The full event schedule for Birmingham 2022 has been released, allowing sports fans to see the detail of exactly which events will be held in each of the 286 sessions that will feature at next summer’s Games.
Women’s cricket T20, basketball 3×3, wheelchair basketball 3×3 and mixed synchronised diving will all debut in Birmingham, with the schedule set to includes two ‘Super Sundays’ for spectators to look forward to, with the second set to be the ultimate showcase of women’s sport.
With limited opportunities to attend live sports events in recent months, a huge amount of interest in tickets for the Games is expected, especially as the sports programme is the biggest in Commonwealth history and from today Birmingham 2022 ticket accounts can now be set up.
The event schedule was launched with the help of Team England hopefuls who visited the host city’s Alexander Stadium – an important Games venue currently undergoing a £72 million refurbishment which is on budget and on schedule to be completed in Spring 2022.
Matt Kidson, Director of Sport for Birmingham 2022 said: “With more detail for our sports programme now revealed, the Games is really taking shape and it’s time for people to start planning which sessions they want to attend next summer, as our tickets will go on sale very soon.
“With 19 different sports and eight Para sports, we have such a rich and varied programme and there will be medal moments on every single day of competition.
“We also have a really interesting mix of venues, with established facilities like the NEC and Arena Birmingham, beautiful parks like St Nicholas Park and West Park and exciting redevelopments like the Alexander Stadium, where the progress in the last 12 months has been phenomenal.”
Nigel Huddleston MP, Minister for Sport and Tourism, who visited Birmingham earlier this month, to help launch the search for 13,000 volunteers for the Games, said: “Birmingham 2022 is fast approaching and it’s exciting that fans can now start planning which sporting events they want to see next year.
“With children’s ticket prices starting at £8, I hope that families from across the West Midlands will take up this once in a generation opportunity to see the best athletes in the world compete on their doorstep.”
CGF President, Dame Louise Martin, said: “With Birmingham 2022 fully on track to stage a fantastic, fully inclusive event, now is the time to plan your visit to the Commonwealth Games.
“The publication of the full event schedule today reveals 11 exciting days of competition that will see 4,500 elite athletes compete across 19 sports.
CGF President, Dame Louise Martin
“We are particularly proud to be offering affordable ticket prices, so please make sure you don’t miss out and that you visit the Birmingham 2022 website to create your ticketing account right now.”
As well as providing new information about the schedule and revealing details about tickets, in recent weeks organisers have also given updates on key venues, and attention has now turned to the Alexander Stadium in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham.
The stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the Games, as well as the athletics events, is being completely redeveloped ahead of Birmingham 2022 and a huge amount of progress has been made on the project.
The roof liner sheets on the new stand have been finished, pre-cast terracing (the concrete support for seating) and the metal decked concrete floors for the new West Stand have been completed, and the feature steps for the northern plaza have recently been installed, so the stadium is really starting to take shape.
The project is being overseen by Birmingham City Council and its Leader, Councillor Ian Ward, said: “The summer of 2022 is set for a spectacular Commonwealth Games, with 11 days of world-class sport in our city and wider region. The redeveloped Alexander Stadium will be at the heart of the Games, as the venue will not only host the athletics but the opening and closing ceremonies.
“The Alexander Stadium redevelopment is progressing at a lightning speed, with the roof of the new West Stand now complete. Once finished the Alexander Stadium will be truly befitting for the world’s best track and field athletes and as a bold centre piece of leisure, health and well-being activity in a regenerated Perry Barr.”