The world we live in today is a diverse collection of divisions.
Communities, cultures, nationalities, races, religions, regions, political ideologies, you name it- we are divided on so many grounds that it’s almost impossible to get along with someone beyond a certain level.
Amidst so many innumerable divisions, few things in the world have the power to unite. Few things can transcend borders, cultures, religions, and ideologies to bring people together to a sense of belonging. Sports is one of those things.
Sports is not just a preserver of health and fitness but also of the idea of fraternity, of the belief that people can still come together for a common cause irrespective of the various factors that tend to split them apart.
International sports competitions play a major role in propagating the idea of sportsmanship. And the Commonwealth Games are one such event that showcases emerging and established sports talents from across the world.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games, hosted in Birmingham earlier this year, demonstrated a plethora of remarkable performances worth noting. While every participating team deserves appreciation for its performance, some teams performed exceptionally well and found a place at the top of the rankings.
Let’s look at the top 10 countries that performed well in the Commonwealth Games 2022.
Australia
Medals won: 178
Australia retained its top position in the 2022 CWG. With 178 medals to its credit, the Australian team showed its valor across 19 disciplines. Of the total medals won, 67 were gold, 57 were silver, and 54 were bronze.
The Australian team also tops the all-time medal tally of the Commonwealth Games. In its 2022 performance, Australian athletes won medals in Aquatics (Diving, Swimming, and Para Swimming combined), Athletics, Cycling, and Gymnastics, among others.
Swimmer Emma McKeon became the most successful Commonwealth athlete after winning 6 medals in Birmingham, bringing her all-time medal tally to 20. Some other top performers include:
- Ariarne Titmus (Swimming)
- Matthew Richardson (Cycling)
- Rohan Browning (Athletics)
England
Medals won: 176
The host of this year’s Commonwealth Games fell two medals short of topping the medals chart. England’s medal count stands at an impressive 176 medals, of which 57 are gold, 66 are silver, and 53 are bronze. This was England’s highest number of Commonwealth medals to date.
The medals won by Team England span 21 disciplines, with Aquatics, Athletics, and Artistic Gymnastics being the highlights. English participants demonstrated their excellence across categories. Olympic gold-medallist Adam Peaty won gold in Men’s 50 m Breaststroke, while athlete Laura Kenny bagged gold in Women’s 10 km Scratch Race.
Canada
Medals won: 92
The Canadian team became one of the top 3 performers in the 2022 Commonwealth Games with 26 gold, 32 silver, and 34 bronze medals, totaling 92. It also remained at the third position in the all-time Commonwealth rankings.
Out of all the medals, 20 were won in Swimming and Para Swimming alone. Another six medals were won in Diving, bringing the overall Aquatics medal tally to 26. Some of the notable performances were given by:
- Liendo Edwards (Swimming)
- Camryn Rogers (Athletics)
- Maya Laylor (Weightlifting)
India
Medals won: 61
India finished fourth in the 2022 games by winning 61 medals in total. Team India bagged 22 gold, 16 silver, and 23 bronze medals across 12 disciplines.
Indian performance in Birmingham was chiefly a mix of Wrestling, Weightlifting, Boxing, Athletics, and Table Tennis, among other disciplines. Some of the remarkable performances from India include boxer Nikhat Zareen’s 5-0 win in the Over 48-50 kg Final Bout, badminton player P.V Sindhu’s 2-0 win in Women’s Singles, and Sakshi Malik’s winning performance in Women’s Freestyle 62 Kg Gold.
With this feat, India also remains at the fourth position in all-time medal rankings of the Commonwealth Games.
New Zealand
Medals won: 50
New Zealand entered the elite group of the five best-performing nations by bagging 20 gold, 12 silver, and 18 bronze medals across 13 disciplines in the Birmingham 2022 Games.
Cycling won NZ the most success with seventeen medals, of which 10 were gold, 5 silver, and the other 2 bronze. Swimmers and para swimmers of New Zealand also managed to grab 9 medals.
