The Executive Committee of the International World Games Association has chosen Birmingham, Alabama as the host city of the 2021 World Games.

The decision was announced on Thursday at a press conference in the Mövenpick Hotel in Lausanne, 

Birmingham beat off competition from Lima in Peru and the Russian city of Ufa. 

The decision was made after the delegations’ final presentations to the IWGA Executive Committee at the International Olympic Committee headquarters. 

"All the bids we received were of very high quality, and it was not easy for us to reach a decision,” said José Perurena, President of the International World Games Association. 

“We have to deliver nothing less than outstanding World Games. We are convinced that Birmingham will exceed these expectations.

“We are happy to showcase our sports in Birmingham in July 2021, and we are sure that we will be offered optimal conditions for our sportsmen and women there.”

Perurena also hailed Birmingham’s organisational skills and the support of the city administration and the National Olympic Committee.

Birmingham Council President Johnathan Austin said "The city of Birmingham will make the World Games 2021 the best World Games that you all have seen."

The decision is subject to “successful negotiation of contractual conditions” and the agreement with the host city will not be signed until the close of the Annual General Meeting in April 2015. 

Birmingham, the largest city in Alabama, has never hosted an international multi-sports event before. 

The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau is anticipating that hosting the 2021 World Games will bring an economic benefit of more than US$250m from visitors to the city. 

The cost of hosting the Games has been forecast to be US$75m, which will raised from public and private sources.

The World Games is a quadrennial and multidisciplinary sports event under the patronage of the IOC, showcasing more than 25 sports including Gymnastics, Squash, Tug of War, Sumo and Roller Sports. About 4,500 athletes and officials from approximately 100 countries take part.

The 2021 World Games will the 11th edition, following the 10th World Games in July 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland.

The World Games has not been to the USA since the inaugural edition in 1981 in Santa Clara, California. 

The bidding process for the 2021 World Games began in early 2014. The host city selection process is restricted to Executive Committee members, according to Inside the Games. The IWGA is reported to be reviewing the bidding process going forward to engage sports federations in the evaluation and selection processes.

Host City: For readers who may not be familiar with the World Police & Fire Games, can you summarize the size and scope of the event – how many sports, venues, participating countries and spectators?

James King: The World Police and Fire Games is a multi-sport, Olympic-style event held specifically for the World’s first responders and public safety. The Games are biennial and began in 1985 in San Jose, California. Birmingham, Alabama was our 21^st edition of the Games. The public safety participants hail from over 70 countries, and numbered 8500, to 10,000 plus athletes. The typical offering of sports is 65, with events ranging from the typical Olympic sports such as track and field and swimming to industry specific events such as the Ultimate Firefighter, the full gear stair race, police motorcycle rodeo, and the police service dogs. All events are free to the public and are available during the entire 9-10 days of the Games.

Host City: How was your experience of Birmingham AL as a host? Were there any learnings or legacies of their recent hosting of the World Games that were helpful to your event?

James King: We always learn a great deal from our various hosts and their respective experiences. The World Police and Fire Games have been in a “post covid” period, but our international participant numbers were actually very strong this edition, especially from Brazil and India.

We also learned that you don’t have to be close to the beach to create a great experience, with many competitors stating that the Beach Volleyball competition was one of the best ever. We heard similar remarks about cycling, which was held at Barber motorsports park. We also reinforced our standards by confirming that strategies such as venue clustering always work.

The 21^st edition of the WPFG provided many great results in the touch points with our athletes; the “athlete experience” was generally well received.

Host City: What benefits has the Games brought to Birmingham?

James King: Obviously, a key marker is economic impact. I heard personally how happy many restaurant owners and operators were with the number of athlete visitors who dined at the local restaurants. Hotels were also happy with the number of athletes, friends and family members who stayed at their hotels. Typically, US$65,000.00 is a good starting point for the return on investment in hosting the Games. I am sure Birmingham experienced this type of return.

Host City: The next two Games are going to very different destinations. How might hosting the World Police & Fire Games support Ahmedabad’s bid for the Olympics?

James King: Our 2027 WPFG will be held in Perth, Western Australia. The 2029 Games will be held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It is fair to say that both destinations are quite different from the United States, let alone the deep south of Alabama. However, they share a common thing in that they all have very hospitable and friendly people. I am excited for our athletes and the experiences that lay ahead.

As for Ahmedabad and how hosting the WPFG may support their bid for hosting the Olympics, the World Police and Fire Games offer the opportunity to rehearse operations and evaluate venues on a very large scale, at a greatly reduced price. The 65 sports offered by the WPFG are held to the highest international governing body standards. This includes the venues, officiating, and other critical components of conducting a major international multi-sport event.

Host City: How important is it for you as a rightsholder to learn from and engage with other types of major events around the world?

James King: We offer our athletes an incredible experience, one which I am very proud of. With that said, we are not perfect. We take lessons from all our experiences, both good and bad. One of the best attributes of our Games is that our athletes can network with like individuals from around the globe. The commonalities are uncanny between public safety, be it law enforcement or firefighting. The same is true for event organizers in the sports world. If you are not learning, you are not growing, which means you won’t be around for long.

Why should cities want to bid to host an event like the World Police & Fire Games?

James King: Easy. The World Police and Fire Games showcases the “human element” of public safety and first responders by honoring them on a global stage. We thank those people who serve people. These folks risk their lives daily in the communities that they serve. We provide an outlet for improving both physical and mental health of first responders. The local public safety personnel will experience long-term benefits from the notoriety received from hosting the Games. It is a shot in the arm for essential services.

Additionally, the economic benefits are huge considering the ROI could be many times the initial investment. Our customer athletes pay their own way, eat at local restaurants, stay in hotels, and support the local economy in many ways. It is an equation that has been paying off for the past 40 years.

[Source: SportAccord] The SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2024 wrapped up yesterday after an inspirational week that will shape the future of sport and leave a transformative legacy in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

More than 1,700 attendees from 65 different countries travelled to the UK from across the globe for a packed agenda of high-level meetings, conferences, exhibitions, networking, and social events at the International Convention Centre.

Against the backdrop of what many described as the busiest SportAccord exhibition ever, high-calibre participants in the conference programme included Olympic champions and leading industry figures such as Epic Games Vice President and Co-Founder Mark Rein; UK Sport Chair Dame Katherine Grainger; Olympic Broadcasting Services CEO Yannis Exarchos; Rob Alberino, Vice-President of Content and Production, Kansas City Chiefs; Wayne Barnes,  Former Rugby World Cup referee and many more. Topics of discussion and debate ranged from sustainability, innovative technology, fan engagement and new event models to governance, esports and athlete wellbeing.

Important items during the official meetings included the election of the next Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) President Ingmar De Vos, and presentations from the Organising Committees for Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026.

“On behalf of SportAccord, I would like to express our sincere thanks to our hosts for delivering a superb event bringing the international sports family back together in the heart of their vibrant and diverse city,” SportAccord President Prof Dr Uğur Erdener said.

“An engaging agenda of networking events, supported by the passion of the local volunteers in a state-of-the-art venue in a region steeped in sporting heritage, provided a perfect platform for forging connections, strengthening relationships and exploring new ideas.

“Birmingham and the West Midlands have given sport an ideal platform for gathering International Federations, the International Olympic Committee, rights holders, businesses, cities, and regions – the whole sporting family.”

SportAccord has been supported by the Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund (CWGLEF), administered by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). In addition to the WMCA, SportAccord’s regional delivery partners include Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Growth Company.

Neil Rami, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, said: “SportAccord has been a triumph for the West Midlands – this is about return on influence for us, as well as return on investment. This was the natural next step from the success of the Commonwealth Games, as we brought world leaders of sport together in Birmingham at SportAccord to enhance our reputation across the global sports industry and forge crucial relationships with sporting federations.

“Significant announcements made at SportAccord included the release of the government’s official report of £1.2 billion economic impact of the Commonwealth Games, to Tom Wagner’s investment in Birmingham City Football Club and the purchase of Bordesley Park, as well as the creation of the Sports Quarter which is expected to generate 3,000 local jobs. 

“There’s been no better endorsement than when SportAccord President Prof Dr Uğur Erdener has congratulated us and hailed Birmingham as the best SportAccord ever.”

