History of CGF(Commonwealth Games Federation)

A sporting competition bringing together the members of the British Empire was first proposed by Reverend Astley Cooper in 1891 when he suggested a "Pan-Britannic-Pan-Anglican Contest and Festival every four years as a means to increasing the goodwill and good understanding of the British Empire". In 1928, Melville Marks (Bobby) Robinson, a key force in Canadian athletics, was given the responsibility of organising the first British Empire Games, which culminated in the first ever Commonwealth Games held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1930. 400 athletes from eleven countries participated in the first Commonwealth Games. Since then eighteen Games have been conducted at an interval of four years each, except in 1942 and 1946 when the Games were not held due to the Second World War. Over the years, the Games have been re-christened to stay in tune with the changing times. From 1930 to 1954, the Games were known as the ‘British Empire and Commonwealth Games’, from 1966 to 1974, the Games took on the title of ‘British Commonwealth Games’ and since 1978 they have been known as ‘The Commonwealth Games’. Every four years the Games celebrate the shared values, traditions and language of the Commonwealth In 2002, the Games completed a full circle of sorts when it returned to its original birth place in Manchester, United Kingdom. On its return, Manchester was successful in conducting the largest ever Commonwealth Games with record athlete and official participation. Melbourne 2006 recorded a total of 7,000 athletes and officials participating; an all time high in the history of the Games. The Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi holds a promise to perpetuate the evolution of the Games and open New Frontiers and develop New Friendships!

The Commonwealth Games Federation
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), with its headquarters in London, is the supreme authority in all matters concerning the Commonwealth Games. The CGF is governed through its General Assembly and the Executive Board. The Executive Board consists of officers of the CGF and a Regional Vice President from each of the six CGF regions

There are 53 Commonwealth countries represented by 71 Commonwealth Games Associations that can enter a team in the Commonwealth Games because some Commonwealth countries have more than one CGA. An example of this is the United Kingdom, which is a single Commonwealth country, but has seven CGAs, namely, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey. The vision of the CGF is “To promote a unique, friendly, world class Commonwealth Games and to develop sport for the benefit of the people, the nations and the territories of the Commonwealth, and thereby strengthen the Commonwealth”. Underlying every decision made by the CGF are three core values - HUMANITY, EQUALITY and DESTINY. These values symbolise the broad mandate of the Commonwealth and help in inspiring and uniting millions of people. The CGF follows seven principles of conduct to be followed by all associated with it: Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity Accountability, Openness, Honesty, and Non-Discrimination.

The objectives of the Commonwealth Games Federation are:

The role of CGF extends beyond the facilitation of the Commonwealth Games. It influences the outreach of the member nations and strengthens the bond between them. The CGF also supports the Commonwealth Youth Games and Single Sport Commonwealth Championships. The CGF is the custodian of the Commonwealth Games and establishes Games-wide requirements and standards. It oversees conduct of the Games and ensures their appropriate delivery in partnership with the OC and assists to manage Games
constituents’ expectations

To help the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi in organising the best ever Commonwealth Games, the CGF shall work closely with the Organising Committee and shall interact with it in the following ways:

Co-ordination Commission:
Co-ordination Commission comprises of members of the CGF and CGAs – the main responsibility of the commission is to guide and assist the Organising Committee in successful conduct of the Games

CGF members on Executive board of the OC/Infrastructure Co-ordination Committee
The Executive Board of the Organising Committee is the highest decision making body of the OC and has been vested with the over all responsibility for the organisation of the Games. Three members from the CGF are represented on this Board with the objective of providing assistance in decision making and facilitating co-ordination with the CGF on relevant matters. The CEO of the CGF is a member of the Infrastructure Coordination Committee which is chaired by the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Organising Committee and is responsible to ensure that the necessary infrastructure in the city is provided to meet the requirements of the Games.

Visits to the Host City
The CGF members make visits to the host city at regular intervals to apprise themselves of the progress of various activities for the Games. They may meet members of the OC and other stakeholders to assess the progress and assist with their suggestions and advise.

CGKMP (Commonwealth Games Knowledge Management Program)
The CGF has initiated the CGKMP to assist the Organising Committees and its partners to successfully conduct the Commonwealth Games by sharing the learning and experiences from the past Games and providing assistance, guidance, and insights in successfully meeting any challenges in staging one of the world’s great sporting festivals. The CGKMP provides a broad ranging knowledge transfer programme to assist the OC. This includes access to knowledge repositories, workshops, seminars, consulting advice, and other educational initiatives which are tailored to meet specific requirements of the Commonwealth Games.

Information sources provided by the CGF