Participation and Performance Trends of Women Athletes in the Commonwealth Games: A Historical Analysis

The Commonwealth Games represent one of the most significant international sporting platforms for examining gender equality in sport. This historical-analytical study investigated the participation and performance trends of women athletes in all contested editions of the Commonwealth Games from 1930 to 2022. Secondary data were collected from official Commonwealth Games Federation records, published reports, and scholarly literature. The analysis focused on women's participation rates, event inclusion, and medal performance trends across different editions of the Games. Findings revealed a remarkable increase in women's participation from approximately 9% of athletes in 1930 to nearly 49% in 2022, alongside a rise in women's events from 12% to gender parity. Policy interventions such as the Brighton Declaration (1994) and the Commonwealth Games Federation Gender Equality Strategy (2016) played a pivotal role in accelerating women's inclusion. The study further demonstrated that women athletes have become major contributors to national medal tallies, particularly in Australia, England, Canada, and India. Despite substantial progress, disparities remain among nations due to socioeconomic, cultural, and infrastructural differences. The study concludes that the Commonwealth Games have served as an effective institutional model for promoting gender equality in international sport.