1998 Commonwealth Games
King of Malaysia | |
Closed by | Elizabeth II |
---|---|
Athlete's Oath | Shalin Zulkifli |
Queen's Baton Final Runner | Koh Eng Tong |
Anthem | Forever as One (Roy) |
Main venue | Bukit Jalil National Stadium |
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The 1998 Commonwealth Games (
Host selection
Kuala Lumpur was selected to stage the games at the General Assembly of the Commonwealth Games Federation in Barcelona, Spain during the 1992 Summer Olympics.[1]
City | CGA Name | Votes |
---|---|---|
Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 40 |
Adelaide | Australia | 25 |
Preparation
Venues
- Kuala Lumpur
- National Sports Complex, Malaysia
- National Stadium, Bukit Jalil– Opening/Closing Ceremony, Athletics (Track and field)
- Putra Indoor Stadium – Gymnastics
- National Aquatic Centre – Aquatics (Swimming, Diving, Synchronised swimming)
- National Hockey Stadium – Hockey (men)
- National Squash Centre – Squash
- Juara Stadium – Netball
- National Lawn Bowls Centre – Lawn Bowls
- Other venues
- Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur– Athletics (Marathon)
- Titiwangsa Lake Gardens– Athletics (Race walking (outdoor))
- Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium – Badminton
- Cheras Veledrome, Kuala Lumpur – Cycling (Track)
- Royal Military College, Sungai Besi – Cricket (Heats)
- Victoria Institution – Cricket (Heats)
- Tenaga National Sports Complex – Cricket (Heats)
- Kelab Aman, Ampang – Cricket (Heats, Bronze playoff)
- Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium, Pantai – Hockey (Women)
- Mines Convention Centre – Weightlifting
- Shah Alam Circuit – Cycling (Road)
- Malawati Stadium, Shah Alam – Boxing
- Sunway Pyramid, Subang Jaya – Bowling
- Petaling Jaya Stadium, Petaling Jaya – Rugby
- Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) Kelana Jaya – Cricket (Finals)
- Rubber Research Institute, Sungai Buloh – Cricket (Heats)
- Langkawi International Shooting Range (Lisram) – Shooting
The athletes' village (Vista Kommanwel) with a capacity of 6,000 people is located beside the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil. It consists of three tower blocks of 30 storeys and six hillside blocks of 19 storeys with 1,300 condominiums and an International Shopping Zone. The International Broadcast Centre was constructed at Angkasapuri, Kuala Lumpur, while Mint Hotel (now Nouvelle Hotel) served as the Main Press Centre. State broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia was the host broadcaster of the event.[5]
Opening ceremony
The 16th Commonwealth Games opening ceremony took place on 11 September 1998 at 20:00 MST (UTC+08:00). During the ceremony, approximately 4,840 Soka Gakkai volunteers displayed coloured flip cards which depicted sporting images, flags of the Commonwealth nations and messages that heralded the first games in Asia in the 68 years since their inception. The ceremony was preceded by a pre-show concert by Malaysian pop singers such as Noraniza Idris, Jamal Abdillah, Amy Search, Saleem, Zamani, Ella, Anuar Zain, Ziana Zain, Sheila Majid, Amy Mastura, Ning Baizura and Siti Nurhaliza, performance by local comedian Harith Iskander and 16 paratroopers who descended down the stadium.
The ceremony began with the arrival of dignitaries including the Chairman of Commonwealth Games Federation Michael Fennel, Prince Edward, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the Yang Dipertuan Agong and Malaysian minister of Youth and Sports Muhyiddin Yassin. This was followed by the parade of nations — 69 participating nations, led by mascot Wira and previous games' mascots (Canada being the first country to come into the stadium as host country of the previous games, and Malaysia entering last as hosts).The Singaporean delegation was jeered by the crowd during the parade of nations.[6] Then came a performance about a Malaysian rainforest by 2,000 school children who dressed as birds, bees and flowers.[7]
After the performance, the Queen's message was delivered in the ceremonial baton, which had begun the final stages of its journey on the back of an elephant. 1978 Commonwealth Games badminton gold medal winner Sylvia Ng took the last lap with the baton and handed it off to Koh Eng Tong, a weightlifter who won a gold medal in weightlifting for Malaya in the 1950 British Empire Games, to take the final few feet to Prince Edward.
