The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, is an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that is scheduled to be held in Birmingham, England from 28 July to 8 August 2022.[1] Birmingham was announced as host on 21 December 2017, marking England's third time hosting the Commonwealth Games after London 1934 and Manchester 2002.
Two cities initially launched bids for the games; Durban, South Africa and Edmonton, Canada. Edmonton withdrew its bid in February 2015, leaving Durban as the only bid to go forward to CGF General Assembly in September 2015.[2]Durban initially secured the right to host the games, as they were the sole bidder for the event. The city previously considered bidding for the 2020 or 2024 Summer Olympics, but later dropped the idea as it wanted to focus on the 2022 Commonwealth Games.[3] It would have marked the first time the games were held in Africa and the second time a Commonwealth republic would have hosted, following Delhi, India in 2010. The games were set to open on 18 July 2022, coinciding with the birthday of the late South African President, Nelson Mandela.[4] It was reported in February 2017 that Durban might be unable to host the games due to financial constraints.[5] This was confirmed one month later on 13 March 2017 when the CGF stripped Durban of their rights to host the Games.[6]
The Library of Birmingham was lit into different colours to celebrate the winning of the 2022 Commonwealth Games
The bidding process for the 2022 Commonwealth Games was relaunched in March 2017 where English cities Birmingham and Liverpool expressed their interests in hosting the Games.[7] On 14 March 2017, Manchester also expressed an interest in hosting the Games.[8] A joint bid from Birmingham, Liverpool, London and Manchester was also considered.[9]
In April 2017, the British Government asked city councils to submit proposals for hosting the 2022 Games.[10] Only Birmingham and Liverpool submitted official applications to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.[11] London declined to bid, as it was focusing its efforts on preparing for the World Athletics and Para Athletics Championships. [12] On 27 April 2017, Manchester City Council announced that Manchester would not bid for the Games but could co-host the Games with other English cities.[13] In early September 2017, Birmingham was selected over Liverpool for the recommended bid for England.[14][15]
The CGF announced that the deadline for the submission of bids was 30 September 2017 and its executive board was expected to announce the host by the end of 2017. The Commonwealth Games England submitted the Birmingham bid before the deadline to the CGF to host the 2022 Games.[16] However, it was announced that the bid was not fully compliant, and the bidding process was extended until 30 November 2017.[17] The CGF had 170 questions regarding Birmingham's bid.[18] On 21 December 2017, Birmingham was awarded for the 2022 Games as Durban's replacement host.[1] Louise Martin, president of the CGF, made the official announcement at a press conference at the Arena Academy in Birmingham.[19]
The Birmingham Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games (BOCCG) is responsible for the planning and operational delivery of the Games.[20] This includes sport, venue and competition management, ticket sales, all ceremonies and the Queen's Baton Relay. The headquarters of the organising committee is located in One Brindleyplace building and has taken up the office until December 2022.[21]
In March 2018, the BOCCG paid £25 million ($35 million) fee to the CGF for the right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The fee included the £20 million ($28 million) for the Games hosting charges and £5 million ($7 million) for the development work in the Commonwealth.[22]
In July 2018, British Prime Minister Theresa May appointed John Crabtree OBE as Chair of the BOCCG.[23] In January 2019, Ian Reid was announced as chief executive officer of the BOCCG.[24] On 6 June 2019, the British Government introduced the Commonwealth Games bill which ensured the prohibition of unauthorised sales of Games tickets, effective flow of transport around Games venues, complete protection of commercial rights, and compliance with financial propriety rules by the Government's funding of the BOCCG.[25] The bill received Royal Assent and was passed into law as the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Act 2020 on 25 June 2020.[26]
In June 2020, it was announced that the entire schedule of the Games would be delayed by one day to reduce conflicts with sporting events rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly UEFA Women's Euro 2022 (which is being held 6–31 July in England; the opening ceremony time would have conflicted with one of the semifinal matches) and the final days of the 2022 World Athletics Championships (being held from 15 to 24 July).[27]
Athletes' Village
