2015 Commonwealth Youth Games

5th Commonwealth Youth Game
Host cityApia, Samoa[1]
Nations65
Athletes807
Events170 in 9 sports
OpeningSeptember 5th
ClosingSeptember 11th
Opened byTufuga Efi[2]
Main venueApia Park
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The 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games, officially known as the V Commonwealth Youth Games, and commonly known as Samoa 2015, was the fifth Commonwealth Youth Games which started in the year 2000. It was held from 5 to 11 September, 2015 in Apia, the capital of Samoa. Samoa were the only bidders for the Games.[3]

All events took place in the capital city, Apia. The opening and closing ceremonies were held in Apia Park, which also hosted the athletics, rugby and tennis competitions. All other events (boxing, swimming, squash, weightlifting and lawn bowls) were hosted in the Faleata Sports Complex.[1]

About a thousand athletes from 63 nations and territories participated in the nine sports: aquatics, archery, athletics, boxing, lawn bowls, rugby sevens, squash, tennis and weightlifting.[4] Sierra Leone's delegation of seven athletes were prevented from taking part, as the Samoan government refused to grant them visas, citing fears over the spread of ebola. The Commonwealth Games Federation appealed unsuccessfully to Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi to reverse that decision, but also rejected Ghana's request that Samoa be subjected to sanctions as a result.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Samoa to host 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games", Fiji Daily Post, November 25, 2008
  2. ^ "Opening gets mass park". samoaobserver.ws. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Samoa Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee". SportingPulse. 2008-06-30. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  4. ^ "Entertaining Opening Ceremony brings curtain up on Samoa 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games", Inside the Games, 5 September 2015
  5. ^ "Commonwealth Games Federation refuse to punish Samoa after Sierra Leone banned from Apia 2015 over Ebola", Inside the Games, 2 September 2015