Contrary to tradition, the games were officially opened by the Malaysian head of state, Yang di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Jaafar by striking the gong three times. A burst of fireworks and blurring of the giant bunga raya and a 16-gun salute which represents 1998 Commonwealth Games being the 16th-edition games, signified the beginning of the games.[8][9][10] The Commonwealth Games flag was then brought into the stadium raised to the theme song of the Games Forever As One written by local composer, Goh Boon Hoe. Malaysian bowler Shalin Zulkifli later take the oath on behalf of the athletes.
The ceremony concluded with a 40-minute performance, titled "Aur di Tebing" (Bamboo at the riverside) with the theme 'Unity towards Progress', which was conveyed through dance, music, and intricate human graphics. 2,000 performers swirled and danced carrying trays of bunga emas (golden flowers) on their heads during a mass silat display. The show told the Malaysian history from ancient Malacca to the present development in Malaysia, its political, economical and technological achievements as well as its people's vision of peace, prosperity and unity and lifestyle.[7]
Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony took place on 21 September 1998 at 20:00 MST (UTC+08:00). The attendees of the ceremony included
The ceremony began with Queen Elizabeth and King Ja'afar's arrival in a limousine, for inspection of guards of honour of the Royal Malay Regiment. The British national anthem God Save The Queen was played followed by Malaysia's national anthem Negaraku. This was followed by a 3-part cultural performance led by a band performance by 400 school students from Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur followed by an upbeat song performance from local artist Jay Jay.
As the protocol says, a 15-minute presentation from Manchester, England, host city of the 2002 edition, was staged which included songs, videos and a live performance from the group New Order at the Albert Square, also the main moment was when message from British Prime Minister Tony Blair was delivered.
A contemporary farewell dance performance by local artists, featured Siti Nurhaliza and Noraniza Idris concludes the cultural performance. Soon afterwards, all the participants, flag-bearers and the volunteers march into the main ground of the stadium and Olympic council of Malaysia president Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah later declared the returning of the flags of all the participating nations.
Then the protocol was resumed and the 69 Commonwealth Games Associations flagbearers positioned themselves in a rostrum and the Commonwealth Games flag was lowered by the Malaysian armed forces. Next, the flag of the Commonwealth Games Federation is lowered by Malaysian Armed Forces personnel to the games theme song, Forever as one and is paraded around the stadium before being folded and handed over to the mayor of Kuala Lumpur, Tan Sri Kamarulzaman Sharif, who handed it over to the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Jamaican Michael Fennel.Fennel handed the flag to the Chief Citizen of Manchester city, Gordon Conquest. Following, the official speeches were delivered and Queen Elisabeth was invited to declare the Games closed. In a new protocol step, the Queen has withdrawn from the stadium alongside the King of Malaysia and other authorities, after the guard of honour march song has played, followed by Auld Lang Syne. The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, later made an announcement to declare 28 September 1998 as a national public holiday to commemorate the nation's success in hosting the games. The ceremony concluded with a concert performed by Six Commonwealth Top Singers representing the six regions of the Commonwealth Federation and local artists.[11][12][13]
Participating teams
Sixty-nine teams were represented at the 1998 Games. The only absent country was Nigeria who suspended from Commonwealth due to the tyrannical dictatorship of Sani Abacha who had died earlier that year.[14]
