The Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and has taken place every four years since then. The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held in Birmingham, England from 27 July to 7 August 2022.
There are currently 70 members of the Commonwealth of Nations, with a further nine territories that are associate members. Of these 79 nations and territories, 71 are eligible to take part in the Commonwealth Games. However, as not all countries compete in all sports at the Games, the final number of participating nations is usually lower than this. For example, at the 2018 Commonwealth Games which were held on the Gold Coast, Australia – there were 71 eligible nations but only 72 actually took part (as Gibraltar did not enter any athletes into competition).
So far we know that Wales will not be sending a team to compete at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. This is because Wales is not one of the Home Nations – England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales – that make up Great Britain & Northern Ireland (GBNI), and so does not have its own national Olympic or Paralympic Committee (NOC/PC) or governing body for sport (such as UK Sport in England). As a result, Welsh athletes wishing to compete internationally have to do so under either the GBNI or British flag.
While it had been hoped that an agreement could be reached between Welsh authorities and other NOC/PCs and governing bodies within GBNI that would enable a Welsh team to take part in future editions of the Commonwealth Games – this has yet to happen. Consequently, there will be no Welsh athletes competing individually or as part of a team at Birmingham 2022.