Learn everything you need to know about .KIWI and the Commonwealth Games

Ever since .KIWI let us race a bobsled to celebrate a powerhouse New Domain sponsorship of the New Zealand Olympic bobsledding team (.KIWI, name.com, .XYZ, .NINJA, .BUZZ, .CLUB .HIV), we’ve been keeping a close eye on what they’re up to. Turns out we’ve been watching for good reason: the .KIWI team is also sponsoring the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this year.

If you’re a New Zealander, .KIWI sponsoring the Commonwealth Games probably seems like a genius idea. Kiwis love sports and they love the Commonwealth Games. If you’re American, you might be asking what we were asking—what are the Commonwealth Games?

Turns out that the Commonwealth of Nations, a group of 54 member states (most of which are former members of the British Empire), has been throwing a huge sporting event every four years without America. Can you believe it? The nerve. We’re truly hurt guys.

If you’re like us, you might want to know more about the Commonwealth Games. Here’s the five-minute breakdown:

Ten fast facts about the Commonwealth Games

• The games started in 1930 and have run every four years since, with the exception of 1942 and 1946, during World War II.
• The Commonwealth Games are the 3rd largest multi-sport event in the world, after the Olympics and the Asian Games.
• Six teams have attended each event: New Zealand, Australia, Canada, England, Scotland and Wales.
• The Commonwealth Games were the first fully-inclusive international multi-sport games starting at the Manchester Games in 2002, when para-sport players were counted into the general metal count and as full members of regular teams.
• The sports played are mostly the same sports seen in the Olympics but include some Commonwealth-specific games, like lawn ball and netball.

• There will be 6,500 athletes representing 71 nations competing in 17 sports over 11 days in the 2014 Glasgow Games.
• The games are officially opened by Queen Elizabeth, who is the head of the Commonwealth.
• Australia is the winningest country in the Commonwealth games, with over 803 gold medals and are the only nation with over 2,000 medals.
• Commonwealth countries make up 26% of the world’s population and account for 15% of global Gross National Income.
• The latest country to join the Commonwealth was Rwanda in 2009.

Most bad-ass sports in the Commonwealth Games (just a humble opinion)

• Archery
• Judo (JUDO!!!)

• Rugby

Fast fun fact about Kiwis:

Ever wonder why a New Zealander is called a “Kiwi”?

This is why, straight from Wikipedia, the most factual source of information in the world:

The name derives from the kiwi, a flightless bird, which is native to, and the national symbol of, New Zealand. Unlike many demographic labels, its usage is not considered offensive; it is generally viewed as a symbol of pride and endearment for the people of New Zealand.

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