The University of Birmingham will host the hockey and squash competitions in the 2022 Commonwealth Games if the city’s bid is successful it has been confirmed.
It follows the £55 million investment in a new sports centre which includes six glass backed squash courts with 200 spectator seats.
And the University’s two synthetic pitches are undergoing a £4 million upgrade. With the addition of a 5,000 seat temporary stands they would be ready to host the hockey tournament.
The well trailed announcement follows the earlier confirmation that a revamped Alexander Stadium will host athletics and four NEC Group arenas will feature judo, gymnastics, boxing, weight-lifting and table tennis.
The announcement has been welcomed by University student Lily Owsley MBE who was a member of Great Britain’s hockey side which won Olympic gold in Rio last year.
“Since becoming a student at Birmingham I’ve had the benefit of being able to study, train and play on this fantastic campus, with world class facilities and support. It’s already pretty amazing that 11 of the GB Women’s squad are University of Birmingham students or alumni.
“The opening of the new Sport & Fitness facilities, and the new pitches and new pavilion will make Birmingham an even more popular choice for ambitious hockey players, and sportsmen and women generally who want to combine study and sport on an incredible campus like this. To also be the location for the Commonwealth Games would be unbelievable.
“Winning a Silver Medal at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games helped motivate me and prepare me for Rio and the incredible experience of winning gold. A home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022 will certainly be an incentive for me to continue playing to make the England team for 2022, and play on home ground here on campus. I’m sure it will also inspire many other young players to live their dream of playing for England in a major Games on home turf.”
In addition to this the University’s training facilities, which are being used this month by the Jamaica athletics team, including Usain Bolt, ahead of the World Athletics Championship in London, will also be available to Commonwealth competitors. The university also boasts great training facilities for gymnasts and swimmers preparing for a major tournament.
British triathlete and four-time Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington OBE, after who the univeristy’s Chrissie’s Gym was named, said: “Having this state of the art facility will only help us to win the bid and I put my name wholeheartedly behind that and will do whatever I can to support the City and its bid to host the Games."
Zena Wooldridge OBE, the university’s director of sport and President, European Squash Federation said: “Birmingham’s 2022 Commonwealth Games bid is so well timed for the University’s involvement, coinciding with the University’s significant investment in sports facilities.
“Although our facilities weren’t designed primarily for major events, the combination of facilities were planned six years ago to fill strategic gaps in the city’s provision. So we are delighted those plans are able to contribute to a bid which can already deliver 95 per cent of the Games’ facility needs, and provide exceptionally high quality venues.
“As President of European Squash, I’m obviously very excited about the prospect of hosting the squash venue at University of Birmingham. Birmingham has historically been the heart of squash in England and globally. To re-establish that, we’re already attracting a range of international squash events to Birmingham, but the Commonwealth Games is the big one.”
She added that the university would also provide a great pool of volunteers and talented apprentices for the Games - including local businesses and contractors supplying the event.
