Birmingham picked as England's choice for 2022 Commonwealth Games
Birmingham has beaten Liverpool to be England's bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Last updated 5th Jul 2022
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has backed the city which needs to convince the Commonwealth Games Federation it should stage the event.
In a statement, sports minister Tracey Crouch said:
"I am grateful to the bid teams from both Birmingham and Liverpool for their hard work in making the case for their respective cities as potential Commonwealth Games hosts.
"Now, after a comprehensive assessment process, the government will look at the final bid proposal from Birmingham and decide if a formal bid will be submitted to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).
"We need to be completely satisfied that the bid offers overall value for money from hosting the Games and that a strong economic and sporting legacy can be delivered from it.
"The UK has fantastic expertise in hosting the biggest events in sport, as recently showcased at the London 2017 World Para Athletics and IAAF World Championships, and if we are to bid and are selected to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022 I have no doubt that Birmingham would host an excellent sporting spectacle."
This is the provisional list of sports venues, should Birmingham be successful:
Cllr Ian Ward, Deputy Leader and Chair of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Bid Committee, said:
"This is a great endorsement by the UK Government of Birmingham’s credentials to host the Games and recognition of the city’s resolve to deliver a memorable event.
"We appreciate that it was a very close decision and that Liverpool pushed us all the way with a very compelling proposal. This is not the end of the journey and we look forward to working with the Government as it makes its final decision to support a UK Candidate City."
Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands, said:
“The regional support of the Midlands was a key determining factor and I want to thank all those regional agencies and organisations that have worked hard over the last six months to get us to this position. We will make the Commonwealth proud.”
Cllr John Clancy, Leader of Birmingham City Council, added:
"This is great news for Birmingham and the West Midlands, and I’d like to thank Cllr Ian Ward and his team for all of their hard work in putting together the bid.
"We now have a golden opportunity to convince the Government that Birmingham can deliver the best ever Commonwealth Games in 2022, and that is exactly what we intend to do.