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In February 1950, New Zealand hosted the British Empire Games - now known as the Commonwealth Games - for the first time. At the time it was by far the biggest international sporting event ever held in this country. Based in Auckland, it took place only a few years after the end of the Second World War and was seen as an opportunity to reinforce New Zealand’s ties with other Commonwealth countries.
Five hundred and ninety athletes from 12 countries competed in 11 sports, watched by a total of 246,694 paying spectators. Highlights included New Zealand’s Yvette Williams winning gold in the long jump and silver in javelin, and Harold Nelson winning the 6-mile race. New Zealand won 10 gold, 22 silver and 22 bronze medals to place third on the medal table behind Australia and England.
The stamps in this series give a taste of the games by showing some athletes in action. The 1950 Empire Games were long remembered as a spectacular sporting event that marked an end to post-war austerity.
$2.30 Yvette Williams – Depicted here winning the long jump, Williams was an outstanding all-round athlete. In 1952 she became the first New Zealand woman to win an Olympic medal. She set a new world long jump record in 1954. Williams was judged by experts to be New Zealand’s best athlete of the 20th century.
$3.60 Women’s 220 yards heats – Daphne Robb of South Africa defeats Dorothea Parker of New Zealand, with Australian Verna Johnston third. The games were attended by competitors from 12 countries.
$4.30 John ‘Dutch’ Holland – Holland won the silver medal in the 440 yards hurdles and along with Dave Batten, Jack Sutherland and Derek Steward won bronze in the 4 x 440 yards relay.
$4.90 Men’s 100-kilometre road race – The cycling road race covered 12 laps of a testing circuit in the Auckland suburb of Parnell. While most events took place in Auckland, rowing was held on a recently created hydro lake at Karāpiro in Waikato.