Host City: It’s great to be here in Birmingham for SportAccord. How important was hosting the Commonwealth Games for the city and the West Midlands region?

Joel Lavery: We hit the high note with the Commonwealth Games in 2022. The city came alive with sport, and we recognised the power and the impact of an event like the Commonwealth Games. That led us to think about what comes after the Commonwealth Games. We wanted to see if we could attract more events that have purpose, and to know what impact they're going to have.

Host City: How is hosting SportAccord helping to attract more events?

Joel Lavery: SportAccord is one of the events that sits as part of that portfolio that is being paid for by the underspend of £70 million from the Commonwealth Games and the £6 million invested into the major events fund. What better audience could we have than 1,500 world leaders of sport? And so this week it's about meeting people and starting off some of those conversations that we hope will lead to us landing a pipeline of opportunities.

Host City: What activities have you got in the pipeline?

Joel Lavery: We've talked about the Golden Decade of Sport from the Commonwealth Games. In 2026 we'll have the European Athletics Championships and alongside that, we'll have the IWG Women in Sport Global Conference that's happening in this very same venue in two years.  We've also got events like the Kabaddi World Cup, the Urban Sports World Championships, Esports and Judo happening.

Tom Wagner made the announcement here that they've purchased a large piece of land in the east of Birmingham where there's going to be a new development, a new Birmingham City stadium and sports quarter.  I think that's an exciting announcement, when we're talking about the power of sport to transform cities and showcasing the West Midlands’ place at the heart of sport in the UK.

For more information on the West Midlands' sporting offer, please go to: www.meetbirmingham.com/sportingevents #HeartofSport

[Source: SportAccord and Host City] SportAccord is pleased to welcome back its longstanding media partners including AFP, FrancsJeux, GlobalData, Host City, SportBusiness and SportsPro. Armed with this dedicated team of experienced media content providers, the quintet will provide outstanding news and content coverage from the World Sport & Business Summit in Birmingham this April.

SportAccord is committed to delivering exceptional content using a variety of formats including breaking news, exclusive interviews, featured articles, video broadcasts, and news bulletins, to ensure global audiences are primed with the latest stories in sport.

Martin Gibbs, Managing Director of SportAccord said: 

“Our global audience of leading sports decision makers and influencers really benefit from the unrivalled content and news analysis the World Sport & Business Summit brings.

“International news coverage in several languages enables audiences worldwide, to stay connected and gain insights from key innovators and organisations attending the Summit, with content delivered through our highly networked media partner channels.

“We’re delighted to welcome the return of our media partners who are also involved with the business of sport on many other levels too, involving stakeholders, international federations, leagues, city destinations, and industry.”

AFP – leading news gathering network across 151 countries, covering 6 languages

AFP is a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive, and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and the issues affecting our daily lives. Drawing from an unparalleled news gathering network across 151 countries, AFP is also a world leader in digital verification. 

Pierre Galy, Head of Sports at AFP said:

"AFP and SportAccord have been partners for many years. AFP is one of IOC's officially recognised news agencies and a member of the IOC Press Commission. Our commitment to producing quality editorial content throughout the world, about all disciplines, in six languages, in both sporting and non-sporting fields, makes us a benchmark in the world of sports coverage. It is therefore only natural that we should support the IOC, SportAccord and the international federations in their joint discussions through the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit. 

“We are also taking part in a MediaAccord discussion on the attractiveness of innovations such as robotics and artificial intelligence for measuring and increasing the audience for the Paris Olympic Games.”

FrancsJeux – first French-speaking news website dedicated to sport

FrancsJeux is the first-ever French speaking international news website dedicated to the world sports community providing sports leaders with exclusive daily updates taking place in the global industry.

Alain Mercier, Editor-in-chief of FrancsJeux had this to say:

“First presence for FrancsJeux was at SportAccord 2015 in Sochi; first participation as a media partner was Lausanne in 2016 – a commitment that has been renewed ever since. The facts speak for themselves.

“For FrancsJeux, a leading media outlet in the Olympic movement, SportAccord is not just a must-attend event and date in the diary committed months in advance. It’s much more than that. It’s a unique opportunity to meet the major players in international sport, in the best possible conditions, for discussions and interviews. Birmingham, here we come!”

