1994 Commonwealth Games

Three bids for the 1994 Commonwealth Games were submitted. Victoria, New Delhi, and Cardiff were the bidding cities. On 15 September 1988, the Commonwealth Games Federation voted to award Victoria the 1994 Commonwealth Games.[1]

1994 Commonwealth Games bidding results

City	Country	Votes
Victoria	Canada	29
New Delhi	India	18
Cardiff	Wales	7

[2]

• University of Victoria – Athletes' Village
• Centennial Stadium – Athletics
• McKinnon Gym – Badminton
• Victoria Memorial Arena – Gymnastics
• Royal Athletic Park – Field Lacrosse (demonstration)
• Royal Theatre – Weightlifting
• Heal's Range – Shooting
• Saanich Commonwealth Place – Aquatics
• Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre – Cycling, Lawn bowls, Wrestling
• Archie Browning Sports Centre (Esquimalt) – Boxing

The 1994 games was the last time team sports were excluded. In 1991, the Commonwealth Games Federation deemed the original setup of ten sports to be obsolete. Beginning with the 1998 games, team sports such as Rugby sevens, Basketball, and Field hockey were added. The decision was taken to encourage more revenue streams from television by making the games more attractive to viewing audiences.

A simple friendly atmosphere was the theme to the Opening Ceremonies. In the presence of Prince Edward, the Athletes had a long march past to their seated area (an idea created four years previously and emulated since at the 2014 Games in Glasgow). Welcome speeches and flag raisings were followed by a precision horse riding display by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A visual and theatrical display by the Four Nations Tribes culminated in a massive Thunderbird symbol covering the entire inner field. This was followed by a flypast by the Snowbirds Canadian Forces aerobatic display team.

In preparation for 1994 Commonwealth Games, a boxing committee was formed in 1989. The chairperson of the boxing committee was Hassan Sunderani, and the initial members were Brian Zelley, Glyn Jones and Mike Sartori.

In the initial stages, of the committee one of the immediate tasks was to prepare a guide as to what was expected at the Games, and to document some history of amateur boxing in the Greater Victoria area. The primary work was done by chairperson Sunderani while the local boxing history was assigned to committee member Zelley, a previous news editor for the British Columbia Amateur Boxing Association in the mid-1980s and a contributor of boxing news to various news outlets in the 1970s and 80s.

The next order of business was to start the process of organising volunteers. The first formal public meeting to begin this process took place in Victoria in the boardroom of the Victoria Commonwealth Games Society on 21 April 1990. The meeting included three of the committee members, a VCHS official, and seven potential volunteers including two former Vancouver Island Amateur Boxing commissioners – Bert Wilkinson and Rick Brough.

The primary decision was to arrange a bigger meeting and consider reviving the Greater Victoria Amateur Boxing Association on a formal or informal basis, and to have former experienced people with some background in the sport of amateur boxing. That meeting took place on 13 May 1990 with 23 persons in attendance and was listed as the "Greater Victoria Amateur Boxing Association Founding Meeting". This would become an important meeting to begin the real work in preparation of volunteers, have a representative attend the 1990 Seattle Goodwill Games to observe, and plan and prepare for a test event in 1993. Preliminary coverage of the 13 May meeting included a piece titled "Approaching Games to lift amateur boxing's profile". The reporter Jeff Rud interviewed Games official John Stothart and boxing committee members Mike Sartori and Brian Zelley.[6]

The 1993 test event was held in August and included some top Canadian boxers such as Dale Brown of Calgary. Brown was highlighted in the local paper with the headlines "Brown building impressive ring career";[7] at the end of the tournament the local Times-Colonist newspaper reported "Tournament was a perfect dry run".[8]

• Knowledge Totem Pole
• Victoria bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games

• 21 April 1990, Minutes of a Meeting of Victoria Boxing Enthusiasts
• 13 May 1990, Minutes of Greater Victoria Amateur Boxing Association Founding Meeting

• Commonwealth Games Official Site
• 1994 Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund website