Melbourne is the capital of the State of Victoria and the second largest city in Australia with a population of nearly 3,500,000 people. The Opening Ceremony and Athletics competition were held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It seats approximately 100,000 spectators.
The Sports that were contested :
Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Bowls, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Hockey, Netball, Rugby 7s, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Triathlon and Weightlifting.71 nations (one less than the 2002 Commonwealth Games of Manchester) participated in the XXVIII Commonwealth Games as Zimbabwe pulled out of the Commonwealth in Dec 2003 after its suspension was extended indefinitely.
At the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, Australia won a total of 8 medals for boxing. The country won five gold medals, which is the highest number of gold medals won in 2006 in this category. India won 1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals in Melbourne. South Africa won 1 gold and 1 silver; while Namibia won 1 gold medal.
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Australia won gold medal in both men’s and women’s hockey. Pakistan won the silver while Malaysia won the bronze medal in men’s hockey. In Women’s hockey India won the silver medal and England won the bronze medal.
Wrestling was not included at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 played in Melbourne.
Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Mascot :
The official mascot of Melbourne 2006 commonwealth Games is Karaka. The bird is named after his distinctive call. This South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo was chosen because he embodies the spirit of the Games.
Karaka is found in Victoria and South Australia. It is now in the verge of extinction. Farmers are working with both Australian and Victorian local communities and governments to preserve their habitat.
There were 247 sports events in 16 sports categories in the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. Around 4,500 athletes participated in this version of the game.
2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games Medal Table |
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 84 | 69 | 68 |
| England | 36 | 40 | 34 |
| Canada | 26 | 29 | 31 |
| India | 22 | 17 | 11 |
| South Africa | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Scotland | 11 | 7 | 11 |
| Jamaica | 10 | 4 | 8 |
| Malaysia | 7 | 12 | 10 |
| New Zealand | 6 | 12 | 13 |
| Kenya | 6 | 5 | 7 |
| Singapore | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Nigeria | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| Wales | 3 | 5 | 11 |
| Cyprus | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Ghana | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Uganda | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Isle of Man | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Namibia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tanzania | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mauritius | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Bahamas | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Northern Ireland | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Cameroon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Botswana | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Malta | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Nauru | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bangladesh | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Grenada | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lesotho | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Seychelles | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Barbados | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Fiji | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mozambique | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Samoa | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Eswatini(Swaziland) | 0 | 0 | 1 |