Alexander Stadium. Inside the Games

From Inside the Games

Birmingham will be officially announced as hosts of the 2022 Commonwealth Games later this week, insidethegames understands.

Negotiations between Birmingham City Council, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) are now in the final stages.

The decision could be formally announced at a press conference attended by CGF President Louise Martin in Birmingham on Thursday (December 21), insidethegames understands.

It will be the first time the Commonwealth Games have been staged in England since Manchester in 2002.

Birmingham has remained the only city publicly committed to bidding to replace Durban after they were stripped of the Games in March following its failure to meet a series of financial deadlines.

The original deadline for bids to replace the South African city was September 30.

That was extended after the CGF Executive Board ruled that Birmingham’s bid was “not fully compliant”, despite having received the promise of financial backing from the United Kingdom Government.

Among the issues of concern were the conditions attached to the Government guarantees.

The CGF also wanted reassurances that Birmingham City Council has secured the land in Perry Barr, close to Alexander Stadium, for the proposed Athletes’ Village.

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