Christchurch – this week in history (20 – 26 January)

40 years since the 10th Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch

24 January 1974
10th Commonwealth Games open at Queen Elizabeth II Park, one of the greatest sporting events in New Zealand’s history. Visitors include the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne. Highlight of the opening ceremony was the New Zealand Army Band’s spectacular novelty marching routine.

25 January 1974
Cantabrian Richard Tayler wins 10,000 metres in games record time. This was the first live colour TV coverage of a major race. Tayler was honoured as 1974 “Sportsman of the Year’, but his sports career was cut tragically short by the onset of crippling arthritis.

See the DigitalNZ set Xth Commonwealth Games 1974 and QEII Park.

A timeline of Christchurch events in
chronological order from pre-European times to 1989.

More January events in our Christchurch chronology.