Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Legacy

Tuesday 26 July 2022
Riverboat on Birmingham canal. People walking down path

Hosting the Games has involved the creation of world-class venues that will bring future sporting events to the West Midlands and give more people access to these exceptional sports and leisure facilities. The region will attract domestic, national, and international events to the West Midlands along with more leisure visitors after the games. Substantial investment and improvements have been made to the principal venues. For example, improvements have been made to riverside areas,  paths  have been remodelled at Victoria Park in Leamington Spa, and at Cannock Chase, where the Games Mountain Biking event will take place, new trails have been created for all to enjoy in the future. The legacy of the Games also includes the Tiny Forest project which is creating over 70 tiny forests across the region for communities and to enjoy and as part of the carbon off setting for the Games. Visitors to the events can enjoy all that the vibrant city of Birmingham and the West Midlands has to offer - foodie treats, Michelin Starred dining, adventure activities, festivals and iconic and contemporary spaces which host a kaleidoscopic range of experiences.

Alexander Stadium

During the games time the Stadium will house around 30,000 spectators. The stadium will be transformed after the Games to house a capacity of around 18,000, the largest permanent facility capable of hosting major athletics in Britain. The development of the stadium will support elite sporting opportunities and will further community access all year round. The Stadium will become a focal point of health, well-being, sport, academic and community activity in an improved Perry Park location.

Sandwell Aquatics Centre

Sandwell Aquatics Centre is a new venue which will host the swimming and diving events. After the Games it will provide visitors with a world-class facility and turn Sandwell into a destination for regional and national swimming and diving. Located in Smethwick, the Aquatics Centre will provide a facility including: 50m competition pool; 25m community pool; diving pool; dry dive area; 108 station gym; 25 station women’s gym; three studios; and 1000 permanent spectator seats. The centre will open its doors to the public in 2023.

Cannock Chase

With support from a £500,000 investment from partners including Sport England and the DCMS Places to Ride Programme, Forestry England is developing a safe, traffic-free, off-road cycling experience at Cannock Chase Forest Centre. This will include a new high-quality entry level grade bike trail for intermediate level cyclists that will be used for competition during the Games. There will also be an innovative new bike play facility targeting young families, and a campaign to promote greater understanding of responsible off-road cycling within an environmentally sensitive landscape. A community project connecting local communities to Cannock Chase is under way and will improve accessibility through more effective way-marking.

Sporting legacy Events

2023 IBSA World Games

Birmingham has been selected as the host of the 2023 IBSA World Games, a multi-sport event for blind and partially sighted athletes. The Games will take place from 18-27 August 2023 and will be held at the University of Birmingham. The IBSA World Games are the largest high-level international event for athletes with visual impairments, with more than 1000 competitors from more than 70 nations.

The Union Cup

Birmingham is known the world over as the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, and a city with more canals than Venice, but there is more to this city than factories, accents and Peaky Blinders. Birmingham and its surrounding area has a rich cultural, gastronomic and diverse identity, which makes it the perfect Union Cup host city. The Union Cup is a biannual European inclusive and gay rugby tournament that will take place from 27-30 April 2023.

 

For more information go to the official site of the Commonwealth Games 2022.

PR contact: sarah.dickson@birmingham2022.com

Tom Marlow Tom.Marlow@wmgrowth.com, Senior Communications Executive, West Midlands Growth Company

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