 | |
| Host city | Edinburgh, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Nations | 27 |
| Athletes | 1,660 |
| Events | 161 events in 10 sports |
| Opening | 24 July 1986 |
| Closing | 2 August 1986 |
| Opened by | Elizabeth II |
| Queen's Baton Final Runner | Allan Wells |
| Main venue | Meadowbank Stadium |
The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 24 July and 2 August 1986. This was the second Commonwealth Games to be held in Edinburgh. This event served as a qualifying event for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul for the events that was contested at the Olympic Games. Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries (largely African, Asian and Caribbean states) boycotted the event because of the Thatcher government's policy of keeping Britain's sporting links with apartheid South Africa.
The Games were commemorated on the UK’s first-ever £2 circulating coin, which showed a Scottish thistle upon the St. Andrew’s saltire design on the reverse side of the coin.