"You have to earn the right and Birmingham has earned it."
Organisers have selected Birmingham as the host city of the 2022 Commonwealth Games! They announced their decision on 21st December 2017.
With a budget of £750 million, the games mark as the most expensive sporting event in Britain after the 2012 London Olympics.
The announcement took place in Arena Academy, located in Great Barr. Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Louise Martin told delighted pupils at the school:
“You have to earn the right and Birmingham has earned it.”
Over the summer of 2022, the event will take place for 11 days. Currently, it is expected to take place between 27th July and 2nd August.
In preparation, the city will witness major investment in its sports facilities, housing and jobs.
The games were initially planned to be hosted in Durban. However, in March 2017, organisers removed it due to not meeting the appropriate criteria for the event.
As a result, Birmingham was the only city able to submit a bid to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) by the 30th September deadline. However, it faced some initial trouble as Liverpool was also up for consideration.
In addition, the CGFÂ deemed the location’s bid as “not fully compliant”. While organisers gave other cities such as Victoria in Canada two extra months to apply, none came forward.
This meant the city council, Government, many sporting and business organisations and more gave a combined effort to ensure the bid went successfully.
The mayor of West Midlands Andy Street said after the reveal: “The success of this bid has depended entirely on the whole of the West Midlands region getting behind it and recognising the benefits it will bring.
“The Games will provide the opportunity to not only see world-class sport but bring economic and social benefits.”
Councillor Ward also noted the excellent timing, saying: “This is a wonderful way to end the year and celebrate the festive season – with an early Christmas present for the city!”
Many took to social media to celebrate, including Prime Minister Theresa May who tweeted:
Congratulations to #Birmingham, hosts of @thecgf in 2022. Well done Karen Bradley and @andy4wm who worked so hard to make it happen. A great city for what I’m sure will be an excellent tournament. #CommonwealthSport https://t.co/WrkesTdVmD
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) December 21, 2017
With this huge achievement, the city will now begin its preparation for a fantastic sporting event.
DESIblitz wishes the city of Birmingham congratulations in hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
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