The organizing committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK, has decided to do away with the concept of a single-site athletes’ village for the multisport event, with three campus villages to come up instead at The University of Birmingham, England, The University of Warwick in Coventry, England, and The NEC Hotel Campus.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, is an international multisport event for members of the Commonwealth that is scheduled to be held in Birmingham, England.
The NEC Hotel Campus will lodge 1,600 athletes and officials, with 1,900 to be put up at University of Warwick. The University of Birmingham will serve as the principal village and will house 2,800 people.
The decision has been taken following a review of the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has taken a huge toll on human lives in UK. The Games’ project delivery team has worked with the construction supply chain and carried out an assessment on how to “derisk” the delivery of the event.
It was finally decided that the new-build accommodation site, which had been due to cost £500m (€555m/$653m) and would have been located in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham, had “very little scope” to withstand the impact COVID-19 has had on construction.
The Perry Barr Regeneration Scheme, which will deliver new housing and transport infrastructure, will still be delivered and has been expedited due to the Games, with additional funds being injected by the Central Government.
Birmingham 2022 said that the new three-site campus model for athlete accommodation will be delivered within the overall Games budget of £778m. The organizing committee reiterated that the Games remain on course to be delivered on time and on budget.
Ian Reid, head honcho of Birmingham 2022, stated, “These are challenging times for all of us and delivering a major multisports event during this period has meant we have needed to collaborate effectively, be pragmatic to change, and remain realistic about the challenges we face. We recognize that this new model is a move away from the historic norm and we are grateful for the support shown by our partners across the Commonwealth Games Associations.”
“Birmingham and the West Midlands is extremely fortunate to have superb alternate facilities and we are making this decision now, with two years to go, to derisk the project, ensure delivery for athletes and teams and secure the legacy of new housing and transport infrastructure in Perry Barr,” Reid added.
Birmingham 2022 revealed last month that 3×3 basketball and beach volleyball fixtures would be played at bespoke arenas developed on the City’s Smithfield site. The site, which formerly housed Birmingham’s Wholesale Markets, will feature two side-by-side arenas that will form an “urban hub” for the Games.
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