The fourth Commonwealth Paraplegic Games were held in Dunedin, New Zealand from 13 to 19 January 1974. The Games were opened by Sir Denis Blundell, Governor-General of New Zealand.
Participating nations
The competing countries and competitors were:[1]
Three New Zealand based competitors competed by special invitation of the organising committee – T. Cullen, R. Porter and P. Read.
Sports
The following sports were included in the Games:[2]
- Archery
- Athletics
- Dartchery
- Lawn Bowls
- Pentathlon (Archery, Athletics and Swimming Events)
- Shooting
- Snooker
- Swimming
- Table tennis
- Weightlifting (Men Only)
- Wheelchair Basketball (Men Only)
- Wheelchair Fencing
Venues

The following were the venues used for the Games:[3]
| Venue | Sport |
|---|---|
| Caledonian Sports Ground | Athletics, Pentathlon, Wheelchair Basketball |
| Logan Park | Archery, Dartchery, Lawn Bowls, Pentathlon, Slalom |
| University of Otago Physical Education School Gym | Table tennis, Wheelchair Basketball |
| University of Otago Union Hall | Weightlifting, Wheelchair Fencing |
| Moana Pool | Pentathlon, Swimming |
| St Kilda Indoor Rifle Range | Shooting |
| RSA Billiard Room | Snooker |
| Otago Museum | Arts & Crafts Competition and Exhibition |
The Games
Australia’s Gwen Milburn won gold in the women’s 60 m track athletics event.[4] Australia also picked up medals in the bowls event.[5]
The Outstanding Performers in Dunedin
The most successful athlete in Dunedin amongst the men was P. Reid from Jamaica who won 4 gold and 1 silver medal in field events, pentathlon and swimming. Amongst the women the most successful athlete was Caz Bryant from England who won 5 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal in fencing, field events, pentathlon, table tennis and track events.
Medal table
| Nations | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 36 | 29 | 110 | |
| 44 | 33 | 24 | 101 | |
| 29 | 20 | 24 | 73 | |
| 18 | 13 | 10 | 41 | |
| 10 | 21 | 22 | 53 | |
| 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 | |
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | |
| 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | |
| Invitational Athletes | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 150 | 143 | 124 | 417 |
See also
Commonwealth Games hosted in New Zealand
- 1950 Commonwealth Games in Auckland
- 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch
- 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland
References
- ^ Dr N.R. Jefferson – Papers relating to the New Zealand Paraplegic & Physically Disabled Federation Inc.’, 1968–2002, MS-1479. Hocken / Uare Taoka o Hākena, University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand.
- ^ Official Sports Programme – Fourth British Commonwealth Paraplegic Games. Dunedin. 1974.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ “Fourth Commonwealth Paraplegic Games – Dunedin, New Zealand 1974”. paralympicanorak. 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
- ^ “5 archery gold medals”. Canberra Times. 27 July 1974. p. 37. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ “Mayoral Notes”. The Broadcaster. Fairfield, New South Wales. 29 January 1974. p. 2. Retrieved 7 June 2017.