GlobalData – supports industry giants in making key decisions

GlobalData is a leading provider of data, insights, and analytics for the world’s largest industries so organisations can gain access to exclusive news, and make faster, well-informed decisions on media rights, sponsorship, events, and bidding across the industry.

Sportcal.com is part of a network of 40+ proprietary B2B websites owned by GlobalData with expertise spanning more than 80 markets worldwide. The Sportcal.com channel will publish news stories from SportAccord 2024 to global audiences.

Matt Finch, Head of Sport, GlobalData commented

“We are very excited to continue our partnership with SportAccord for 2024. SportAccord is the premier global gathering for international federations and their stakeholders, all of whom play a vital role in the development and prosperity of sports. Their exclusive World Sport & Business Summit draws over 120 International Federations, who are very much the centre of attention for Sportcal’s news coverage. We eagerly anticipate reconnecting with all our partners in Birmingham in April.”

SportBusiness – global sports intelligence

SportBusiness works with sports organisations around the world to provide them with the intelligence they need to unlock value and grow their businesses. Teams, franchises, leagues and tournaments, sponsors, broadcast companies, agencies, venues, financial institutions, and universities have come to rely on SportBusiness’s information, data and analysis in their decision making. 

“We are excited to be a media partner and to be covering this year’s event when the global sports community comes to Birmingham for the first time”, said Paul Rossi, CEO of SportBusiness.

“Our global news service delivers exclusive and breaking news through SportBusiness.com and social media platforms, while our media rights and sponsorship deal trackers give organisations up-to-date valuations and market insights.”

Host City – connecting the owners, hosts and organisers of major events

Host City shares expertise within the community of international sports, business and cultural events. Host City was launched as a bilingual magazine in 2003 for the 2008 Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic Games; the publisher's CEO Matthew Astill was awarded the Great Wall Friendship Award by the Vice Mayor of Beijing. The Host City brand now serves all stakeholders in staging international major events, through online publishing and conferences.

Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director at Host City said: “We're delighted to renew our longstanding partnership with SportAccord. It is always a great gathering for sports events, and I look forward to sharing exclusive coverage with our audience of destinations, rightsholders and organisers.”

SportsPro – leading aggregator of knowledge, insights and expertise

SportsPro is a leading media and events company for the business world of sports. Generating nearly six million views annually on Sportspro.com through the latest news, in-depth features, special reports, and exclusive interviews, SportsPro bring their content to life through industry-leading global events and intimate communities. They continue to serve audiences year-round with the addition of the subscription product SportsPro+, a personalised and interactive business tool being used by hundreds of experts across the ecosystem.

Francesca Greane, Head of Marketing at SportsPro said:

“We’re delighted to return as a media partner for SportAccord 2024. As the aggregator of knowledge, insights, and expertise for sports business, SportsPro finds a lot of value in collaborating with those that look to gather sports business professionals together to advance the industry, and SportAccord is the perfect example of this. We look forward to enriching both the SportAccord and the SportsPro audiences through this combined partnership.”

Register for SportAccord

Organisations involved in the business of sport are encouraged to join leading organisations at the unmissable World Sport & Business Summit taking place from 7 – 11 April in Birmingham at the International Convention Centre, to take advantage of all the opportunities on offer.

[Source: West Midlands Growth Company] Birmingham and the West Midlands’ sporting offer and major events hosting expertise will be thrust back into the global spotlight from 7-11 April when it welcomes the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit at ICC Birmingham.

Nearly two years on from hosting the biggest-ever Commonwealth Games, the West Midlands will roll out the red carpet for more than 1,500 international delegates from 120 sporting federations to showcase why it is at the heart of sport in the UK.

From basketball, bobsleigh and bodybuilding to tennis, triathlon and taekwondo, presidents and CEOs from global sporting organisations will visit Birmingham and the West Midlands for SportAccord’s conference programme, which includes specialist streams CityAccord, HealthAccord, LawAccord and MediaAccord. The summit will also feature panel events, evening networking sessions and a keynote speech during the event’s opening ceremony from International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, ahead of the year’s biggest sporting celebration, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit offers a huge opportunity for the West Midlands’ people, venues and suppliers to come together and put on a great show for international sports leaders, continuing the positive buzz and legacy of the Commonwealth Games.