Participating Commonwealth Games Associations |
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|
Debuting Commonwealth countries and territories |
|
Calendar
OC | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | 1 | Gold medal events | CC | Closing ceremony |
September | 7th Mon |
8th Tue |
9th Wed |
10th Thu |
11th Fri |
12th Sat |
13th Sun |
14th Mon |
15th Tue |
16th Wed |
17th Thu |
18th Fri |
19th Sat |
20th Sun |
21st Mon |
Events | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ceremonies | OC | CC | — | ||||||||||||||
Aquatics | Diving | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||||||||||||
Swimming | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 32 | ||||||||||
Artistic Swimming | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
Athletics | 2 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 46 | ||||||||||
Badminton | ● | ● | ● | ● | 2 | ● | ● | ● | ● | 3 | 2 | 7 | |||||
Bowling
|
2 | 1 | ● | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||
Boxing
|
● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 12 | 12 | ||||||||
Cricket | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Cycling
|
1 | 1 | ● | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 13 | ||||||||
Gymnastics
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 20 | |||||||||
Hockey | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Lawn bowls
|
● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |||||||
Netball | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
Rugby sevens | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
Shooting
|
● | ● | ● | ● | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 31 | ||||
Squash | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 2 | ● | ● | ● | 3 | 5 | ||||||
Weightlifting
|
6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 | ||||||||||||
Daily medal events | 7 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 31 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 39 | 18 | 214 | ||||||
Cumulative total | 7 | 21 | 37 | 49 | 80 | 106 | 130 | 157 | 196 | 214 | |||||||
September | 7th Mon |
8th Tue |
9th Wed |
10th Thu |
11th Fri |
12th Sat |
13th Sun |
14th Mon |
15th Tue |
16th Wed |
17th Thu |
18th Fri |
19th Sat |
20th Sun |
21st Mon |
Events |
Sports overview
The host nation achieved its best-ever haul of ten gold medals which has since been surpassed by its achievement in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, where Malaysia won twelve gold medals.
This is an edition marked by several unprecedented facts in the history of the Commonwealth Games. Not only because it is the first in Asia and the first that was not opened by a member of the royal family.And taking advantage of these factors, the Commonwealth Games Federation decided in
In front of 20,000 fans at the Petaling Jaya Stadium, rugby sevens in particular were an enormous success with New Zealand collecting its 100th Commonwealth Games medal with a 21–12 win over plucky Fiji, (the reigning world champions). Man of the match was the giant Jonah Lomu who had worked tirelessly during the 10-minutes-each-way final. Led by veteran star David Campese, Australia took the bronze beating Samoa 33–12.
In the squash event many had anticipated a close match between Michelle Martin and Sarah Fitz-Gerald who had both comfortably won their respective semi-finals. Fitz-Gerald had won the previous two years' World Opens and Martin the three prior to that and so it was with some surprise to many that Martin took the gold in three straight sets 9–0, 9–6, 9–5. Fitz-Gerald did avenge this defeat in the final of the world championship later that year, in what many people regard as the greatest women's final ever, coming back from 8–2 down in the fifth to retain her title.
Martin also teamed up with Craig Rowland to take the Commonwealth mixed doubles gold.
Erika-Leigh Stirton took five of the six available gold medals in the rhythmic gymnastics only being beaten into second place in the team event in the hosts took gold.[16][17]
Medal table
Only the top ten successful nations are displayed here.
