1 Week To Go!

The team representing Wales prepare for Commonwealth Games Appearance

With just 1 week to go before Team Wales begin to compete at the XXII Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, here’s what you need to know about Team Wales key announcements, highlights and Birmingham news ahead of the Games:

The athletes:

  • 201 athletes will represent Team Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer- 101 females and 99 males. Get to know the Team Wales athletes competing at Birmingham here
  • Team Wales sport squad selections were recently announced – read more here
  • Team Wales athletes will compete across 15 sports- Athletics, Cycling, Swimming, Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Boxing, Judo, Netball, Rugby 7s, Hockey, Squash, Lawn Bowls, Table Tennis, Triathlon, Wrestling – read more about the sports here
  • Anwen Butten was recently announced as Team Wales Captain – read more here

The games:

  • The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games, is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exception of 1942 and 1946, has taken place every four years since then.
  • Only six nations have participated in every Commonwealth Games: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales.
  • Birmingham 2022 will take place in 15 venues spread across the West Midlands region, with seven of them, including the athletics stadium and marathon route, being located in the city of Birmingham. The National Exhibition Centre complex, located on the fringes of the city in neighbouring Solihull, will play host to the Games both in its exhibition halls and at the NEC Arena. The six other regional hosts are Coventry, Cannock Chase, Royal Leamington Spa, Sandwell, Warwick and Wolverhampton. A sixteenth venue, the Lee Valley VeloPark in Stratford, East London, will host the track cycling.
  • In addition to the ten core sports that were part of Gold Coast 2018 — athletics, badminton, boxing, hockey, lawn bowls, netball (for women), rugby sevens, squash, swimming and weightlifting — five new sports will be integrated into this category: road cycling, judo (previously optional), triathlon, table tennis, and wrestling.
  • It is expected that this edition will have the largest number of events available for women and athletes with disabilities in the history of the Games.

Dates

  • The Opening Ceremony is set to take place at Alexander Stadium on 28 July 2022, with all 72 countries within the Commonwealth. For Barbados, it will be their first participation since becoming a republic on 30 November 2021.
  • The Closing Ceremony is due to take place on 8 August 2022, with all 72 countries returning to Alexander Stadium. The Commonwealth Games Federation flag will be handed over to representatives of Victoria, the hosts of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
  • Team Wales begin competing on Day 1: 29 July, view the full Birmingham schedule here

Helen Phillips, Chair of the Commonwealth Games Wales Board said: “As Chair of Commonwealth Games Wales, I would like to congratulate every single athlete, their coaching staff and support teams from our member National Governing Bodies who have qualified or been selected to represent Team Wales at this summer’s XXII Commonwealth Games.

All members of Team Wales have finally been selected and announced, and here we are, 7 days to go until the Opening Ceremony, waiting in anticipation to watch the athletes perform on the global stage.

Our campaign ‘The summit of our aspirations’ really does resonate at this stage in their preparations. They’ve been on a focused journey to get here, all hoping to reach their peak when their competition begins.

I would like to wish every single athlete, support staff and our dedicated volunteers the very best of luck, enjoy every single moment, savour every memory and remember you have the whole of Wales supporting you. See you all in Birmingham!