Christopher BarrettThe Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games contributed £1.2bn to the UK economy, with around 50% of that being in the West Midlands, according to new report announced by government today.
While Birmingham City Council continues to struggle with a financial crisis that has led it to cut £150m from its budget in 2024-25, an independent evaluation report providing a final assessment of the impact of the city’s hosting of the 2022 Commonwealth Games has found the event contributed £79.5 million in social value, including community benefits and increases in wellbeing and earnings of volunteers and those trained as part the Games.
The Games, which was the biggest multi-sport event to be held in England since the London 2012 Olympics, was found by the independent report to have created 22,380 “full time equivalent years of employment”.
Held between 28 July and 8 August 2022, the Games saw some 1.5 million tickets sold, and helped the West Midlands attract a record 141.2 million visitors in 2022.
A previous study, conducted in 2022, found the Games had contributed at least £870m to the UK economy at that stage.
Commenting on the result of the new report, published on the first day of the Sport Accord World Sport and Business Summit that he is attending, sports minister Stuart Andrew said, “This report shows that hosting major sporting events in this country boosts growth, creates jobs and has a lasting social impact for communities and some of the world’s best athletes will once again descend on Birmingham for the European Athletics Championships in 2026.”
Commonwealth Games Federation President Chris Jenkins OBE said, “From increased civic pride and social cohesion, to promoting community sport participation, the Games were truly transformational.”