Commonwealth Games
Medals revealed for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
The medals which will be presented at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham have been unveiled here today, after a journey along the city’s waterways by narrowboat.
They were greeted canal-side by athletes including seven-time Paralympic athletics gold medallist Hannah Cockroft, who is set to compete at the Commonwealth Games for the first time.
An all-female group led by Amber Alys, who won a competition organised by the School of Jewellery and Birmingham 2022, designed the medals.
The design process took 15 months to complete.
The medals are 63 millimetres in diameter and 74.3mm in length.
Gold and silver medals weigh approximately 150 grams, while the bronze are 130 grams.
The medals also feature an adjustable ribbon to accommodate athletes of all sizes, which has been designed by Francesca Wilcox.
A total of 1,875 medals have been struck by Toye, Kenning and Spencer, a company based in Birmingham’s renowned Jewellery Quarter.
The company’s premises are also on the route of the Commonwealth Games marathons.
“I started doing research looking at the history of Birmingham as a city, making mood boards looking at Commonwealth Games medals,” said Alys to insidethegames.
“There were lots of sources of inspiration really.
“The medal is actually an aerial map of Birmingham, with roads and canals, which is stylised to reflect the light.
“But on closer inspection you can see that it is a road map of Birmingham.
“It has been a long process, there were strict specifications we had to design to.
“Weight and size were limiting factors and there had to be space for the branding and engraving the athletes’ names.
“We wanted to create something with a jewel-like quality so that the athletes had something that they could treasure for the rest of their lives.
“We really hope the athletes like them.”
The medal has been created so that is it textured and has a tactile quality, so all athletes, including those with a visual impairment, will be able to feel the design.
Medal winners will also be given a case for the medal designed by team member Catarina Rodrigues Caeiro.
In all there are expected to be 283 victory ceremonies for events at the Games.
For the first time, there will be more events for women than men.
“I wanted to have a good close inspection of what I want, to have a bit of motivation,” Cockroft told insidethegames.
“They are beautiful, really nice, really unique, quite a different shape to any medal I have had before.
“To have an adjustable medal is really, really important
“All the other medals just sit on my lap but these ones, should I win one, I will actually be able to put on as they will be a suitable length for me.”
Medal winners will also be given a case for the medal designed by Catarina Rodrigues Caeiro.
Presenters of the medals are expected to include members of the Royal Family, notable former champions and volunteers, in addition to Commonwealth Games Federation and other sports officials.
At Gold Coast 2018, Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt was among the former champions to make a presentation.
The Games will begin on July 28 and the first medals will be awarded the following day.
-insidethegames
Nigeria may have a major African challenger in the bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. South Africa is preparing to join the competition. The Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) had announced a Nigerian bid in April. This follows the failed bid in 2007 for the 2014 Games.
The earlier bid was made to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the amalgamation. This amalgamation joined the Northern and Southern Protectorates with the Lagos Colony to form Nigeria.
Sports Village Square has gathered that South Africa, through its Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), is making a bid and is merely waiting for cabinet approval.
The country intends to use the Commonwealth Games of 2030 as a dress rehearsal for the bigger Olympic Games.
According to the SASCOC president, Barry Hendricks, the 2030 Commonwealth Games hosting will be part of the learning curve for the Olympics. “… it teaches us what we can do over the next eight years to get to 2040.”
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For the second time, Nigeria has announced a bid to host the Commonwealth Games, this time, the 2030 edition.
The country had earlier in 2007 bid for the 2014 Games which could have marked the 100th anniversary of the country following the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates with the Lagos Colony to form Nigeria.
That bid was spearheaded by General Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State and a respected person in the Commonwealth of Nations.
The project which was constructed as an “African Bid” failed following the award to Glasgow.
Another bid has reopened as the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) announced it had met the deadline to express interest in hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Abuja.
The new bid has not secured the necessary government backing. An NOC press release stated that Nigeria can only commence a formal bid if the Federal Government backs the project.
The NOC noted that Nigeria’s bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Abuja will present a unique opportunity to showcase its development, enhance its global standing, and invigorate its sports culture.
“A bid process would enhance an investment in sports infrastructure as bidding for the Games can catalyse investments in sports infrastructure and facilities across the country, particularly in Abuja, which can revitalise the local sports economy and improve national sports facilities for future generations,” the statement read.
But with the spate of countries with stronger economies withdrawing from the hosting of the Commonwealth, it is doubtful if the Nigeria bid will achieve success.
Most of the sporting facilities are in ruins leading to the country being confined only to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo as the only arena considered good enough to host international matches of both CAF and FIFA.
The cost of hosting is also another issue leading to some countries stepping down after a successful bid. Victoria in Australia was awarded the 2026 Games but announced withdrawal in July 2023 owing to the high cost of hosting a 12-day multidiscipline sports fiesta. Glasgow which stepped in as a replacement announced a smaller scale of hosting.
South African city of Durban initially won the bid to host the 2022 Games when the rights were awarded in 2015. It withdrew and the Games were rescheduled for Birmingham.
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Glasgow was confirmed as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Tuesday. The Scottish city stepped in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew due to cost concerns. Organisers are set to deliver a pared-down edition of the multi-sport event.
Among the sports to be axed from the programme are badminton, cricket, hockey and rugby sevens.
The Games, which will run from July 23 to Aug. 2 in 2026, will feature 10 sports across four venues – athletics, swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
It will also feature para sports including athletics, swimming, track cycling and wheelchair basketball.
“Glasgow 2026 will have all the drama, passion and joy that we know the Commonwealth Games delivers even if it is to be lighter and leaner than some previous editions,” Commonwealth Games Scotland chief executive Jon Doig said.
“It will be more accessible, delivered on a smaller footprint which brings our fans closer to the sporting action.”
Glasgow also hosted the event in 2014 and Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) CEO Katie Sadleir said the legacy of that edition would provide sporting, transport and accommodation infrastructure, as well as world-class venues and expertise.
The Games were originally slated for Victoria but the state withdrew as host in 2023 due to rising costs. Malaysia briefly considered an offer to stage the event but rejected it in March citing time constraints as well as costs and funding issues.
Glasgow stepped in as a back-up venue in April and the Scottish government backed the bid to host a scaled-down version, with the CGF offering 100 million pounds ($130 million) in supporting funds.
Commonwealth Games Australia has also committed to a multimillion pound investment to help the Glasgow bid.
Five of the previous six editions of the Games were held in Australia or Britain and questions continue to swirl about their relevance, with top athletes often electing to skip them.
Canada’s Alberta province last year withdrew its support for a bid for the 2030 Games and the CGF has yet to find a host for the centenary edition of the event.
-Reuters
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