GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

As the British Empire Evolved, the 'Friendly Games' Endured

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Tolga Ozyurtcu
Board of Contributors

Apr 16, 2018 | 08:00 GMT

The Commonwealth Games brought together athletes from 71 of the United Kingdom's current and former countries and territories.

Aisha Praught of Jamaica and Genevieve Lalonde of Canada clear the water jump in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase final during the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Carrara Stadium on April 11, 2018, on the Gold Coast in Australia.

(CAMERON SPENCER/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • This year's Commonwealth Games, held in Australia, have drawn a massive global audience to watch a unique blend of competition.
  • The games continue to knit the former subjects of the British Empire, fostering political and economic ties among them.
  • The event has been the scene of protests and demonstrations of anti-colonial sentiment, but it has also served as a forum for dealmaking.

Like the Olympic Games they were modeled after, the Commonwealth Games have seldom been just about the contested sports. However, unlike Olympic claims that politics have no place in sports, the Commonwealth Games -- often called the "Friendly Games" -- have always been bundled with the optimistic sociopolitical aims of fostering understanding and cooperation among member states, although some iterations have been less-than-friendly occasions for protest and boycott....

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