The ranking in this table is consistent with International Olympic Committee convention in its published medal tables. By default, the table is ordered by the number of gold medals the athletes from a nation have won (in this context, a "nation" is an entity represented by a Commonwealth Games Association). The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze medals. If nations are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically by their three-letter country code.[18][19]
- Key
* Host nation (Malaysia)
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Australia | 80 | 61 | 57 | 198 |
2 | England | 36 | 47 | 53 | 136 |
3 | Canada | 30 | 31 | 38 | 99 |
4 | Malaysia* | 10 | 14 | 12 | 36 |
5 | South Africa | 9 | 11 | 14 | 34 |
6 | New Zealand | 8 | 6 | 20 | 34 |
7 | India | 7 | 10 | 8 | 25 |
8 | Kenya | 7 | 5 | 4 | 16 |
9 | Jamaica | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
10 | Wales | 3 | 4 | 8 | 15 |
11 | Scotland | 3 | 2 | 7 | 12 |
12 | Nauru | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
13 | Northern Ireland | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
14 | Zimbabwe | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
15 | Ghana | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
16 | Mauritius | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
17 | Cyprus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Tanzania | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
20 | Bahamas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Mozambique | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
22 | Barbados | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
23 | Lesotho | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
24 | Cameroon | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
25 | Namibia | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
26 | Seychelles | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
27 | Sri Lanka | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
28 | Bermuda | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fiji | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Isle of Man | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Pakistan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
32 | Papua New Guinea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Uganda | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Zambia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Totals (34 entries) | 213 | 213 | 244 | 670 |
Marketing
Logo
The logo of the 1998 Commonwealth Games is an image of the
Mascot
The official mascot of the 1998 Commonwealth Games is an orangutan named Wira (Malay for "warrior" or "hero"). It is said that the orangutan is the largest and probably the most intelligent primate in Asia which lives in the tropical rainforests of Malaysia. The adoption of orangutan as a games' mascot is to represent the friendly personality of Malaysia as the games' host as well as the charm, intelligence, and sporting ability of the participating athletes.[20]
Sponsors
A total of 55 companies and organisations sponsored the games, including Malaysian state-owned enterprises.
- Astro
- Bank Bumiputra Berhad
- Canon Inc.
- DRB-HICOM
- Leopex Sporting Goods
- Kodak
- Malaysia Airlines
- MasterCard
- Maybank
- Pensonic Group
- Nestlé
- PepsiCo
- Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Berhad
- Petronas
- Siemens
- Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme
- Faber-Castell
- Aramas Utama Holdings
- Extol Corporation
- Clipsal
- Electcoms
- Goldtronics
- Grace Distribution
- Permanis
- Macroworld
- Microsoft
- NetCard Corporation
- P.K. Electronics
- Royal Selangor
- Perodua
- Permodalan Nasional Berhad
- Selvex
- Sema Group
- Teknologi Ikram
- Unilever
- Konsortium Perkapalan Berhad
- Pos Malaysia
- Telekom Malaysia
- TH Alliance Asia Pacific
- Genting Group
- Sime Darby
- Antah Group
- Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange
- Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Berhad
- Colgate-Palmolive
- Island & Peninsular Berhad
- Sungei Way Group
- Ajinomoto
- Tenaga Nasional
- Chiyoda Corporation
- BP
- Tourism Publications Corporation
- IOI Group
- Golden Hope
Medals by event
Aquatics
Athletics
Badminton
Boxing
Cricket
Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
Men's cricket | South Africa | Australia | New Zealand |
Cycling
Track cycling
Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
Men's 1000 m individual sprint
|
Darryn Hill Australia |
Sean Eadie Australia |
Barry Forde Barbados |
Women's 1000 m individual sprint
|
Tanya Dubnicoff Canada |
