Sports fans hoping to secure tickets for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games need to act fast as the main ticket ballot for the Games will close at 8pm today (Thursday September 30). There are more than one million tickets available for the Games, the biggest multi-sport event to be held in the UK since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with prices starting at just £8 for under 16s and £15 for adults.
Thousands of people have already applied for tickets, with athletics, swimming, diving, cycling and gymnastics all in high demand, but with some big venues like Coventry Stadium, Edgbaston Stadium and the NEC Arena set to stage sports like rugby, women’s cricket T20 and netball, applicants are being advised to look for the availability indicators before they apply, in order to maximise their chances of successfully securing tickets.
With the biggest sports programme in the history of the Commonwealth Games, applicants are also being encouraged to take a look at the full event schedule at birmingham2022.com and consider applying for tickets for a sport they’ve never watched live.
Matt Kidson, Director of Sport for Birmingham 2022, said: “A multi-sport event is a fantastic chance to fall in love with a new sport, so I’d encourage everyone to think about applying for a sport they’ve never seen before. We’ve got 19 sports and eight Para sports on the programme including boxing, badminton, squash, judo and table tennis, all of which are full of drama and incredibly exciting to watch.”
With 286 sessions there is plenty of action to choose from, with tickets available for many of the sports where home nation athletes and Para athletes saw success in Tokyo over the summer, such as swimming, diving, cycling, gymnastics, boxing, triathlon and athletics, plus popular Commonwealth sports like netball, squash and lawn bowls. There are even some new sports making a Commonwealth debut including women’s cricket T20, basketball 3x3 and wheelchair basketball 3x3.
Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport and Tourism, said: "Birmingham 2022 is a wonderful opportunity to see some of the best sporting talent in the world compete right here in the UK.
“Now more than ever, we know how important fans are to live sport and it will be fantastic to see the atmosphere they create in Birmingham next year. With 19 different sports to watch, and tickets starting from £8 for under 16s, there should be something for everyone to enjoy.”
But it’s not just the sporting action that tickets are available for, as applications are also open for the official Opening Ceremony on 28 July 2022 and the official Closing Ceremony on 8 August 2022. The creative team for these ceremonies was recently announced and includes Steven Knight CBE, creator and writer of Peaky Blinders, as Executive Director and Birmingham born, globally renowned theatre director, Iqbal Khan as Artistic Director.
Open Ceremony tickets are already in high demand, so applicants are being reminded that the Closing Ceremony will also be a party to remember, with athletes from the 72 nations and territories expected to celebrate the end of the Games in spectacular style.
To apply for tickets for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, go to: birmingham2022.com, create your ticket account and follow the ballot process. You can plan your Games by taking a look at the competition schedule and the venue information that is available on the site, before submitting your application by 8pm on 30 September.
To be fair to everyone, applications are limited to one per household and ticket limits for sessions will apply. At the end of the ballot window, tickets will be allocated at random.
Applicants may get all of the tickets they applied for, some of the tickets or none of the tickets. Tickets for the Games start at £8 for children and £15 for adults and applicants will find out in October if they have been successful in securing tickets.
There are no fees in addition to the cost of tickets, instead organisers are hoping that applicants will consider donating to the Games’ charity partners. These include United By 2022, the legacy charity that has been established to ensure that the benefits of Birmingham 2022 continue to be delivered in the years following the Games.
