boxell (ENG) |
350 | David Mercer (ENG) |
342.5 | Guy Greavette (CAN) |
340 |
| Sub Heavyweight – Overall | Denis Garon (CAN) |
360 | Duncan Dawkins (ENG) |
332.5 | Andrew Saxton (ENG) |
327.5 |
| Heavyweight – Overall | Kevin Roy (CAN) |
375 | Gino Frantangelo (AUS) |
372.5 | Andrew Davies (WAL) |
370 |
| Super Heavyweight – Overall | Dean Lukin (AUS) |
392.5 | David Bolduc (CAN) |
347.5 | Charles Garzarella (AUS) |
342.5 |
Wrestling
edit| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||||
| Light Flyweight | Ron Moncur (CAN) |
Duncan Burns (ENG) |
David Connelly (SCO)
| |||
| Flyweight | Chris Woodcroft (CAN) |
James McAlary (AUS) |
Nigel Donohue (ENG)
| |||
| Bantamweight | Mitch Ostberg (CAN) |
Steve Reinsfield (NZL) |
Brian Aspen (ENG)
| |||
| Featherweight | Paul Hughes (CAN) |
Dan Cumming (AUS) |
Stephen Bell (NZL)
| |||
| Lightweight | Dave McKay (CAN) |
Zsigmund Kelevitz (AUS) |
Steve Cooper (ENG)
| |||
| Welterweight | Gary Holmes (CAN) |
Geoffrey Marsh (AUS) |
Fitz Walker (ENG)
| |||
| Middleweight | Chris Rinke (CAN) |
Wally Koenig (AUS) |
Tony Bull (ENG)
| |||
| Light Heavyweight | Noel Loban (ENG) |
Doug Cox (CAN) |
Graeme English (SCO)
| |||
| Heavyweight | Clark Davis (CAN) |
Robert Algie (NZL) |
David Kilpin (ENG)
| |||
| Super Heavyweight | Wayne Brightwell (CAN) |
Albert Patrick (SCO) |
Keith Peache (ENG)
| |||
See also
edit- 1970 Commonwealth Games, held in Edinburgh
- 2014 Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow.
- 2026 Commonwealth Games, to be held in Glasgow.
References
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "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.
- ^ a b c d e 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
edit- 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 |
