Shortly after Durban, South Africa lost its hosting rights for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham, England was announced as the replacement city for the quadrennial international competition. As part of its bid, the city promoted its ability to use existing facilities across the West Midlands for most of the sporting events taking place at the Games, with 12 of the 17 competitive sports scheduled to utilize existing venues.
Birmingham 2022 has just released a video giving a high-level tour of the facilities involved, including the NEC campus, which will host 6 sports, as well as Birmingham University, which will be home to hockey and squash.
A new aquatics facility in Sandwell, a city approximately 6 miles from Birmingham City Centre, was part of the original bid. With construction beginning Summer 2019, the estimated £60m venue ($84.1 USD), state-of-the-art facility is slated to house a 50m long competition pool, along with a 25m diving pool, with a spectator capacity of 5,000. Post-Games, the vision is for the center to then serve as a leisure facility for citizens in the area. That impact is especially notable as the outdated Smethwick Swimming Centre and Langley Swimming Centre are both closing once the new venue is ready.
John Crabtree, Chairman of the Birmingham Organizing Committee of the 2022 Commonwealth Games said, “With the revamp of Alexander Stadium, plans for a brand-new facility at Sandwell and a tried and tested team of sporting venues across the West Midlands – all our collaborative efforts are focused on ensuring the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will be a spectacular sporting showcase of the city and region.”