On 11 August 2020, the BOCCG announced that the athletes and team officials will be housed in three ‘campus’ villages close to competition venues at the University of Birmingham, The University of Warwick, and The NEC Hotel Campus. Around 1,600 athletes and officials are set to be accommodated at the NEC Hotel Campus, 1,900 at The University of Warwick, and the principal village with 2,800 at The University of Birmingham.[28]
Transport
Part of the A34 flyover in Perry Barr, which is set to be demolished
University Station, which is under renovation
The A34 flyover in Perry Barr will be demolished in favour of a dual carriageway at ground level, cycle path and improved public transport services which were approved by Birmingham City Council in October 2019 under its £27.1 million scheme.[29]
The city council announced in January 2020 that the existing National Express Bus Depot in Perry Barr will be demolished as the depot site would be used to construct the phase two of the athletes’ village.[30] A replacement depot will be constructed on a largely council-owned land on nearby Aston Lane,[31] at a cost of £16 million, eight times the original estimate.[32]
The University railway station, which serves the University of Birmingham, will be renovated and is expected to be complete in time for the Games. The University of Birmingham is due to host hockey and squash events for the Games. The Birmingham-based architectural firm Associated Architects designed the masterplan of the station's renovation. Its proposals for the stop, on the suburban Cross City Line heading south-west out of the city, include a new pedestrian bridge over the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. The practice said the new station would be built adjacent to the existing station that serves the university and would be able to accommodate approximately seven million passengers a year – double the current station's footfall. The renovation of the station will cost around £22 million.[33][34] In July 2020, it was announced that the cost of the renovation was increased to £56 million, out of which £12 million will be funded by the British Government.[35]
At the time of submission of the bid to the CGF, the bid committee announced that the event would cost £750 million ($950 million).[40] On 25 June 2019, the British Government announced that the event will cost £778 million (~$1 billion). The British Government will cover the 75% (£594 million) and Birmingham City Council will cover the rest 25% (£184 million).[41] The budget is lower than the £967 million spent on the Gold Coast 2018, but higher than the £543 million spent on the Glasgow 2014. It is set to be the most expensive sporting event in the UK since the 2012 Summer Olympics in London which cost £8.8 billion ($11 billion).[42] The real cost will be published after completion.
Ticketing
Over 1 million tickets are expected to be issued for the Games.[43] A ticket ballot for local residents opened on 14 July 2021, with the main public ticket ballot expected to run from 8 to 30 September.[44]
Security
The West Midlands Police have identified that around 3000 officers will be deployed to patrol the 2022 Commonwealth Games. 1000 of these will come from West Midlands Police and 2000 will come from a "mutual aid" arrangement with other UK forces.[45]
A countdown clock was unveiled during the Commonwealth Day in Centenary Square on 9 March 2020, 870 days before the Games.[46] The clock was sponsored by the Swiss Watchmaker Longines and also marked the new partnership agreement with the CGF. The clock's structure forms the shape of the "B" logo of the Games and was manufactured in England.[47]
Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, which will host the ceremonies and athletics, has been renovated by Northern Irish firm McLaughlin & Harvey at an estimated cost of £72 million.[49] The stadium's seating capacity has been increased permanently from 12,700 to 18,000 and will accommodate around 32,000 spectators during the Games with the installation of additional temporary seating.[50]
On 22nd May 2022, the newly renovated stadium played host to its first event, the Birmingham meeting of the Diamond League series, with around 16,000 spectators in attendance. Considered a test event for Birmingham 2022, the meeting was staged successfully and the upgraded stadium received positive reviews from spectators and athletes alike, with Olympic pole-vault bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw describing it as the "most beautiful" track and field venue in the United Kingdom. [51]
A new aquatics centre is being built in Smethwick to host the swimming and diving events.[52] British firm Wates designed the centre and is constructing it at a cost of £73 million.[53][54]
The following venues will be used for the Games:
Birmingham
Alexander Stadium(Renovated) – Opening Ceremony, Closing Ceremony, Athletics
The Opening Ceremony takes place at the Alexander Stadium on 28 July 2022, with all 72 countries within the Commonwealth. For Barbados, it will be their first participation since becoming a republic on 30 November 2021.
