• 730 days to go until the opening ceremony for the biggest sports event to be held in the UK since the London 2012 Olympics

• City centre venue unveiled for 3×3 basketball, 3×3 wheelchair basketball and beach volleyball 

• The Minister for Sport, Games Partners, Team England hopefuls and local basketball players come together to celebrate the two-year countdown to the Games

July 28, 2020 – In exactly two years’ time, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will begin, and organisers are marking this major milestone on the countdown to the Games by unveiling Smithfield, with its impressive city-scape backdrop, as the chosen location to create two bespoke arenas side by side to stage the 3×3 basketball and beach volleyball competitions.

Smithfield, previously the site of Birmingham’s Wholesale Markets, is located at the heart of the city centre and will be a crucial venue, for the host city, creating an urban hub that’s just a short walk from Birmingham’s famous Bullring shopping centre, with views of the Rotunda and Selfridges building. 

The new venue announcement has been warmly welcomed by the sports that will play there, and comes on what would have been the fourth day of sporting action at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with the prospect of a major multi-sport home Games providing a positive point on the sporting horizon for Team England hopefuls to set their sights on over the next 24 months.

Temporary courts for the two sports have been set up at the site as part of the two years to go celebrations, giving current and future stars of both sports, and young basketballers from the City of Birmingham Basketball Club the first chance to try out the location and to provide just a flavour of the sporting action that spectators can expect in 2022.

Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage, who is visiting the site today, said: “2022 will be a fantastic year of celebration for the UK, with a number of major events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and Festival 2022. 

“With two years to go until Birmingham 2022, we’ve reached another major milestone. The site at Smithfield will be right at the heart of that, acting as a powerful focal point in making this a Games for everyone and helping to create a real buzz in the heart of the city.”

Birmingham 2022 finalised using the Smithfield site after working closely with the host city and the national governing bodies and international federations for the sports. 

Chief Executive Officer for Birmingham 2022, Ian Reid, said: “Today marks exactly two years to go until the official opening ceremony for Birmingham 2022 and we’re on track with our plans to host a spectacular event which will not only put Birmingham and the West Midlands centre stage but will also be an integral part of the region’s recovery plan following the global pandemic, bringing jobs for local people and contracts for local businesses.

“Smithfield is a fantastic location for these two sports, allowing us to bring together thousands of local people and spectators from further afield and enabling us to create a key hub for the Games in the heart of the city centre. It’s currently a blank canvas which will allow us to transform this location into a vibrant venue for two exciting sports that will no doubt bring a festival atmosphere to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.”

The 3×3 version of basketball is making its debut as a Commonwealth Sport in Birmingham. It will also be the first time that wheelchair basketball in any format has featured at a Commonwealth Games, a sport which is expected to be one of the highlights of the integrated para sports programme – the biggest in history for the multi-sport event, with eight sports set to feature at Birmingham 2022. 

Beach volleyball will be making its second appearance at a Commonwealth Games after the sport was added to the Birmingham 2022 programme last summer. The Smithfield site, at the heart of the landlocked city of Birmingham, will provide an interesting contrast to the sport’s first Commonwealth Games appearance on Australia’s Gold Coast, however organisers revealed that its popularity with a younger audience was one of the main reasons for choosing to add the sport, identifying this as a good fit for a city that is one of the youngest in Europe, with 60% of its residents aged 30 or under. 

The Smithfield site is owned by Birmingham City Council and its Deputy Leader, Councillor Brigid Jones, said: “We are delighted to be able to make available a prime piece of city centre land in the council’s ownership as a Commonwealth Games venue – making it a focal point of Games-related festivities in the city in the summer of 2022.

“It offers a stunning backdrop that depicts the very best of Birmingham’s past, present and future, showing off a key part of the city’s skyline to a massive global audience.

“And for the people of Birmingham, the Games-time plan gives a fantastic purpose and use to this land before we bring forward our plans to redevelop the site into a thriving hub of residential, commercial and leisure developments, including a new home for our retail markets.”

The Commonwealth Games Federation is also joining the other Games Partners in celebrating the countdown to Birmingham 2022 and CGF President, Dame Louise Martin DBE, said: “Today marks two years to go to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. It only feels like yesterday that the Commonwealth Games Federation awarded the city the right to stage the XXII edition of the competition, when in reality, that announcement was back in December 2017!

“Birmingham and the West Midlands are making excellent progress towards staging a fantastic competition for athletes, fans and spectators, alike, across the Commonwealth.

