When are the Commonwealth Games?

The 22nd Commonwealth Games will be taking place in Birmingham for the first time

Team England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia (Getty Images)

There are now only 100 days remaining until the 2022 Commonwealth Games get underway in Birmingham.

This summer’s event, which runs from 28 July to 8 August, is set to be the first major multi-sports event to take place free of any Covid-19 restrictions.

The pandemic made an already shortened run-in time to the Games even more challenging for Birmingham 2022 chief executive Ian Reid and his team, but now the Scot believes it brings an extra excitement and spotlight to the region.

“I think hopefully in 100 days’ time, we’re about to put on what might be one of the first multi-sport events in the world where we do have full stadia, where we do have live sites and the city absolutely buzzing,” Reid said.

“The spotlight of the world will be on Birmingham and the West Midlands in that context. So perhaps it’s going to bring even further engagement with the event than perhaps we would have had pre-pandemic.”

Nineteen sports and eight para-sports will take place across a number of venues in the West Midlands, which will see events held in Birmingham, Sandwell, Solihull, Leamington Spa, Coventry, Wolverhampton, and Cannock Chase.

Birmingham were officially awarded the Commonwealth Games in 2017 after its bid defeated Liverpool’s. It’s the first time the games are being held in England since they took place in Manchester in 2002, while Glasgow staged the event in 2014.

Here’s all you need to know with just over a year until the 2022 Commonwealth Games kick off.

When are the Commonwealth Games?

The games will take place from 28 July to 8 August in 2022.

How can I watch them?

The BBC have exclusive rights to broadcast the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the UK. Viewers will be able to watch the games across the BBC’s television channels as well as on the iPlayer and BBC Sport website.

Are tickets still available?

Local residents can enter a ballot for tickets from today. You can register and check your eligibility on the 2022 Commonwealth Games website. The main ballot for tickets will open in September, with more than one million tickets available.

Which sports will be involved?

There will be 19 sports held across the two weeks, as well as the biggest ever programme of para-sports. This includes: athletics and para athletics, badminton, basketball 3x3, beach volleyball, boxing, cricket T20, cycling, diving, gymnastics, hockey, judo, lawn bowls and para lawn bowls, netball, para powerlifting, rugby sevens, squash, swimming and para swimming, table tennis and para table tennis, triathlon and para triathlon, weightlifting and wrestling.

Which countries will be competing?

The countries of the Commonwealth take part in the games. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland enter their own teams and do not compete as Team GB as they do in the Olympic Games. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Jamaica, Nigeria and South Africa all take part, as well as dozens more countries from the 54 member states of the Commonwealth.