“Our region has world-class sporting infrastructure, unrivalled connectivity and a passion and knowledge for hosting major events. We will be showing visiting officials and senior delegates why the West Midlands deserves to sit at sport’s top table when they are picking the destination for their next championships, conference or business event, which will provide a welcome boost for our local businesses and communities.”

With less than two months to go until “sport’s most influential industry gathering”, final touches are being made to the summit’s event programme focusing on this year’s theme, the ‘power of sport’, and speaker list. The programme already includes Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman MBE; Secretary General of the World Union of Olympic Cities, Melanie Duparc; and CEO of Global Esports Federation, Paul Foster.

The West Midlands’ cultural, tourism and sporting credentials will also be on show for SportAccord delegates as part of an excursion programme, which will include the region’s Industrial Revolution story at Black Country Living Museum and Ironbridge Gorge; and its arts and literary heritage at Shakespeare’s Birthplace and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The region’s instrumental role in shaping Britain’s sporting tradition – having invented rugby, lawn tennis and the Football League, and hosted the forerunner to the Olympic Games in Much Wenlock – will be covered during a sporting tour, to include Villa Park and Edgbaston Stadium.

Cllr John Cotton, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The SportAccord Summit 2024 is a fantastic opportunity for Birmingham to showcase the city and provides the chance to bring people together.

“The city has world-class sporting facilities, which have hosted some fantastic events including the Commonwealth Games, IBSA World Games and the FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships, plus with our famous reputation as a friendly city, we can guarantee a warm Birmingham welcome to all visiting delegates.”

The West Midlands has recently hosted some of global sport’s biggest spectacles, including the Rugby World Cup, The Ashes and the FIG World Trampoline Championships. The ESL One – Dota II esports tournament in Solihull (26-28 April); the European Judo Union Junior Cup in Walsall (15-19 June); and the Kabaddi World Cup (24-31 March 2025) are a snapshot of the sporting fixtures taking place in the West Midlands in the next 12 months, thanks to the region’s Major Events Fund.

SportAccord 2024 will also present opportunities for companies, brands, products, services and destinations to showcase their offer as part of a dedicated exhibition, running in parallel with the summit at ICC Birmingham. Companies and individuals, which provide cutting-edge governance, research, advisory services, sports tech, insurance and fan engagement across the business of sport are encouraged to contact the West Midlands Growth Company to receive more information about getting involved: partners@wmgrowth.com. 

Interested parties can visit the official website here to register their interest in attending.

The economic benefits of hosting major sporting events

When BBC News interviewed an Australian tourist in the heart of Birmingham city centre during the 2022 Commonwealth Games and received the response…

“It is totally different to how I expected it. I expected it to be industrial and horrible buildings. And it is amazing. I didn’t expect it to be so multi-cultural. I’ve loved it.”

…in one soundbite, it perfectly hammered home the importance of hosting major sporting events. They change perceptions, they get people talking about an area, and they encourage visitors to explore and enjoy a destination, and return.

Just as importantly, though, is the fact that big domestic and international major sporting events and championships equal big business for a city and region. You only have to look at a 2021 report ‘The impact of major events on London’s economy’ by London & Partners and Hatch to appreciate the huge benefits that sporting spectacles can bring.

Between 2017-20, England’s capital city hosted 757 events, including 305 sporting events, which brought an injection of £2.51billion into its economy, including £2.27 billion in visitor expenditure on items such as accommodation and food and drink.

Sport overall is a significant player in the UK economy. It contributed £48.9billlion gross value added (GVA) pre-pandemic, accounting for 2.6% of the UK total (source: The Power of Events).

The role of the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Business and Tourism Programme 

The wonderful celebration of sport and culture served up by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games played a huge role in stimulating the West Midlands’ visitor economy as well as the sports economy and supply chains. 

It is not just about sports events and tourism, of course. The success of Birmingham 2022 and the results of the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP) – the first of its kind to be aligned to a Commonwealth Games – demonstrate that there is a much broader impact of hosting major sporting events on business growth, inward investment, jobs and skills.

