(ATR) Either Birmingham or Liverpool will be the British bid city for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Birmingham officially entered the fray on Monday, with the City Council announcing that The Birmingham Commonwealth Games Steering Group has submitted its Preliminary Questionnaire response for bidding to the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The city’s vision "Birmingham: heart of the UK, soul of the Commonwealth" was also revealed along with the official logo.
"Our logo is open and inviting and its explosion of colour celebrates Birmingham’s super-diversity and youthful energy. Nearly 40% of our population is under 25; and our pupils speak over 100 different languages, making Birmingham an inclusive and welcoming host," Ian Ward, Deputy Leader Birmingham City Council and Chair, Birmingham Commonwealth Games Steering Group, said in a statement.
The Birmingham bid has 95% of the competition venues already in place and is committed to creating a low cost, low risk high quality Games. The opening and closing ceremonies would be held at an enhanced and refurbished Alexander Stadium, the home of UK Athletics and a well-established international athletics venue.
Liverpool announced on Friday it had submitted its Preliminary Phase Questionnaire as part of the ongoing candidate city assessment process.
The bid is a mix of world-class venues and new planned facilities along with a partnership with the city of Manchester.
The riverside regeneration of the Bramley-Moore Dock, including Everton Football Club’s new stadium, is the centerpiece of Liverpool’s bid.
The stadium would be outfitted with a temporary athletics track but the triple jump, long jump and pole vault events would be held on the dockside by neighboring Mann Island to ensure spectators are brought even closer to the action
The Athletes Village would be part of an already-planned residential development to be built beside Everton FC’s new stadium.
A 50 meter floating swimming pool would also be built within the city center’s dock system.
T20 Cricket and Track Cycling would take place in Manchester at Old Trafford Cricket Ground and Manchester Velodrome as part of a partnership with Liverpool’s North West neighbor and rival.
The opening ceremony would be held at Anfield Stadium, the iconic home of Liverpool Football Club.
"Our vision for the Games brings together ambitious new sporting facilities on the historic waterfront, with the existing world-class stadia revered by sports fans and athletes across the globe," Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said in a statement.
"This combination makes for a bid which I think is very hard for anyone to match in terms of ambition, creativity and sustainability and would result in a transformational games that would make Britain proud."
Earlier this month, Victoria, British Columbia emerged as the sole Canadian bid in the fast-tracked selection process for the 2022 Games. The Commonwealth Games Federation revoked the original hosting rights of Durban, South Africa in March due to a lack of organization and financial commitments.
The CGF has asked candidate cities to declare their intention to bid by early July and submit a formal bid proposal by the end of August. Australia and Malaysia have also shown interest in hosting the Games.
Written by Gerard Farek
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