Closing Ceremony
The Closing Ceremony takes place on 8 August 2022, with all 72 countries return to the Alexander Stadium. The Commonwealth Games Federation flag will be handed over to representatives of Victoria, the hosts of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Participation
As of 10 May 2022, 60 out of 72 Commonwealth Games Associations have confirmed they will send athletes to the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
A new edition of the Commonwealth Games Charter comes into effect for these Games. In addition the ten core sports that were part of Gold Coast 2018 — athletics, badminton, boxing, hockey, lawn bowls, netball (for women), rugby sevens, squash, swimming and weightlifting — five new sports will be integrated into this category: road cycling, judo (previously optional), triathlon, table tennis, and wrestling. The charter also mandatorily states that a number of events for elite athletes with disabilities must be integrated into the final number of events in four core sports: athletics, lawn bowls, swimming and weightlifting (the lattermost is actually represented by a variation of powerlifting). This document also establishes the list of optional sports and disciplines that can be chosen by the organization of each edition: archery (recurve), basketball (3x3), beach volleyball, cycling (mountain bike and track), rhythmic gymnastics, and shooting (clay target, full bore, small bore and pistol). This same rule also establishes that the following events for athletes with disabilities are optional: wheelchair basketball (3x3), para track-cycling, para-table tennis and para-triathlon. Including compulsory and optional sports (disciplines), there shall be no more than 4 team sports on the programme of a Commonwealth Games. If basketball (3x3) is selected from the pool of optional sports, basketball (wheelchair para 3x3) becomes an obligatory event (or vice versa), in which case the sport of basketball shall be considered as one team sport. In cases when cricket is selected from the pool of optional sports, wheelchair basketball also becomes a part of the programme and could be an exceptional team sport. Respecting local demands, an extra sport or some extra events can be included in this list, but they can have to be approved by the Commonwealth Games Federation two years before the next edition.[55] The current rules also determine gender parity, which gives the same number of events in the programme to be played by men and women.[56][57]
With these changes approved in 2018, the programme of this edition will be partly different from what was contested four years before. As well as the addition of judo to the core sports, the local organizers opted to hold a women's cricket tournament, taking advantage of the local infrastructure. Returning to games for the first time in after a hiatus of 24 years, due to various calendar issues, the sport will be exclusively female for the first time.
Some events will be part of the event for the first time, such as the 3x3 basketball and its wheelchair counterpart. It is expected that this edition will have the largest number of events available for women and athletes with disabilities in the history of the Games.[58]
In October 2020, the final number of events to be played in Birmingham were revealed. There will be 283 finals played across 20 sports. Another difference from 2018 is that the number of events for women (136) will be higher than for men (134). This will be the first time in the history of a major multi sporting event that this has happened. In addition, 13 mixed events will be contested as some new relays are included on athletics and in swimming. Along with the cricket tournament, the number of events available to elite athletes with disabilities (EAD) has also increased from 36 to 42, as the universal relays are added on athletics and swimming, along the first wheelchair basketball tournament on the Games history. In addition, some sports have had their events changed, such as the replacement of basketball by 3x3 basketball. This list does not include the events to be held in India and can be reviewed at any time.[59]
In the list below, the number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses.
