Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held. The site for the opening and closing ceremonies was the Melbourne Cricket Ground which was also used during Melbourne''s 1956 Olympic Games. The mascot for the games was Karak, a Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (a threatened species).