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The Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) established in 1929 was the national body responsible for Commonwealth Games operations, publicity and development in Australia, specifically providing and organising funding, clothing, travel, accommodation and accreditation of athletes and officials to each Commonwealth Games. The CGA is both an incorporated association and a non-profit organisation.
Up until 2015, it was called Australian Commonwealth Games Association.[1]
Aims
The main functions of the CGA were to:
- promote the ideals of the Commonwealth Games throughout Australia;
- prepare athletes for the Games by providing support such as funding for international competition;
- select athletes, coaches, managers, medical personnel and officials to be included in the Australian Team at the Games;
- coordinate and manage the participation of Program Sports and their respective athletes and officials at the Commonwealth Games;
- contribute to the development of Australia's high performance junior athletes through the Australian Junior Commonwealth Games Squad Program (AJCGS), and through participation in the Commonwealth Youth Games.
History
From the concept of "a British Empire Sports Festival" by the Englishman, J Astley Cooper,[2] the idea was promoted in Australia by B J Parkinson [3] in Victoria and Richard Coombes in New South Wales who was President of the Amateur Athletic Union of Australia.[4]
It was established in October 1929 as the Australian British Empire Games Committee with E.S. Marks as Chairman and James. S.W. Eve as Honorary Secretary.[5] It was also known as Australian British Empire Games Association, Australian British Empire and Australian Commonwealth Games Association.
Administration
Presidents/Chairs
- E.S. Marks 1929-
- Edgar Tanner
- Bill Young
- Les Martyn
- Ray Godkin - 1998
- Sam Coffa 1998-2018 [6]
- Ben Houston 2018-
Honorary Secretary/Secretary-Generals
- James Eve 1929-1969
- Arthur Tunstall 1969-1998
General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
- Perry Crosswhite 1995-2015[6]
- Craig Phillips 2015-
See also
- ^ "Welcome to New Look Commonwealth Games Australia". Commonwealth Games Australia. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "PAN-BRITANNIC GAMES". The Referee. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 25 January 1899. p. 10. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ^ "OLYMPIC COUNCILS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 27 January 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ^ Henniker, Garth; Jobling, Ian F (November 1989), "Richard Coombes and the Olympic movement in Australia: imperialism and nationalism in action", Sporting Traditions, 6 (1): 2–15, ISSN 0813-2577
- ^ The Oxford Companion to Australian Sport. @nd ed. Oxford University Press. 1994. ISBN 0195535685.
- ^ a b "Australian sport leaders 1980-2020". Australian Sport Reflections. 23 May 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
