Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Opening Ceremony to take place

Duran Duran will headline the event with Peaky Blinders director executive producing the ceremony

Author: Majid MohammedPublished 28th Jul 2022
Last updated 28th Jul 2022

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony takes place this evening (Thursday) kicking off eleven days of games.

Duran Duran, who are from Birmingham, will headline the event alongside the director of Peaky Blinders, Steven Knight, executive producing the show.

Artists from Birmingham will be well represented at the ceremony with Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra also performing.

The Prince of Wales will also be in attendance to represent The Queen, accompanied by The Duchess of Cornwall. They will officially open the Games at the ceremony in front of over 30,000 spectators at the Alexander Stadium.

Birmingham at the heart of the event

This is the first Commonwealth Games to be held in England since Manchester 2002.

6,500 athletes and officials from 72 Commonwealth nations and territories will come to the West Midlands to compete.

Over 1 million people are expected to attend the Games, with more than a billion watching around the world.

The Associate Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Iqbal Khan, was appointed as the artistic director of the opening ceremony.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Khan said: "Since setting out on this journey, I wanted to tell Birmingham's story and I wanted to tell it right - to show that there is a vivid and vibrant confidence about this place.

"It's the music of this city that truly gives it its voice, and this stunning line-up will connect with a global audience, as we celebrate the best of Birmingham creativity on an international stage."

The Games are expected to create 40,000 new jobs and volunteering opportunities for Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Investments to help people get active and attract more visitors and investors to the region will also be made.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: "Today the eyes of the world turn to Birmingham. We have an incredible 11 days of sport and I know that fans from across the home nations will get right behind our athletes."

"Beyond the medals won and records broken, these Games will deliver a fantastic legacy - sporting, cultural and economic - for the people of Birmingham and the West Midlands."

More female medals on offer than male

The Commonwealth Games will see 72 nations and territories take part in 19 sporting events. In addition, eight para sporting events will also feature during the 11 days of games.

The Birmingham Games will feature Women’s cricket for the first time, also mixed synchronised diving will make its debut.

Over six thousand athletes will take part, making it the largest games ever. In addition, the Birmingham 2022 Games will be the first multi-sport event to award more medals to women than men.

Venues

The Alexander Stadium will host both the opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium underwent a multi-million restoration ahead of the games and will also serve as the base for the athletics competitions.

Fifteen venues will host various events, with the vast majority being in the Midlands. The cycling event, however, will be held at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark.

Here’s the full of list venues for the games

1) Alexander Stadium in Walsall Road, Perry Barr

The stadium had gone through major renovations ahead of the Games. The Alexander Stadium will stage the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and athletes will compete there in track and field events from 2nd August to 7th August.

2) Arena Birmingham in King Edwards Road, Birmingham

Arena Birmingham is one of the busiest, large-scale indoor sporting and entertainment venues in the world. The versatile venue has hosted 30 different sports in its history and will certainly be well used during the Commonwealth Games.

3) Cannock Chase Forest in Birches Valley, Rugeley

Cannock Chase Forest will host the mountain bike competition on Wednesday 3 August.

4) Coventry Stadium and Arena in Judds Lane, Coventry

Opened in 2005, Coventry Stadium can accommodate more than 32, 500 spectators. The stadium is home to Premiership Rugby Team Wasps and Coventry City FC. The stadium will host the Rugby Sevens, Judo and wrestling events.

5) Edgbaston Stadium in Edgbaston Road, Birmingham

The world-famous cricket stadium will host the debut of Women's cricket T20. The stadium has a capacity of nearly 25,000.

6) Lee Valley Velopark in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Abercrombie Road, London

This is the only venue outside the West Midlands. The velodrome staged the London 2012 track cycling competition providing some of the Games' most exciting moments.

7) The NEC in North Avenue in Marston Green, Birmingham

The National Exhibition Centre is the UK's largest exhibition venue and one of Europe's leading event destinations. The NEC will host the Netball event.

8) Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Smethwick

Unsurprisingly, the Aquatic centre will host swimming and diving events.

9) Smithfield in Southside, Birmingham

Formerly the site of Birmingham's Wholesale Markets, Smithfield will be the home of the beach volleyball and basketball 3x3 competitions during the Commonwealth Games.

10) Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield

Sutton Park will host the Triathlon event on Friday 29 July and Sunday 31 July.

11) University of Birmingham Hockey and Squash Centre in Edgbaston

The venue will host the venue for the squash and hockey events during Games, as well as housing the principal Athletes' Village.

12) Victoria Park, Archery Road, Royal Leamington Spa

Victoria Park will play host to the Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls events during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

13) Victoria Square, Birmingham

Located at the heart of the city, Victoria Square will be the finishing line for the Marathon on Saturday 30 July.

14) Warwick Road Race in Myton Fields, Warwickshire

160 of the world's best cyclists are set to gather at Myton Fields for the road races, scheduled to be held on the penultimate day of the Commonwealth Games on Sunday 7th August.

15) West Park in Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton's historic West Park will provide a spectacular backdrop to the start and finish of the Cycling Time Trial on Thursday 4th August.

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