The positive impact of the UK hosting major sporting events has
been outlined in a new report which shows the economy has grown,
new jobs have been created and new infrastructure has been
delivered that provides a lasting legacy in the West Midlands.
The Games not only contributed approximately £1.2 billion to the
UK economy, with nearly half of that in the West Midlands alone,
but created 22,380 full time equivalent years of employment.
Held between 28 July and 8 August 2022, the Games brought
together 6,600 athletes and team officials from across 72
Commonwealth nations and territories.
The event was the biggest multi-sport event to be held in England
since London 2012 and broke the record for ticket sales at a
Commonwealth Games.
The Games were delivered on time and under budget, with £70
million of surplus funding being reinvested in the West Midlands
region as part of the Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund
to support business growth, inspire young people through sport
participation programmes and youth projects, and financially
support grassroots organisations.
To champion this positive report, Sports Minister Stuart Andrew
is attending Sport Accord World Sport and Business Summit this
week, which brings together global sport business leaders and is
being hosted at the International Convention Centre in
Birmingham.
Sports Minister Stuart Andew said:
With over 1.5 million tickets sold, the Birmingham 2022
Commonwealth Games was a record-breaking event that is still
having a positive impact on the region two years on.
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.
Birmingham saw a significant increase in visitors due to the
Games, with a 6 per cent increase in visitor numbers when
compared to pre-pandemic levels. There were also global TV views
of 834.9 million, over 215 million digital views and 141 million
interactions on social media.
On top of this, the West Midlands saw a 27 per cent increase in
Foreign Direct Investment projects between 2021/22 and 2022/23,
almost 7 times higher than the rest of the UK (4 per cent).
The report also finds that the Games could lead to over £150
million of further social value in the longer term, largely as a
result of increased future earnings among those trained as part
of the Games.
Commonwealth Games Federation President Chris Jenkins OBE said:
Birmingham 2022 was a spectacular, record-breaking Games that
created iconic moments on and off the field, uniting the
Commonwealth through sport. The first major multi-sport event in
history to award more medals to women than men, with the largest
ever fully integrated programme of Para sport, it captivated more
than 1.5 million attending fans and had a global TV audience of
834.9 million views.
It was so much more than 11 days of sporting competition. The
report outlines the positive impact and lasting legacy of the
Games, which contributed £1.2 billion to the UK economy and £79.5
million in social value. It drove trade and inward investment,
created jobs and boosted tourism, with visitor numbers to
Birmingham and the West Midlands in 2022 the highest on record.
From increased civic pride and social cohesion, to promoting
community sport participation, the Games were truly
transformational.
The Games was supported by the Business and Tourism Programme
(BATP) - the first economic legacy programme to be aligned to a
Commonwealth Games. Delivered by the West Midlands Growth Company
in collaboration with the Government, Visit Britain and the West
Midlands Combined Authority, the programme aimed to capitalise on
the ‘halo effect' of the Games by boosting trade, investment and
tourism.
Neil Rami, Chief Executive at the West Midlands Growth Company
said:
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – and our dedicated
Business and Tourism Programme - contributed to a record year of
performance for the West Midlands. The region witnessed the UK's
highest growth rate in FDI and an unprecedented 141 million
visitors in 2022 - smashing the previous record set before the
COVID-19 pandemic.
These figures are an emphatic endorsement of the West Midlands'
world-class event-hosting capability. They reinforce the powerful
role of sporting events in enhancing profile, uplifting economies
and capturing hearts and minds.
The evaluation sets out that the Games has also had a positive
impact on the regeneration of the Perry Barr area in the north of
the city. This includes transport infrastructure improvements and
the upgrade to the Alexander Stadium, which is now open for
community use and will also host the European Athletics
Championships in 2026, the first time that event will ever have
been held in the UK.
This is just one example of a number of major sporting events to
be hosted in the UK over the coming years, including the 2025
Women's Rugby World Cup and the 2028 UEFA European Championships
across the UK and Ireland.
This is on the back of major hosting successes in recent years,
including the 2022 women's UEFA European Championship and 2021
Rugby League World Cup, with this report showing that major
sporting events have a significant impact on all areas of
society.
Notes to editors
