Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Board meet for the first time

Preparations for Birmingham’s largest ever sport and cultural event are gathering pace following the first meeting of the newly-appointed Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Board.

John Crabtree, Chair of the Organising Committee, welcomed the new board members, who will together oversee the planning and staging of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, to be held across Birmingham and the West Midlands from 27 July to 7 August 2022.

The board comprises sports, civic and business experts and leaders representing Birmingham City Council, the West Midlands Combined Authority, the UK Government, Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games England.

John Crabtree, Chair of the Birmingham Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, said

Birmingham 2022 will be a defining moment for us all. I am thrilled to be leading a
board who will be passionately committed to delivering an outstanding event to inspire the Commonwealth, and an inclusive, ambitious event to benefit and galvanise everyone across the city and region. The board brings a wealth of sporting, civic and business experience and local knowledge, making sure we make the most of this wonderful opportunity for Birmingham, the West Midlands and the whole of the UK.

The board also includes two Non-Executive Directors appointed by Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Jonathan Browning, Chairman of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, and Zara Hyde Peters OBE, former Commonwealth Games athlete, have been appointed for 4 years and 8 months.

Members of the board will serve until 30 June 2023 following the delivery of the Games.

At the first meeting on Thursday 6 September, the board established governance procedures, discussed the vision and mission of the Games and received a detailed briefing on progress. Work to date has focused on strategic planning, venue planning, budget forecasting, early transport modelling and the start of a procurement programme which – in keeping with previous Games – will see valuable contracts and opportunities extended to local, regional and national companies.

The board meeting is the latest in a series of early milestones delivered by the Games Partners since Birmingham was awarded the Commonwealth Games in December 2017. Recruitment for a permanent Chief Executive is underway, and the first wave of job opportunities at the Organising Committee have been published on birmingham2022.com