The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh — the first time Scotland hosted the event — and were overshadowed by a politically charged boycott led by 32 African, Asian, and Caribbean nations protesting Margaret Thatcher's refusal to impose economic sanctions on apartheid South Africa. Barbados was among the boycotting nations, making this commemorative issue a curious artifact: a coin celebrating Games that Barbados itself declined to attend.
The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh — the first time Scotland hosted the event — and were overshadowed by a politically charged boycott led by 32 African, Asian, and Caribbean nations protesting Margaret Thatcher's refusal to impose economic sanctions on apartheid South Africa. Barbados was among the boycotting nations, making this commemorative issue a curious artifact: a coin celebrating Games that Barbados itself declined to attend.