Michelle Ferris Australia |
Lori-Ann Muenzer Canada |
Men's 1000m track time trial | Shane Kelly Australia |
Jason Queally England |
Joshua Kersten Australia |
Women's 3000 m individual pursuit | Sarah Ulmer New Zealand |
Alayna Burns Australia |
Yvonne McGregor England |
Men's 4000 m individual pursuit | Luke Roberts Australia |
Matt Illingworth England | |
Men's 4000 m team pursuit | Robert Hayles
|
Timothy Carswell
| |
Men's 25 scratch race | Michael Rogers Australia |
Shaun Wallace England |
Timothy Barswell New Zealand |
Women's 24 km points race
|
Alayna Burns Australia |
Sarah Ulmer New Zealand |
Annie Gariepy Canada |
Men's 40 km points race
|
Glen Thomson New Zealand |
Rob Hayles England |
Greg Henderson New Zealand |
Road bicycle racing
Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
Women's 28 km individual time trial | Anna Wilson Australia |
Linda Jackson Canada |
Kathy Watt Australia |
Men's 42 km individual time trial | Eric Wohlberg Canada |
Stuart O'Grady Australia |
David George South Africa |
Women's 92 km road race | Lyne Bessette Canada |
Susy Pryde New Zealand |
Anna Wilson Australia |
Men's 184 km road race | Jay Sweet Australia |
Rosli Effandy Malaysia |
Eric Wohlberg Canada |
Gymnastics
(Field) Hockey
Lawn bowls
Netball
Rugby sevens
Shooting
Squash
Bowling
Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
Men's singles | Kenny Ang Malaysia, 6046 points |
Bill Rowe Canada, 5946 |
Warren Rennox Canada, 5850 |
Women's singles | Cara Honeychurch Australia, 6406 |
Maxine Nable Australia, 6028 |
Lai Kin Ngoh Malaysia, 5920 |
Men's doubles | Kenny Ang and Ben Heng Malaysia, 3522 |
Antoine Jones and Conrad Lister Bermuda, 3329 |
Michael Muir and Frank Ryan Australia, 3229 |
Women's doubles | Cara Honeychurch and Maxine Nable Australia, 3678 |
Lai Kin Ngoh and Shalin Zulkifli Malaysia, 3548 |
Pauline Buck and Gemma Burden England, 3536 |
Mixed doubles | Frank Ryan and Cara Honeychurch Australia, 3605 |
Richard Hood and Pauline Buck England, 3560 |
Bill Rowe and Jane Amlinger Canada, 3536 |
Weightlifting
Controversy
1998 Klang Valley Water Crisis
This crisis was blamed on
See also
References
- ^ a b Roper, Alexander. "The Bidding Games: The Games Behind Malaysia's Commonwealth Games". Academia.edu. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ "Kuala Lumpur 1998". thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ^ "The Official Kuala Lumpur 98 - 16th Commonwealth Games Website". kl98.thecgf.com.
- ^ "The Official Kuala Lumpur 98 - 16th Commonwealth Games Website". kl98.thecgf.com.
- ^ "The Official Kuala Lumpur 98 - 16th Commonwealth Games Website". kl98.thecgf.com.
- ^ Jones, Terry (12 September 1998). "Opening ceremonies were as good as they get". Edmonton Sun.
- ^ a b "Opening, closing programmes". Archived from the original on 16 October 2016.
- ^ "1998 Commonwealth Games gloriously officiated". Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ "XVI Commonwealth Games | Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM)". www.sgm.org.my.
- ^ "Glittering Ceremony Marks Commonwealth Games Opening". Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "1998 Commonwealth Games" (PDF).
- ^ "Malaysia made history 10 golds placed nation in fourth place". Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ "Best Ever Commonwealth Games Comes To A Close". Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "CNN - Nigeria suspended from Commonwealth - Nov. 11, 1995". edition.cnn.com.
- ^ Manchester 2002. "Manchester 2002 Bid Book" (PDF).
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link] - ^ "Past Commonwealth Games". CGF. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ "Successful People from Our Neighborhood - Erika-Leigh Howard (Stirton) - Rhythmic Gymnast". 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Results". Archived from the original on 4 May 1999. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Medal". Archived from the original on 22 December 2005. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Games Operation". Official website.
- ^ "RAINFALL PATTERN IN MALAYSIA". 17 October 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
External links
- Media related to 1998 Commonwealth Games at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Official Kuala Lumpur 98 – 16th Commonwealth Games Website Archived 17 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- Unofficial site
- KL 98 Games Archives
- 1998 Games nine msn (now nine.com.au) Australia coverage site
Preceded by Victoria |
Commonwealth Games Kuala Lumpur XVI Commonwealth Games |
Succeeded by Manchester |