Birmingham ‘clears final hurdle’ in 2022 Games bid

Birmingham’s bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games is expected to be confirmed, possibly as early as tomorrow.

Although the process has dragged on through the autumn, the city has been the only one to actually submit a bid. Kuala Lumpur, Victoria in Canada, and Adelaide – as well as Liverpool, by virtue of the UK Government choosing to back Birmingham – have all not completed the race.

Negotiations between the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Birmingham City Council and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are nearly finished, according to trade publication insidethegames.

Birmingham’s original bid was previously judged to not be “fully compliant” and the CGF extended the deadline for bids by two months to November 30, to encourage other bids and to give Birmingham time to address its weaknesses.

After the deadline passed, the CGF said it “is close to making a decision” and was aiming for an announcement before Christmas.

At that time, Birmingam City Council leader Cllr Ian Ward said it was “continuing to have productive discussions with the Commonwealth Games Federation as we enter the final stages of what has been a collaborative and positive process within a challenging timeframe”.

The selection of a host city for the 2022 Games has been chaotic because it was originally awarded to Durban, South Africa, in 2015, only for the right to be withdrawn earlier this year.

Birmingham, along with Liverpool, had been building a business case for the 2026 Games but then accelerated the process once 2022 became an option.