On 22 December 2017, the BBC reported that the organisers of the games were in talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC) about the inclusion of women's cricket.[60] In November 2018, the ICC confirmed that they have submitted a bid to include women's cricket in the Games. The bid was made in partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).[61]
It was also reported that shooting is likely to be excluded from the games citing a lack of facilities around Birmingham. Shooting has been included at every Commonwealth Games since Kingston 1966, with the exception of Edinburgh 1970. In January 2018, the dropping of shooting from the games programme was confirmed by the CEO of the CGF David Grevemberg.[62][63][64] In December 2018, The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) delegation including President of ISSF Vladimir Lisin and CEO of British Shooting (BS) Hamish McInnes visited Birmingham and discussed with the Birmingham organising committee to add shooting in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.[65]
In December 2018, the World Archery Federation (WA) confirmed that they had delivered a proposal for archery's inclusion in the Games. The bid was made in partnership with Archery GB and included Aston Hall as a suggested competition venue.[66]
In June 2019, the Birmingham organising committee recommended para table tennis and beach volleyball for the Games and the proposal was approved by the CGF executive board.[67][68]
The CGF officially announced on 13 August 2019 that the women's T20 cricket, beach volleyball and para table tennis have been included in the Games while archery and shooting have been excluded.[69][70][71][72][73]
In January 2020, Indian Olympic Association (IOA), which is also the entity responsible for the country's participation in the Commonwealth Games, submitted a proposal to the CGF to host archery and shooting championships in Chandigarh during January 2022. The proposal was supported by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the Government of India, the ISSF and WA.[74][75][76] The CGF Executive Board approved the proposal at their meeting in London which took place on 21–23 February 2020, and also confirmed that the 2022 Commonwealth shooting and archery championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games will be two separately organised and funded Commonwealth Sport events. The CGF shall issue a medal table one week following the closing ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games that includes results from the Chandigarh 2022 Commonwealth Archery and Shooting Championships, as a further and final ranking of competing nations and territories from the respective competitions.[77][78][79] In July 2021, the CGF announced that the event had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.[80]
In February 2022, the CGF announced that esports would be included in the Games as a test event.[81] The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championship will have separate branding, medals, and organisation and will include both men and women's Dota 2, eFootball, and Rocket League events.[82]
The official emblem was unveiled on 27 July 2019 at Centenary Square during the Commonwealth Social festival. It was designed by local agency RBL, based in Royal Leamington Spa, and the emblem is a jagged, triangular "B" shape formed by blue-yellow gradient lines representing the key connected venues of the Games throughout the West Midlands. This emblem is also the first to use the new branding for the CGF, now branded as Commonwealth Sport. It has mainly received a positive reaction from locals in the city and on social media and some compared it to the emblem for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics held in London.[84][85]
The official mascot for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is Perry, a multi-coloured bull. Perry is named after an area of Birmingham, Perry Barr, within which Perry Park and the main athletics stadium, the Alexander Stadium, are located. The bull has a long history with being a symbol of Birmingham, and was positively received by the public on launch. Perry was designed by ten-year-old Emma Lou from Bolton.[92]
On 11 April 2018, British Prime Minister Theresa May visited Alexander Stadium and announced that the stadium would be renovated for the Games at a cost of £70 million. She said that the investment would benefit the local community and the West Midlands region.
In February 2019, Councillor Paul Tilsley claimed that the refurbished Alexander Stadium would become a white elephant after the Games as no long-term tenant for the stadium was identified. He was also concerned about the funding arrangement of the Games and claimed that spending funds in organizing the Games could put the council into heavy debt.
On 21 June 2019, Birmingham City Council released the images and plans for renovating Alexander Stadium and claimed that it would create a legacy asset for the Perry Barr area in which it stands. The council claimed that the stadium could become the permanent home for the UKA and host major athletics events such as the Anniversary Games, which are currently held at the London Stadium.
On 30 January 2020, Birmingham City Council's planning committee approved the renovation plans for Alexander Stadium which would cost £72 million. The revamped stadium would also host a range of tenants including Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club and Birmingham City University.
On 5 May 2022, it was reported in The Daily Telegraph that UKA was seeking to relinquish its rights to host major athletics events at the London Stadium, paving the way for a possible switch to Birmingham in the wake of the Games. This contradicted the claim by former UKA chief Ed Warner that moving the main athletics events from London to Birmingham would be unattractive for the UKA.
The track cycling events will be hosted at the Lee Valley VeloPark velodrome in London which is 136 miles (218 km) away from the Games host city Birmingham. This was confirmed by Ian Ward, Leader of the Birmingham City Council and Head of the Birmingham 2022 bid, on the day of Games host city announcement. He cited the reason that West Midlands do not have a suitable facility to host track cycling. The Birmingham bid committee had investigated using the Derby Arena in Derby to hold track cycling or converting the Arena Birmingham into a temporary velodrome but instead chose to use the Lee Valley VeloPark velodrome in London. The Lee Valley VeloPark is situated on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London and has previously hosted the track cycling of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics as well as the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
