Birmingham set to bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games
BIRMINGHAM has announced it is to launch a bid to be host city for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The move is the city’s most ambitious bid for sporting glory since its attempt to stage the 1992 Olympic Games.
It has been estimated that a successful bid would generate in excess of £390m GVA for the local economy, create thousands of jobs and catapult the region’s profile on the global stage.
Should the bid be successful then it would be a massive boost to the city’s visitor economy, however, mounting a bid will be expensive and at a time when the city council is having to make financial cuts then questions have already been asked about whether the bid would be financially justifiable.
The timing of the announcement is also significant; coming just two days before the start of the Conservative Party Conference in the city. The bid sends out a clear message of the city’s ambitions as it prepares to showcase itself to the global audience and visiting media.
A record 1,500 journalists are set to visit the conference and the publicity generated by such a bid will not go unnoticed.
What is also significant about this bid as against the one for the Olympic Games is the united approach by local and regional stakeholders.
Birmingham City Council, the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP, the West Midlands Combined Authority and Midlands Engine have all thrown their weight behind the bid, which has already attracted the support of business leaders both in Greater Birmingham and Coventry & Warwickshire.
The city’s sporting credentials are also far higher than at the time of the Olympic bid.
In Edgbaston Stadium and Alexander Stadium, the city has world class cricket and athletics venues, while the Barclaycard Arena has hosted international athletics, badminton and Davis Cup tennis. Villa Park also secured major plaudits for staging two group games during last year’s Rugby World Cup.
However, a great deal of work lies ahead, including rallying the whole region to the cause.
Cllr Ian Ward, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We’re calling on the entire region to get behind this bid. The economic benefit, not to mention the excitement and legacy of such an immense sporting event would have on this area, is massive. We are the perfect choice to host the Commonwealth Games.”
Council leader John Clancy was in little doubt that the city had the potential.
“Birmingham is a fantastic sporting city and we have proven ourselves to be warm, welcoming and friendly hosts to a number of international events in recent years. In addition to the huge economic impact, these events showcase the very best of our city and wider region to the world. I hope that we get to do that yet again in 2026 and you can be sure the Games would be a huge success in Birmingham,” he said.”
As well as being hugely prestigious and showcasing sporting talent from across the globe, the Games have a tangible economic benefit. The Glasgow Games in 2014 generated nearly £740m worth of GVA for Scotland, and attracted 690,000 additional visitors. The Games in Durban in South Africa in 2022 are expected to create 1,000 jobs directly and a further 4,500 in supply chain businesses.
Planning for the bid is also expected to help boost the city’s transport and housing plans.
