Mascots & Motto of All Commonwealth Games | From past to present

Mascots and motto have always been the point of attraction in the Commonwealth Games. Mascots make their presence felt by their larger-than-life shape & size. Their cute, chubby nature, adorable dancing steps and just a wave to the crowd spread the wave of excitement in the audience.

However, there is a lot more significance of mascots than just entertaining the crowd. Mascots do present the attitude and temperament of the game as well.

Motto are short but strong statements which are mentioned in CWGs and are significant to spreading the message around the world.

Mascots & Motto of all Commonwealth Games

Since 1978, the Commonwealth Games have had a mascot in each edition.

1978: XI Commonwealth Games – Edmonton Canada

This is the first CWG game where the mascots were used. The mascot was a Swan Hills Grizzly Bear native to Alberta named “Keyano”. Grizzlies are one of the largest in the bear category and they are fearsome creatures. Unfortunately, they are leading to extinction. The name ‘Keyano’ means unity and brotherhood.

The motto of the event was “Canada Welcomes the Commonwealth“.

1982: XII Commonwealth Games – Brisbane, Australia

“Matilda” a female Kangaroo was the 1982 Commonwealth Games mascot. Well, it is obvious why a Kangaroo was the mascot as Kangaroos are only found “Land Down Under”. She was massive, to be precise 13-meter (42 feet 8 inches). The point to be noted here is that she was a mechanical kangaroo.

The motto was ‘The Friendly Games‘. People misinterpret Australian people. They are fierce on the field, but when the game is over, they become your best mate. That might be the message given by the motto.

1986: XIII Commonwealth Games – Edinburgh, Scotland

The mascot for this edition of the Commonwealth Games was a Scottish Terrier or simply Scottie. So a Scottie is a dog breed and the name of the mascot was “Mac”. They are a small breed of feisty Terrier usually black with a distinctive shape. Former United States president George Bush also had Scottie as his pet.

There was no official motto of the event, but the event was inaugurated with a theme song “Spirit of Youth”.

1990: XIV Commonwealth Games – Auckland, New Zealand

This time the Commonwealth Games were held in Kiwi country, New Zealand. They followed the suit of Australia in making a mascot. Kiwi is a national bird of New Zealand and the mascot kiwi bird had the name “Goldie”. Strangely and sadly, these species are now in danger of extinction. 

“This is the Moment” was the motto of this edition. During the late 80s and early 90s, the Kiwi country slowly but gradually was rising as a developed country. This motto expressed their arrival on the global stage through a successful hosting of such a big sporting event.

1994: XV Commonwealth Games – Victoria, Canada

The world shifted its attention back to Canada as they were the host of the 1994 Commonwealth Games. A killer whale or orca was the mascot. The name of the mascot was “Klee Wyck”. The name roughly means “the laughing one” and Canada for the 2nd time gracefully welcomed the commonwealth nations just like a killer whale.

“Catch The Spirit” had been used as a motto for this particular edition.

1998: XVI Commonwealth Games – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

These games had one of the largest but gentlest species of this globe; Orang Utan. Just search on YouTube, they might look intimidating, but as the video pans out, you will fall in love with them. The name given to the mascot was “Wira”. The word Wira means warrior in Habasa Malaysia. This mascot presented the nature of Malaysian people; strong but gentle.

Motto- Bersama-sama Gemilangkannya is translated as Together we’ll glorify this moment. Malaysia was also taking small steps on the global stage and this motto sent a message that all the Malaysians will work hard to make this event a successful one and they did it brilliantly.

2002: XVII Commonwealth Games – Manchester, England

Kit was the official mascot of the games held in Manchester, England. Kit belongs to the species Devon Rex. These are the intelligent tall-eared, short-haired cat. The kit is known to be friendly but at the same time mischievous, dynamic, fun, and vibrant.  Eventually, it is a cat and cats are cute but equally cunning.

The motto of the games was “The Spirit of Friendship”.

2006: XVIII Commonwealth Games – Melbourne, Australia

Once again the Commonwealth games were held in sporting country Australia and the mascot was the south-eastern Australian Red-tailed Black Cockatoo. This mascot was referred to as Karak. These birds are quite friendly and they are always have an excitement about everything. Cockatoo has a loud noise and they are playful just like your Aussie mate.

“United by the moment”, was the motto of this edition of the Commonwealth Games. This motto told everyone that despite our differences for several reasons, sports do unite us and power lies only in unity.

2010: XIX Commonwealth Games – Delhi, India

Finally, after so many years, India got a chance to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010. It was the 19th edition. The mascot of the games was ‘Shera’ the tiger. Tiger is a national animal of India and Shera represents the youthful, strong, friendly, intelligent, skillful, and courageous temperament of India.

“Come out and play” acted as a motto for the event. This motto motivated everyone in India to play the games and take a big step towards making India a sporting country rather than just a cricketing country.

2014: XX Commonwealth Games – Glasgow, Scotland.

Glasgow had a very unique mascot. They diverted from a path of ‘animal mascot’ and came out with a ‘plant mascot’. The mascot was Thistle which is a common name for a group of flowering plants characterized by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins. The name given to this mascot was Clyde. This Clyde is now an official mascot for Team Scotland at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

“Bring it on” was the motto of the occasion and it did represent Scotland’s readiness as a nation to compete with other powerhouses.

2018: XXI Commonwealth Games – Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Thanks to the two successful hosting of the CWG events in the past, Australia once again got the opportunity in 2018. The host city was Gold Coast, Queensland. A koala was the mascot of the event. Koalas are very shy and lazy animals who love to sleep day in and day out. They are calm and equally cute.

“Share the Dream” was the motto of this edition of CWG.

2022: XXII Commonwealth Games- Birmingham, England

The 2022 Commonwealth Games are commencing on 28th July and will go on till the 8th of August. The games are once again in England and Perry the bull is a mascot. Perry is named after an area of Birmingham, Perry Barr, within which Perry Park and the main athletics stadium, the Alexander Stadium, are located. Birmingham and a bull have had a long relationship and the mascot perfectly fits this edition.

“Games for Everyone” is the motto of the games and it spreads the message that England is against any form of discrimination and it treats everyone the same.

Conclusion

Commonwealth Games have a long history and some fabulous sporting performances over the years. The mascots are a funny entity but they also spread a larger-than-life message to the entire world along with mottos.

So let’s enjoy the 2022 Commonwealth Games and cheer for our Indian athletes participating in it.

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