Cyclist Aaron Gate was one of the best performers and clinched 3 gold medals apart from another gold he shared in the Men’s 4000 m Team Pursuit. Swimmer Lewis Clareburt, another top performer, took home 2 gold and 1 bronze medal in the Aquatics events.
Scotland
Medals won: 51
Thirteen gold, eleven silver, and twenty-seven bronze medals sum up Team Scotland’s performance in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The country’s 51-medals-feat has made it grab the sixth position in the final rankings.
Scotland shone in the Aquatics and Cycling events, winning thirteen and eleven medals, respectively. This year saw Scotland’s second-best-ever performance in the Commonwealth Games and the best-ever performance outside their home.
Neah Evans became the first cyclist in her country to win 3 medals, and Laura Muir became the first female Scottish athlete to win the Women’s 1500-meter event.
Nigeria
Medals won: 35
Nigeria proved its mettle in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The African country became the seventh best-performing team in Birmingham by winning 35 medals – twelve gold, nine silver, and fourteen bronze.
Nigeria won medals across 6 disciplines, of which Athletics and Para Athletics proved to be the most fruitful with 10 medals. Nigerian participants also secured 7 medals in Wrestling, 6 in Weightlifting, and 4 medals each in Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis, Para Powerlifting, and Boxing. Some notable participants include:
- Ese Brume
- Taiwo Liadi
- Miesinnei Genesis
Wales
Medals won: 28
Welsh participants garnered 28 medals, of which 8 were gold, 6 silver, and 14 bronze. This medal tally brings Wales to the eighth position in the medal rankings.
Highlights of Team Wales’s impressive performances in Birmingham include 6 medals in Boxing, 7 in Cycling, 3 in Athletics and Para Athletics, and 2 in Aquatics. The country also won medals in Rhythmic Gymnastics, Table Tennis, and Judo, among other sports.
Some of the top performers from Team Wales include:
- Aled Davies (Para-Athletics)
- Loan Croft (Boxing)
- James Ball (Cycling)
- Gemma Natasha Frizelle (Rhythmic Gymnastics)
Malaysia
Medals won: 23
With a total medal tally of 23, Malaysia ended up as the tenth best-performing country at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Team Malaysia won 7 gold, 8 silver, and 8 bronze medals during the 11-day event. Malaysian athletes won medals in a total of 10 sports.
The highest number of medals were won in Badminton, where Malaysia won 5 medals, including 2 gold, 2 bronze, and 1 silver. They also won 2 golds in Weightlifting, 1 in Para Powerlifting, and 2 in Rhythmic Gymnastics. Some of the participants who deserve a shoutout are:
- Thinnah Muralitharan (Badminton)
- Bonnie Gustin (Para Powerlifting)
- Aznil Bin Bidin Muhamad (Weightlifting)
- Joe Ee Ng (Rhythmic Gymnastics)
Wrapping up
The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham saw numerous remarkable performances from different parts of the world as participants got the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities with fellow competitors.
In this blog, we mentioned 10 of the top-performing countries that won the highest number of medals in Birmingham and led the list of 72 participating countries. While each country mentioned here deserves special appreciation, the credit for displaying the original spirit of sports goes to each participating country.
Does reading about sports interest you? Well, another international sporting event is just around the corner— the 2024 Summer Olympics! Make sure to read all about it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How are participating countries ranked in the Commonwealth Games?
Participating countries are ranked based on the number of gold medals they have won. If two countries have won the same number of gold medals, they are then ranked based on the number of silver medals. This tie-braking rule extends up to the bronze-medal count. However, if two or more countries have the same count for all three medals, they are assigned the same rank.
When will the next Commonwealth Games be held?
The next Commonwealth Games, officially called the XXIII Commonwealth Games, are slated to be held in 2026.
Which country will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games?
As of August 2023, no host has been decided yet for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The Games were expected to be held in Victoria, Australia, before Victoria withdrew its bid in July 2023, stating budget concerns. Potential hosts include London, Scotland, and the Gold Coast.