1934 British Empire Games
 | |
| Host city | London, England |
|---|---|
| Nations | 17 |
| Athletes | 500 |
| Events | 68 |
| Opening | 4 August 1934 |
| Closing | 11 August 1934 |
| Opened by | George V |
| Athlete's Oath | Robert Howland |
| Main venue | White City Stadium |
The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venues at Wembley Park and the White City Stadium, although the track cycling events were in Manchester. Seventeen national teams took part, including the Irish Free State (the only Games in which they participated, although an all-Ireland team competed at the 1930 Games).[1]
The 1934 Games had been originally awarded to Johannesburg, South Africa, but the change of venue to London was made due to concerns regarding the treatment of black and Asian athletes by South African officials and fans.[2]
Six sports were featured in the Games: athletics in White City Stadium; boxing, wrestling, and aquatics (swimming and diving) in the Empire Pool and Arena, Wembley; cycling in Fallowfield Stadium, Manchester; and lawn bowls at Paddington and Temple.[3] Events for women athletes included a debut in athletics; the previous games had women's events only in swimming and diving.
The Wembley Empire Pool was built specifically for the games on the instruction of Arthur Elvin.[4][5]
Participating nations
(Teams participating for the first time in bold).
Australia.svg.png)
Bermuda.svg.png)
British Guiana.svg.png)
Canada
England (host).svg.png)
Hong Kong
India
Irish Free State*.svg.png)
Jamaica
New Zealand
Newfoundland
Northern Ireland*
Scotland.svg.png)
South Africa.svg.png)
Southern Rhodesia.svg.png)
Trinidad and Tobago
Wales
*The affiliation of Irish athletes at these games is unclear, see Ireland at the British Empire Games § 1934 games
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England* | 29 | 20 | 24 | 73 |
| 2 | Canada | 17 | 25 | 9 | 51 |
| 3 | Australia | 8 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| 4 | South Africa | 7 | 10 | 5 | 22 |
| 5 | Scotland | 5 | 4 | 17 | 26 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | British Guiana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Wales | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 9 | .svg.png){kind=small} Northern Ireland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 | Jamaica | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | Southern Rhodesia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 12 | India | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (12 entries) | 68 | 68 | 68 | 204 | |
Sports
Aquatics
Athletics
Boxing
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flyweight | Pat Palmer (ENG)
|
Maxie Berger (CAN)
|
Jackie Pottinger (WAL)
|
| Bantamweight | Eddie Ryan (ENG)
|
Albert Barnes (WAL)
|
Thomas Wells (SCO)
|
| Featherweight | Charles Catterall (SAF)
|
J. D. Jones (WAL)
|
William Fulton (RHO)
|
| Lightweight | .svg.png){kind=small} Leonard Cook (AUS)
|
Frank Taylor (WAL)
|
Harry Moy (ENG)
|
| Welterweight | Dave McCleave (ENG)
|
Dick Barton (SAF)
|
William Duncan (NIR)
|
| Middleweight | Alf Shawyer (ENG)
|
Leonard Wadsworth (CAN)
|
Jimmy Magill (NIR)
|
| Light heavyweight | George Brennan (ENG)
|
George Holton (SCO)
|
Robey Leibbrandt (SAF)
|
| Heavyweight | Pat Floyd (ENG)
|
Jan van Rensburg (SAF)
|
David Douglas-Hamilton (SCO)
|
Cycling
Lawn bowls
Wrestling
All events were for men only.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bantamweight | Edward Melrose (SCO)
|
Ted McKinley (CAN)
|
Joseph Reid (ENG)
|
| Featherweight | Robert McNab (CAN)
|
Joe Nelson (ENG)
|
Murdoch White (SCO)
|
| Lightweight | Dick Garrard (AUS)
|
G. E. North (ENG)
|
Howard Thomas (CAN)[6]
|
| Welterweight | Joe Schleimer (CAN)
|
William Fox (ENG)
|
Rashid Anwar (IND)
|
| Middleweight | Terry Evans (CAN)
|
Stanley Bissell (ENG)
|
Robert Harcus (SCO)
|
| Light heavyweight | Mick Cubbin (SAF)
|
Bernard Rowe (ENG)
|
Alex Watt (CAN)
|
| Heavyweight | Jack Knight (AUS)
|
Pat Meehan (CAN)
|
Archie Dudgeon (SCO)
|
References
- ^ "Medal Standings London 1934". Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ "London 1934". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- ^ "BODY- LINE BARRED – On the greens at Paddington and Temple take place the less strenuous contest of Empire Games". Pathé News. 9 August 1934. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ "To-Day's Programme". Daily Mirror. 4 August 1934. Retrieved 20 August 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Empire Pool". Gloucestershire Echo. 23 January 1934. Retrieved 20 August 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Wrestling". The Times. 10 August 1934. p. 6 – via Times Digital Archives.
External links
- "London 1934". Commonwealthsport.com. Commonwealth Sport.
- "Results and Medalists—1934 British Empire Games". Thecgf.com. Commonwealth Games Federation
- British Pathe: British Empire Games (1934)
| Preceded by Hamilton |
British Empire Games London II British Empire Games |
Succeeded by Sydney |
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