The Midlander | June 2017

Birmingham is ready to and able to host the Commonwealth Games

Last month the West Midlands Combined Authority and Mayor Andy Street endorsed Birmingham’s bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games confident – for two reasons – that Birmingham can deliver the best ever Games.

View the whole Midlands June edition here.

Firstly, the Midlander sporting credentials, experience hosting global events and strong community links with the Commonwealth, make it the very best place in the world for the 2022 Games to be held.

Secondly, the clock is ticking, Birmingham already has a plan in place, having prepared to bid for the 2026 Games, and 95% of the necessary infrastructure is in place.

Don’t just take my word for it. Usain Bolt paid tribute to Birmingham and its sporting facilities after
preparing for his extraordinary triple gold winning performance in the 2012 Olympics at a team training camp in the city.

The Midlands’ enviable road, rail and air links, including two of the UK’s best airports, mean we’re well placed to attract visitors and sports fans from every corner of the country and Commonwealth.

The Midlands is home to one of the most diverse populations in the UK. More people born in a Commonwealth country have moved to the Midlands than any region other than the South East.

More than 300,000 people, from India and Pakistan, the Caribbean, Australia and Canada, have chosen to make their home in the West Midlands.

Visitors to the 2022 Games will see the appeal of the Midlands and the economic legacy of the Games will help cement the Midlands’ place as the strongest regional accelerator of UK growth.

I know that the region is ready. Hosting the Games not only makes sense for Birmingham and for the Midlands, but for the country and the Commonwealth.

Let’s get all 12 million Midlanders behind this bid and ensure its legacy will be felt in every corner of the region.

Birmingham is fired up and ready to go, ready to deliver the most exciting and successful Commonwealth Games ever seen.

We could do it today. Just imagine what we can do by 2022.

Take a look inside The Midlander | June 2017 edition to read more