During the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Games England, the national association for England, will manage and support Team England at the Games. The Games will take place in Australia from 17th to 26th March 2012. There are over 280 medal events taking place in these Games and many of the venues will be located in the UK and West Midlands.
280 medal events
Featuring over 5,000 athletes from 72 nations, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, is expected to be the largest multi-sport event in history. The event will be held between 28 July and 8 August and will be the third time England has hosted the Games.
The Games are held every four years and are referred to as the friendly Games. The first one was held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada, and evolved to include the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games.
Originally, the event was single competition, but later it added team sports. This year, it includes 19 sports and over 5,000 athletes. It will also feature the largest para-sport program in the history of the Games.
The 22nd edition of the Games will be held in the West Midlands of England. It will last for 11 days from 28 July to 8 August. The Games are expected to be the best sporting event in the region’s history.
Almost 1.5 million tickets have been sold for the England commonwealth games. The games, which will run from 28 July to 8 August, will feature 19 different sports and 72 teams.
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games are set to be the largest multi-sport event held in the UK since the London 2012 Olympic Games. The games will attract 4,500 athletes from 72 nations. Throughout the two-week event, seventeen thrilling sports will take place in action-packed competition.
The Commonwealth Games will be a unique opportunity to see Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region shine brightly as a global community. With over 60 schools taking part in the United By Birmingham 2022 programme, students have been using sport and art to develop relationships and learn about the Commonwealth values.
The Birmingham and West Midlands region will host sixteen venues for the Commonwealth Games. Several outdoor venues are in Birmingham itself, while others are in the wider West Midlands.
BBC Sport’s coverage of the Games a record-breaking 57.1 million times
During the 11-day Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the BBC broadcast its coverage 57.1 million times. The number was six times more than the previous Gold Coast 2018 edition and represents increased engagement in the host country, England, and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The most watched event was the Opening Ceremony, which was broadcast to 134 countries. The event featured an all-star cast of West Midlands music artists and included a performance by Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi. The performers also broke a world record.
The closing ceremony, featuring Beverley Knight, was another colossal moment, with 4.8 million people tuning in. The closing ceremony was also attended by the official charity of the Games, the United by 2022 Legacy Charity.
The biggest para sport programme was the Commonwealth Games, which had 44 medal events across eight sports. The Games were the first to include wheelchair basketball 3×3 as well as a women’s T20 cricket tournament.
Volunteers from the West Midlands, the West Midlands and the UK
During the Commonwealth Games, over 14,000 volunteers from the West Midlands, the West Midlands and the UK have provided vital support to athletes and spectators. The Games were the largest sporting event to be staged in the West Midlands and the UK for a decade.
The Games offered 250,000 hours of training to volunteers. The majority of the volunteers were from the West Midlands and the UK. They were proud champions of the region and the Games. They received free training and uniforms, and were offered opportunities to give back to the community.
More than 80% of the volunteers felt proud to be a part of the Games, with the vast majority feeling more connected to their local community. The Games also gave opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access sports. The Games supported over 500 posts ringfenced for young people aged 14-17.
Athletes often emphasise the importance of volunteers. Galal Yafai, Commonwealth boxing champion, disguised himself as a volunteer at 5UP, a community boxing gym in Handsworth. He surprised a group of young boxers with a masterclass.
