Organisers of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games have said that plans for an athletes’ village have been scrapped and instead three sites will be used to house competitors.
According to reports, the decision to move away from a single site has been blamed on delays in construction due to the coronavirus pandemic with the village in the Perry Barr area of the city in the English midlands set to cost £500million (US dollars 651,850,000).
Now, athletes – who are set to number up to 6,500 – will be housed at the universities of Birmingham and Warwick as well as the National Exhibition Centre.
The regeneration project in Perry Barr, including new housing and transport links, will still go ahead.
Photo Courtesy: Birmingham 2022
Ian Reid, the CEO of Birmingham 2022,
“These are challenging times for all of us.
“We recognise that this new model is a move away from the historic norm and we are grateful for the support shown by our partners across the Commonwealth Games Associations.
“This is the sensible and pragmatic thing to do for the Games, the athletes and for the people of Birmingham.”
Dame Louise Martin, president of the Commonwealth Games Foundation, added:
“We remain confident Birmingham 2022 will be delivered on time and on budget – offering a world-class Games experience for athletes, fans and all the businesses and communities that look to benefit from this extraordinary event.”
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