The Commonwealth Games

EVERY four years several countries get together to participate in a sporting event called the Commonwealth Games. The 2022 Commonwealth Games kicked off at the end of July in Birmingham, England.

The multi-sport competition is much like the Olympics and this year 72 countries and territories, including South Africa, Australia, Cameroon and Fiji, are taking part.

During the tournament, sportsmen and -women compete in several events such as boxing, fencing, cricket, cycling, gymnastics and diving. To compete in the games, participants must be amateurs, not professionals, meaning they don’t get paid to play sport. They must also be citizens of a Commonwealth country.

HOW DID THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES START?

The participating countries were all once ruled by Britain. During the 16th century the British spent years exploring the world.

Britain wanted to own more land overseas where it could build new communities known as colonies. This was called the British Empire.

When these countries became independent and had their own governments