Winter Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games aim to provide an athletic arena for athletes from former British Colonies and current countries. Representatives from African, Asian, North and South American and island nations would converge to compete in various sports, akin to the Olympics. Due to the success of the Summer Commonwealth Games, a proposal to host Winter Commonwealth Games has moved beyond the planning stages. The Commonwealth Games Federation hopes to introduce the Winter Commonwealth Games in 2012.

  1. The First Host - Kashmir, India

    • Luge is one of many proposed sports.

      The first host for Winter Commonwealth Games is Kashmir, India. Kashmir is the northern most state in India and has yearly snow falls perfect for alpine and cross country skiing. The ski resort at Gulmarg is served by gondolas and lifts. Discussions for hockey, ice skating and curling venues, as well as gravity winter sports (luge, bobsled and skeleton) are being discussed.

    Nations

    • Hard to train for skiing here.

      The Commonwealth Games are some of the oldest organized international competitions. They were started for the English Crown countries to compete against each other. Today, all former British colonies, crown holdings and English-speaking nations formally associated with the United Kingdom are invited to participate. While the Winter Commonwealth games are open to all these nations, many of them are in areas without snowy winters, such as the South Pacific, Africa and Caribbean countries.

    Proposed Events

    • Get the broom and glockenspiel--curling is under consideration for the Winter Commonwealth Games.

      Alpine skiing, cross country-skiing, curling, hockey, figure-skating, biathlon, ski-jumping and gravity sports such as bobsledding and luge are events currently being considered for the Winter Commonwealth Games. Due to the costs of constructing facilities, the gravity sports may not be included for the games.