Birmingham Commonwealth Games set to deliver £1bn boost

Previous Games in the 21st Century have delivered boosts of around £1 billion to the host city and surrounding area.

Glasgow in 2014 was boosted by £800 million and Manchester in 2002 by £1.1bn. The 2018 Games on Australia's Gold Coast had the biggest uplift of £1.2bn.

There has already been huge investment in facilities for the Games, including the new Sandwell Aquatics centre in Smethwick.

Visitors from all over the Commonwealth are heading to the region for the Games, which open on Thursday July 28 and run through to August 8. More than 1.2 million tickets for events have already been sold. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to make a special journey into Birmingham and the Black Country to watch events.

Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “More than a million people will be descending on the region for 11 days of world class sport, giving the whole of the West Midlands the opportunity to show off their talents and skills during the biggest sporting spectacle the region has witnessed.

“Even the planned rail strikes aren't going to dampen our spirits. The Games have provided tremendous new facilities for the whole region like the transformed Alexander Stadium and the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre, which will enjoy world exposure when they stage the swimming and diving events.

“There will be a great legacy after the Games because the swimming venue will be reconfigured with the removal of 4,000 temporary seats and the addition of leisure facilities, opening in the summer of next year. And Wolverhampton’s historic West Park will provide a fabulous backdrop for the start and finish of the Cycling Time Trial.

“I sincerely hope that as a region and a country we get behind the Games and we should not forget the opportunities they present to upskill local talent across the West Midlands and promote our amazing business community.

“Post-Games we'll be looking at achievements to celebrate and lessons learned. The Chamber published a Games Business Manifesto back in June 2020 and we'll be going back to those key messages and collecting businesses views on the local impact. Until then, the message is simple – let’s get stuck in and have a very good time."

Black Country Chamber of Commerce director of external affairs Neil Anderson said: “The Commonwealth Games is a huge opportunity to put the region on the map with images of the West Midlands being broadcast across the globe.

“Here in the Black County, Sandwell becomes a focus point with the new £73m aquatics centre set to welcome thousands of visitors and athletes.

“With all its fanfare and celebrations, the Games are vitally important to those in the sporting world who have trained for years and is a welcome boost to the local visitor economy. More importantly for the region and the local economy it is the legacy of excitement and dynamism that the Games bring.

“Twenty years ago, the Games were the catalyst for sustained growth and investment in the North West with much of that coming years after the sporting spectacle had moved on.

“We have already seen improvements to infrastructure and facilities as a result of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and, for the Black Country businesses and people, we need to ensure that we need to continue that moment to maximise opportunities for all and make the region world class.”

The Commonwealth Games has already generated thousands of jobs and has seen massive investment in infrastructure, including public transport. It is also expected to lead to increases in tourism of up to 25 per cent in the three years after hosting, as well as Commonwealth trade deals and investments.

The Games also showcases the host city worldwide, with a TV audience of more than a billion expected.