To think the Commonwealth has had its day?

[antelopevalley]

The Commonwealth is a colonialist institution based on a history of conquest and slavery.

"The origins of the Commonwealth come from Britain's former Empire. Many of the members of the Commonwealth were territories which had historically come under British rule at various times by settlement, conquest or cession. The administration of such colonies evolved in different ways, to reflect the different circumstances of each territory."
www.royal.uk/commonwealth

The Commonwealth Games have never been held in an African country. Although there have been exceptions, most years it is held in Britain, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. Since 1930 it has only been held three times in other countries. Or seven countries if you include youth games and paraplegic games.

The Commonwealth has no clear role; it confers no trade privileges upon its members, does not coordinate their defence or foreign policy, and lacks both the budget and the executive authority to make a practical difference in the world.

It is a colonialist hangover that has no clear role and should be abolished.
AIBU?

They should ask the countries within the commonwealth how they feel.
Let them have a vote and a say on it.
Be interesting to see the results.

Well the Barbadians certainly agree with you! As do the Jamaicans, judging by the scenes on that royal visit earlier in the year.

Do you want to get rid of the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth Games, or both? Your OP isn't clear, seems to be about the Commonwealth, but then the random middle paragraph about the Games.

Get rid of it all.

The Commonwealth is not the same as the British Empire. It’s voluntary membership and those countries can opt out if they wish, and many have before now!

Oh look, another far left "destroy the four olds" thread.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Olds

YABU to want to get rid of the Commonwealth games when it does so much for Athletes, sportspeople and the economy of wherever it’s held.

You do understand that being in the Commonwealth isn't compulsory, don't you?
Did you know that some commonwealth members were never part of the British Empire, but chose to join?
Countries can leave if the want to.

Barbados removed the queen as head of state last year, but remained in the commonwealth.

Many top athletes opted out of the Commonwealth Games, including Tom Daley.

Membership of the Commonwealth is voluntary. There must be some sort of benefit for so many countries to remain even if it's an invisible benefit like political prestige

And?

well I like that commonwealth citizens can vote in the UK as it means i can keep my singapore passport but still vote!

I have nothing against the commonwealth but a lot of that has to do with the history of singapore. We are descendants of immigrants, most of whom would never have come to singapore if it wasn't for the port that the British set up. We only fought for independence much later on when the British running of Singapore left much to be desired of. However when I came to the UK , i realized that modern UK is still run that way so I guess they let native Brits suffer too!

It shows how irrelevant some top athletes view the games.

Mamy countries have elected to join the Commonwealth, despite having no connection with colonial Britain, because they believe it is a positive choice for their nation.

I think the OP thought they were posting about the British Empire. There are many benefits of being a member of the Commonwealth. To the point that countries have actually applied that weren’t formerly under the British Empire. The Queen is also not the head of state in all countries, it’s not a requirement and doesn’t especially mean anything anyway.

What did you think the commonwealth is, OP?

Rwanda, Mozambique, Gabon and Togo - have no historical ties to the British Empire.
In reality they are fairly new countries on land where some of it was part of the British Empire.

Many of them did this as the Olympic Games, the absolute pinnacle for many sports, was only 12 months ago. Especially later in their careers athletes need to look after their bodies, take breaks, and would not have been ready for another top level competition so soon. This was why Max Whitlock was not competing.

Tom Daley doesn’t speak for all athletes. He only speaks for Tom Daley and given he has dubious morals I’m not sure I’d be taking him so seriously

This year there were 400 athletes who don’t agree with his stance

They don’t have to, IIRC they just have to have a tie to a country within the Commonwealth to be part of the Commonwealth

So by that thinking should the Olympics also be cancelled? Football stars and many top tennis players don't bother - some of the most rich and commercially successful sports.

Yes, but for how long? Removing QE2 as head of state hardly demonstrates a great commitment to being part of a British-led association of nations.

4 countries with no historic ties to the UK have joined the commonwealth in recent years, Togo, Gabon, Mozambique and Rwanda, so they must see something in it. Any country is free to leave or apply to join. It's a bit bonkers but then so are the British.

This only happened in November last year. Lets see what happens when the Queen dies.

The Queen is Head of State of 15 countries but there’s about 45 in the Commonwealth. So not having the Wueen as the head of state doesn’t show a lack of commitment