During her 70-year reign, the late monarch presided over Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games

Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday (September 8), will be remembered for having a rich affinity with sport.

Though horse racing was famously her main passion, there was a strong link between Britain’s longest-serving monarch and the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games.

She watched her father King George VI open the London Olympics of 1948 in front of nearly 95,000 people at the Empire Stadium, Wembley Park. Four years later she was crowned Queen.

During her 70-year reign she herself opened two Olympics (Montreal 1976 and London 2012), a Paralympics (London 2012) and six Commonwealth Games (Edmonton 1978, Edinburgh 1986, Victoria 1994, Manchester 2002, Melbourne 2006 and Glasgow 2014).

It was due to her mobility issues that Prince Charles – now King Charles III – read The Queen’s baton message to a sold out Alexander Stadium at the opening of this summer’s Games in Birmingham.

A decade earlier, her pre-recorded segment with Daniel Craig as James Bond at Buckingham Palace – eventually leading her to “jumping” out of a helicopter into a stunned Olympic Stadium – underlined her sense of humour and provided one of the lasting memories from London 2012. Fittingly, the Olympic Park bears her name.

The Queen was also synonymous with the London Marathon, with the world famous race finishing in full view of Buckingham Palace. She was the official starter for the event in 2018.

Here are some of the best pictures through the years of Queen Elizabeth II’s history with the Olympics, Paralympics, Commonwealth Games:

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