10 things you need to know about the Commonwealth Games

#1 The first Commonwealth Games

The first Commonwealth Games was hosted by Hamilton, Canada and saw the participation of 400 athletes from 11 countries. The 2014 edition of the games will witness 6500 athletes from 71 countries take part in 17 sports.

#2 Boxing & Judo award 4 medals

Boxing awards TWO Bronze Medals. Since 1958 the third-place is shared by the two beaten semi-finalists. With the dual award being made in each weight category it and Judo are the only sports in the Commonwealth Games which awards FOUR, and not THREE, Medals after each Final.

#3 A record 8th Commonwealth Games for Greg Yelavich

Greg Yelavich, a shooter from New Zealand, could compete in a record eighth Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He has won 12 medals and first competed in Edinburgh in 1986.

#4 Lawn Bowls is exclusive to Commonwealth Games!

Lawn Bowls is the only sport on the Commonwealth Games program, which is not an Olympic event - a reflection of the influence of the former British Empire on the choice of competitions for the Commonwealth Games.

#5 Netball-Only girls play!

Netball was one of three team sports introduced in the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998, and is a female-only sport.

#6 Pool domination by 3 countries!

A measure of just how powerful are the top 3 Commonwealth Games swimming nations is the medal tally. Australia, Canada and England have won 1300 swimming Medals, while the rest of the Commonwealth countries have won only 212 among them.

#7 Eat & break records!

The Soviet Union's Vassily Alekseyev had some interesting eating habits which helped him break 80 World Records. For breakfast he would tuck into a 36-egg omelette. Lunch was a tidy 6 large steaks washed down with 20-pints of beer, and for a bit of variety dinner was a repeat of what he had for lunch