The 1911 London Commonwealth Games, officially the Inter-Empire Championships, were held as part of the Festival of Empire to celebrate the coronation of King George V. While not considered an "official" Commonwealth Games, they are recognized as the precursor to the modern event. Held at Crystal Palace, the Games brought together teams from Australasia (a combined team from Australia and New Zealand), Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

These inaugural championships featured a limited program of just four sports: athletics, boxing, swimming, and wrestling. The athletics competition comprised five track and field events: the 100 yards, 220 yards, 880 yards, one mile, and 120 yards hurdles. The swimming events included the 100 yards and one mile races. Boxing featured a heavyweight division, and wrestling included a middleweight category.

Canada emerged as the overall champion, earning the highest number of gold medals and the Lord Lonsdale Trophy, a silver cup donated by Lord Lonsdale. The final medal tally saw Canada with 4 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze medals. Great Britain finished second with 3 gold, 5 silver, and 1 bronze, while Australasia claimed third place with 2 gold, 2 silver, and 5 bronze. South Africa did not win any medals.

The 1911 Inter-Empire Championships, though modest in scale compared to today's Commonwealth Games, were a significant moment in fostering sporting ties between the nations of the British Empire and laid the groundwork for the正式 Games that would follow in 1930.