In the 2022/23 financial year, the West Midlands attracted more foreign direct investment projects than Scotland and Wales combined, and bucked the national trend of a decline in FDI-related jobs.

Soft power

As the post-pandemic race to attract more major sporting events hots up, we are increasingly seeing evidence of ‘soft power’ playing a major part. The notion of a region’s ability to win sporting bids not through coercion or payment, but through the attraction of its culture, initiatives, values and policies, has the potential to boost the UK’s economy by at least £4billion by 2030.

That’s according to EY’s ‘The impact of major sport events: Study of soft power, trade and investment impacts’ report, which used Birmingham 2022 as a case study to highlight the event’s wider benefits for the West Midlands and UK.

The Games showcased “the UK as a leading economy and player within the Commonwealth that is open for business post-Brexit” and promoted “important agendas such as equality and sustainability”. The event also helped to build, leverage and reinforce vital relationships on a regional, national and international scale to “showcase industry and commitment to air quality”, “capitalise on Commonwealth connections”, “generate the feel-good factor seen at London 2012 and Glasgow 2014” and “work with embassies, DIT (now DBT) and VisitBritain (to deliver international tourism)”.

The French novelist Marcel Proust once wrote “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes” and hosting the Commonwealth Games has given the West Midlands and its people a new-found confidence and can-do attitude.

We told a story of welcome, inclusion and rebirth, which helped to change our self-perception of what we can achieve. We were – and continue to be – driven by purpose and impact, and are guided by our values to be innovative, youthful, inclusive, diverse and collaborative.

We have always said that last summer’s sporting spectacular must represent a starting point and not the finish line, and we are starting to build from that strong foundation in 2022 to create an exciting decade of opportunity. That means capitalising on the West Midlands’ venues and infrastructure – which, when combined, rival any city region in the world.

These range from shining new venues like Sandwell Aquatics Centre to Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium. The region also boasts iconic sporting settings like The Belfry and Edgbaston Stadium, and world-class arenas such as the NEC, Resorts World Arena and Utilita Arena. Its Premier League and EFL stadiums Molineux, Villa Park, St Andrew’s, The Hawthorns, Coventry Arena and the Bescot Stadium regularly host domestic and international football fixtures.

Across the West Midlands region, not only do we have the infrastructure, we have the passion, knowledge, experience and expertise to welcome and host events of any size or duration, and our efforts are starting to gain recognition.

Having appeared for the first time in the prestigious BCW Ranking of Sports Cities in 2022, Birmingham has improved its ranking to 33^rd this year. In a new report by Quantum Consultancy and Durham University Business School, Birmingham is the top English sporting destination for event hosting – highlighting the attention that the city has gained from athletes, fans and sports organisations on a global scale.

The SportAccord summit

Winning the right to host the prestigious SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit at the ICC next April – bringing together senior policy and decision makers from the top tier of world sport – has the potential to increase the West Midlands’ ranking among global major sporting event destinations even higher.

You only have to look at the numbers. We anticipate more than 1,500 international sports leaders and key decision makers to come together for six days in Birmingham and across the West Midlands, and it’s crucial that we put on a show for organisers and delegates.

In the lead up to, during and after hosting the summit, we will have direct access to the unique network of global sporting organisations that SportAccord represents – from the highest levels of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through to 15,000 individual sporting federations and an estimated 50,000 event properties.

The most successful previous hosts of SportAccord – including the Gold Coast in 2019, which is now set to play a key role in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games – have leveraged this network and developed new relationships to build a strong pipeline of future hosting opportunities.

By showcasing the visitor experience for athletes, coaches, teams, spectators and fans – and promoting our great West Midlands venues, connectivity and expertise – we plan to make the maximum impact to provide a springboard for our future. It is an event, which will generate valuable opportunities for towns and cities across our region.

Walsall will seek to build on the town’s status as the home of British Judo by attracting other martial arts governing bodies, while Wolverhampton will aim to add to its rollcall of sporting fixtures, which currently includes boxing, darts and snooker. Solihull’s esports credentials and Sandwell’s state-of-the-art Aquatics Centre will also be on show as our destinations work towards bringing more high-profile sporting events to the region.

