Do you fancy yourself a athletics fan after enjoying Team GB’s amazing exploits and last summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo? And are you getting excited for the 2022 Commonwealth Games? As the nation warms up for the year’s biggest sports event, here’s all you need to know about what’s going to be happening around the country. But first, the most exciting thing about this year’s Commonwealth Games: if you’re in the UK right now, you’re probably only a few hours drive away! 

With a full turnout of 72 nations already confirmed to participate, the host city of this years’ XXII Commonwealth Games will be Birmingham. The opening ceremony is set for Thursday, 28 July at the city’s newly redeveloped Alexander Stadium, and the games will take place all over Birmingham and the West Midlands. Events will wind up at the end of summer, when a winner is finally announced on Monday, 8 August. 

Events To Look Forward To

The Commonwealth Games haven’t traditionally enjoyed quite as much publicity as The Olympics, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t just as exciting in their own way. In fact, since the first Games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada, they’ve been one of the best places to spot up-and-coming athletes–or the next big international names and record breakers. 

It makes sense, doesn’t it, considering that each competing nation sends their top pick of the country’s most dedicated, highly-trained athletes to represent them on the world stage. Take a look at some of these qualifying standards for aspiring athletes on Team Great Britain!

  • Marathon: 2 hours 14 minutes for men, 2 hours 34 minutes for women
  • High Jump: 2.25 metres for men, 1.87 metres for women, and
  • 100 metres: 10.18 seconds for men, 11.32 seconds for women!

But there’s a lot more to the Games than athletics, of course. So what else will we be tuning into this summer? Here are some of our favourites.

In The Pool

Expect a packed schedule of aquatic events this July, starting with Diving and heating up with some of the games’ most popular events: swimming and para-swimming. For those toting Australia Hand Flags in the Sandwell Aquatics Centre this year, hopes are sure to be high. Swimming events have always been a particular strong point of Team Australia, and the Games are where Dawn Fraser and Ian Thorpe first catapulted onto the world stage. 

On The Track

But we here in Great Britain have got our fair share of shining moments, too, don’t we! Who can forget Roger Bannister’s Miracle Mile at the 1954 British Empire Games in Vancouver–an event we’d loved to have been at with our own giant Union Jacks! 

Running events will be taking place all over the city this year, starting with sprints at Alexander Stadium alongside the very popular discus, triple jump, and javelin, among others. For those spectacularly fit marathon runners, the finishing line is at Victoria Square. (We’re only glad it’s not us!)

All Around The City!

For boxing fans, lovers of netball, volleyball, and of course the many cycling events, sporting events are spread out across Birmingham. You can tune into the wrestling, a sport for which Team Canada has earned itself a string of past golds, or even 3 x 3 wheelchair basketball, which joins the programme for the very first time this year. We’re particularly fond ourselves of the Rugby Sevens, which the New Zealand men’s team has dominated for every single Commonwealth Games up until Glasgow 2014. Who’s going to stand up to the Commonwealth All Blacks this year?

And Of Course…

The event we all secretly love just as much as any match, race, or field trial. The Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony! Quite naturally, we at The Flag Shop love a good parade of national flags, and are looking very much forward to the show. 

If you’re one of the estimated 1.5 billion people who will be tuning in to the opening from home, you can expect the show to begin at 7 pm, lasting until 10 pm in (what we hope will be!) a blaze of colourful fireworks. Make sure you’re ready to support your home team wherever you are with a table flag-strewn Commonwealth Games party of your own!