“Birmingham is one of the most culturally diverse cities of the UK, home to 187 nationalities which makes the 2022 Commonwealth Games really feel like a home Games for all of our 71 nations and territories. It is truly a Commonwealth city. We are looking forward to welcoming the world to the West Midlands in just two years’ time.”

More information about all of the venues for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which are located in the host city and across the West Midlands region, is available at www.birmingham2022.com where you can also sign-up to receive regular updates about the Games over the next 24 months.

• A slight change to the start and finish dates for Birmingham 2022 was announced in June with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games now starting on 28 July and finishing on 8 August, with the event sitting at the heart of an exciting summer of sport

For more information please contact:

Sarah Dickson, Media and PR Manager, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on 07494 671 802 or email sarah.dickson@birmingham2022.com

July 25, 2020 – In commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the inauguration of the XVIII Pan American Games of Lima 2019, Panam Sports is proud to present a 12-minute short film on YouTube and on the Panam Sports Channel. Watch never-before-seen footage telling the story of the best Pan American Games in history, beginning with the selection of Lima as the Host City in Toronto, Canada in 2013 and following the journey to the unforgettable Closing Ceremony on August 11, 2019, where more than 35 million Peruvians chanted “Contigo Peru” before the eyes of more than 400 million viewers throughout the globe who all witnessed an exciting end to Lima 2019’s spectacular festival of sport.

July 22, 2020 – Tomorrow will mark one year to go until the start of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. As part of this major milestone, an event will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. The Organizing Committee will premiere a video showcasing support and cheers for all the athletes around the world.

The event is not open to the public but can be watched via an online live stream at the time that the Opening Ceremony is due to begin next year (5:00AM Belize Time):
11:00 UTC | 04:00 PST (UTC-7) | 13:00 CEST (UTC+2) | 20:00 JST (UTC+9).

July 15, 2020 – On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Belize, established July 15, 1995, the Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (BOCGA) wishes to acknowledge the friendship, solidarity, cooperation and coordination in sports it has shared with Cuba since 2004.

Through our collaboration agreement with the Cuban Olympic Committee, we continue to raise the level of sports in Belize, particularly thrоugh coaching and trаіnіng, and through other areas of cooperation. Belize currently works with Cuban specialists in the sporting disciplines of athletics, volleyball, table tennis and tennis. The collaboration is important for our development in these areas, and we look forward to the continued partnership in the years ahead.

June 30, 2019

Press Release

Olympic Day 2019

Move, Learn and Discover

The Belize Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association will be celebrating Olympic Day on Sunday, July 7th, 2019 from 1:00-5:30pm at the Digi Park in Belize City.

Join us in celebrating this global event that celebrates the founding of the Olympic Movement. The goal of the movement is to encourage everyone around the world, regardless of age, gender or athletic ability to practice physical activity.

The event will start off with fun games for everyone, including lime and spoon, hula-hoop and sack race. The National Federations will also be doing demonstrations/exhibitions of their sport and allowing the public to learn and try out new sports.

The Olympic Day Run will start at 3:30 pm and participants can register for FREE on the day of the run. The first 100 participants registered will receive a commemorative T-shirt while all participants will receive a certificate. First, second and third place (males & females) in each category will receive a medal. Refreshments will be provided to all participants after the event.

We invite everyone to come out and be a part of Olympic Day 2019.

END

The presidents of the Olympic committees of both countries held talks on Thursday at Ciudad Deportiva.

By: Duanys Hernández Torres

Havana.- ROBERTO León Richards, president of the Cuban Olympic Committee (COC) and first vice president of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (Inder), received Hilberto Martinez, president of the Belize Olympic Committee, at Ciudad Deportiva on Thursday.

“One of the intentions of the Cuban Olympic Committee is to strengthen the bonds of friendship with the countries of the region, especially the English-speaking countries, to create superior strength among sports organizations,” said the Cuban director.

Hilberto Martinez thanked Cuba for the sports technical assistance it provides to his country since 2004, which has allowed ostensibly to grow in results at the Central American level.

One of the objectives of the visit of the Belizean sports leader was the hiring of Cuban coaches from various disciplines, such as tennis, table tennis, volleyball and athletics, the latter in the area of throws and sprints.

“In June we will return for the extension of contracts in these sports and to request more coaches,” said the visitor.

He also commended the work of José Peláez, president of the Cuban Cycling Federation, who helps with the participation of Belize athletes in training bases and competitions on the island.

The president of the Olympic Committee of Belize formally invited his Cuban counterpart to visit the country so they can continue to strengthen the links between two friendly nations.

June 6th, 2018

Press Release
Olympic Day Run 2018