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Final preparations as final one month countdown towards July 28th Commonwealth Games arrives this week

Athletes heading to this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham start their final countdown as they enter the final month of preparations.
Birmingham 2022 kicks off on July 28th in what many hope will be the first big major sporting event of its kind in the UK since the start of the global pandemic. With restrictions now lifted the Commonwealth Games is seen as one of the major sporting events which hopes to attract the hundreds of thousands, even millions onto the shores of Britain in celebration of sports.
The Games, however, face some concerns as the UK enters what some describe as the start of a summer of discontent with rail strikes and expected strikes within the aviation industry which could hamper travel plans for many. With just a month for the Games to start, these have caused some concern among those planning to travel to watch the Games.
Birmingham 2022 will, however, shine the spotlight on the West Midlands with the hope that the event will help the West Midlands to grow and succeed beyond the games. The Games will be expected to be among one of the most watched sporting events this summer with broadcast of events likely to attract large audience figures. Unlike the previous games, Gibraltar sports enthusiast will be able to watch the games at a more convenient time, without the late night or early morning schedules.
This year’s Commonwealth Games has the biggest ever sports programme in its history, with 286 sessions across 11 days of live sport. Officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, its an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth which will take place between 28 July to 8 August 2022.
Some 72 nations from across the Commonwealth are expected to participate with around 1,600 athletes and officials set to be accommodated at the NEC Hotel Campus, 1,900 at The University of Warwick, and the principal village with 2,800 at The University of Birmingham.
Gibraltar, will be among its participants with its own team travelling to Birmingham later this month.
Birmingham 2022 will take place in 15 venues spread across the West Midlands region, with twenty sports participating. 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 — the games will see five new sports these being road cycling, judo (previously optional), triathlon, table tennis, and wrestling.
The sports will include:
Aquatics
Diving (12)
Swimming (52)
Athletics (58)
Badminton (6)
3x3 basketball (4)
Beach volleyball (2)
Boxing (16)
Cricket (1)
Cycling
Mountain biking (2)
Road (4)
Track (20)
Gymnastics
Artistic (14)
Rhythmic (6)
Judo (14)
Field hockey (2)
Lawn bowls (11)
Netball (1)
Powerlifting (Paralympics) Para powerlifting (4)
Rugby sevens (2)
Squash (5)
Table tennis (11)
Triathlon (5)
Weightlifting (16)
Wrestling (12)
The games has already seen its mascot establishing itself as one of its image icons. The official mascot for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games was named Perry. This a multi-coloured bull and named after an area of Birmingham, Perry Barr. The considered as being a symbol of Birmingham. Notably Perry was designed by ten-year-old Emma Lou from Bolton as the games unites people from across all age groups and categories.
Gibraltar, for its part will be looking to try and achieve some success, although one of the key sports which has been well ranked in the past will not be present. Shooters, who have traditional returned having achieved very respectable result and have in the past produced medals internationally will not be among the participants this year.
Gibraltar made its Games debut in 1958, with this the seventeenth appearance to date. Gibraltar received a quota of 21 open allocation slots. It will be participating in Athletics, Cycling, Gymnastics, Squash, Swimming, Triathlon and Weightlifting.
Team Gibraltar has been hard in training with athletes enjoying some success competitively, especially at regional level as they prepare in earnest for the games. The preparations playing its part in upping the levels of competition within sport which should herald another phase in the development of the sports beyond the games for some of its participants, irrespective of the results at the games.

Watch out for more information on the Games during the coming weeks as we countdown towards the opening ceremony.

Correction:- shooting as we have been informed has not had any medals in Commonwealth Games for Gibraltar. Our omission of clarifying we were referring to other international events they have participated has now been corrected.

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