THERE was something about Cathy Freeman's success at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada which had a lasting effect on the sporting world.

The Australian sprinter took gold in both the 200m and 400m, the first woman in the history of the competition to win both events - but it was her celebrations which made the headlines.

Freeman completed her laps of honour with two flags - the Australian national flag and an Aboriginal one - as a statement of pride in her origin and the prejudice she had suffered because of it.

That moment symbolised the drama, sensation, triumph and controversy which have permeated the Commonwealth Games since their inception when just over 400 athletes from 11 different countries took part at the first competition in 1930 at Hamilton, Canada.

The Games, known then as the British Empire Games, were marked by the performance of Canadian sprinter Percy Williams, who won gold in the 100 yards despite tearing a groin muscle midway through the race, an injury which ended his career.

Only six different sports were contested in 1930 and at that time, women were allowed to compete in swimming events alone.

Four years later, the event should have moved on to Johannesburg but fears over how the South Africans would treat black and Asian athletes convinced officials to allow London to step in as hosts.

The issue of apartheid and racism in sport was one which would affect the Commonwealth Games throughout the 20th century.

The growing protest against South Africa eventually forced the nation to withdraw from the event after the 1958 Games in Cardiff, and their exclusion continued for more than 30 years until the post-apartheid country was finally re-admitted in 1994.

No amount of controversy, though, was ever enough to force the abandonment of an event which has happened every four years with the exception of 1942 and 1946, when the Second World War put the Games on hold.

In 1954, the second competition after the war, the world saw one of the most memorable moments in the history of the Commonwealth Games.

Broadcast live across the globe for the first time, millions watched as Roger Bannister and Australia's John Landy battled for victory in the 'Miracle Mile'.

Landy looked to have the British star beaten in the final straight, but Bannister responded to take the gold with a dramatic sub four-minute run.

Landy also broke the four-minute barrier but had to settle for second place. The legendary distance would take place only another three times as, in 1970, Commonwealth officials introduced the metric system at the Edinburgh games where Jamaica's Don Quarrie was the star, winning three gold medals.

And as athletes became faster and races closer, that year also saw the first implementation of electronic photo-finish technology.

Concerns about the safety of competitors grew following the massacre of members of the Israeli team at the Munich Olympics in 1972, and the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand two years later saw a massive police presence with security guards surrounding the athletes' village.

The delicate issue of racism was still prominent despite the absence of the South Africans and it hit the headlines again in 1986 when 32 nations boycotted the Games in Edinburgh in protest.

In 1998, Kuala Lumpur saw the introduction of team sports to the Games, including hockey and cricket as well as rugby. A record 70 countries also attended in Malaysia. That mark will be broken again when 72 nations travel to Manchester this summer. But the history of the Games and the achievements of Freeman, Quarrie and Bannister have ensured Manchester 2002 has a lot to live up to.