Victoria, Canada 1994
Following the successful Victoria delegation bid to the Commonwealth Games Federation in 1988, the XV Games were held in Canada for the fourth time.
The end of apartheid in the early part of the decade heralded the return of South Africa to the Commonwealth Games and ensured that the era of threatened boycotts was over. Both the opening and closing ceremonies were held at Victoria’s Centennial Stadium, which had undergone a superb refit in honour of the Games.
Sixty-three nations sent 2,557 athletes and 914 officials as the Commonwealth Games burgeoned at Victoria. Nigeria marked its arrival as a Commonwealth sporting force by picking up more Gold medals than both New Zealand and India. Hong Kong said farewell to the Games with the territory becoming a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China in 1997.
Ten sports were featured at the Victoria Games:
- Aquatics (diving, swimming & synchronised swimming)
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Boxing
- Cycling
- Gymnastics
- Lawn Bowls
- Shooting
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
These Games saw the Scottish Team supported for the first time by Walter Scott and Partners as title sponsors and the Scottish team had high hopes of success.
Scotland won 20 medals including six Gold. Amongst the highlights were Yvonne Murray winning gold in the 10,000 metres; Boxing gold for Paul Shepherd in the 51kg weight category; three Lawn Bowls gold medals in the Women’s Pairs (Frances Whyte and Sarah Gourlay), Men’s Singles (Richard Corsie) and Men’s Visually Impaired (Lawson Brand) and Gold for shooter Shirley McIntosh in the Smallbore 50m Rifle Prone.
Go to
Scotland's Highlights for details of the Action in Victoria.