The West Midlands’ sporting calendar

To coin a sporting phrase, we have already put points on the board in our efforts to maintain momentum following the 2022 Games and keep the West Midlands in the global sporting spotlight.

We have an enviable platform, on which to build. Our sporting calendar includes the British Basketball League Trophy Finals, the Netball Super League, the All England Open Badminton Championships, Esports and gaming, Horse of the Year Show, World Indoor Athletics, snooker’s Players Championship, European judo and the International Blind Sport Federation (IBSA) World Games. This summer, more than 100,000 fans packed into Edgbaston Stadium for the thrilling first Test of the Ashes.

Looking ahead, the World Trampoline Championships in November, the first Kabaddi World Cup outside Asia in 2025 and the 2026 European Athletics Championships will entice even more sports tourists to enjoy the region’s offer.

If you also include the International Working Group (IWG) World Conference on Women & Sport 2026, and the launch of our £6million major events fund to attract more major events for the West Midlands, then we are already reaping tangible rewards.

The West Midlands is starting to wake up to its massive potential as a major sporting events host. Its distinctive history has already set the pace – from inventing lawn tennis and rugby to the creation of the Football League and forerunner of the modern Olympic Games.

Now, more than a century on, with world-class ‘ready to go’ facilities, multi-billion-pound advances to its infrastructure and a young, diverse population ready to embrace the region’s next big championships, the West Midlands is set to make the cut, step up to the plate and mix it with the established global sporting destination heavyweights.

[Source: Global Esports Federation] The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum will be staged in Birmingham, England this summer. The Championships is a tangible result of the Strategic Partnership between the Global Esports Federation and the Commonwealth Games Federation, announced in May 2020. The new competition in Birmingham will be supported by the British Esports Association, the not-for-profit national body established in 2016 to promote esports in the UK, increase its level of awareness, improve standards and inspire future talent.

The Commonwealth Esports Championships will take place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham on August 6-7, 2022. The Commonwealth Esports Forum – a global convention of thought leaders and idea creators – will be held at the same venue in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Esports Championships, on August 5, 2022.

The Commonwealth Esports Championships will feature esports athletes from across the Commonwealth. Renowned multi-genre global titles are in the final stages of confirmation and will be announced shortly. The event is set to feature exciting demonstrations showcasing Active Esports and the powerful technologies that support the convergence of sport and esports.

The Commonwealth Esports Championships was sanctioned by the CGF Executive Board to be held at the same time as the 2022 Commonwealth Games whilst being independent of Birmingham 2022 and its sports programme. The Commonwealth Esports Championships will have separate branding, medals, organisation, and governance, led by the GEF and its community of partners.

Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation said, “I am delighted that we are announcing the first Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum to take place in Birmingham this summer. Esports is continuing to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation, particularly amongst young people, and we are continuing to look at ways to explore how it can align with the Commonwealth Sports Movement. Commonwealth Esports Championships provides an excellent opportunity to pilot esports close to the Commonwealth Games. This will allow us to review the long-term relationship between the Commonwealth Games and esports as we continue to evolve and explore future editions of our event and what they could look like. I would like to thank the Global Esports Federation for their partnership with this exciting event, including the British Esports Association and the Business and Tourism Programme, who will help us bring this concept to life.”

“We are proud to establish yet another first for the world’s esports community. The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships comes hot on the heels of the first-ever Singapore 2021 Global Esports Games staged in December 2021, capturing more than 500 million views from around the world. The Commonwealth Esports Championships offers our community another exciting event in the global esports calendar. We look forward to welcoming the esports community to Birmingham in August,” said Chris Chan, President of the Global Esports Federation.

The event is supported by the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP), which aims to maximise the economic legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as the regional economic development agency, the West Midlands Growth Company, which drives long-term tourism, investment, and major events into the region.

Exploring esports is one of the recommendations outlined in the new Commonwealth Sport 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap. The aspiration is that the innovative inaugural event will engage new audiences, showcase the digital and gaming credentials of the West Midlands and enable the Commonwealth Sport Movement to further explore the impact and potential of esports as part of the roadmap.