- Construction at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre has been completed 100 days before the start of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
- Swimmers and divers gather at the brand-new venue to celebrate the 100-day countdown, and to mark the final major release of tickets
- Tickets for every single sport at Birmingham 2022, the biggest multi-sport event to be staged in the UK for a decade, go back on sale at 8 am on 19 April, with prices from รยฃ8 for under 16s and รยฃ15 for adults
With 100 days to go until the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games begin, Paralympic swimmers and an Olympic diver tested out the facilities at the newly completed Sandwell Aquatics Centre.
The brand-new, state-of-the-art venue has been constructed in time for this summerรขโฌโขs major multi-sport event, where it will be in operation for all eleven days of sporting action. Once the Games is over it will be converted to a community leisure facility, so local club swimmers also joined Tuesday’s celebrations, to test out the main 50m pool.รย
Birmingham 2022, organizers of the Games which will see around 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete in 19 different sports and eight Parasports, also marked the 100-day milestone with a final major release of tickets, with seats for every single sport back on sale.
Paralympic swimming legend, Ellie Simmonds,รย who is also a Birmingham 2022 Board Member, visited the center on Tuesday and highlighted why this was such a key moment for the Games: รขโฌลWith 100 days to go until the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games begin, it is fantastic news that the Sandwell Aquatics Centre is now complete, and it is amazing to be back here to see the finished facility.
รขโฌลThis is an important and proud moment for everyone associated with Birmingham 2022 and having swimmers and divers in the pools for the very first time makes the Games feel real.
รขโฌลWeรขโฌโขve also taken this opportunity to put tickets back on sale, but for sports like aquatics, which has been hugely popular during our ballots and general sale, tickets are limited, so Iรขโฌโขd urge everyone to secure their seat right now.รขโฌย
The construction of the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, which is located in Smethwick, just a few miles from Birmingham, has been overseen by Sandwell Council, andรย Tony McGovern, Director of Regeneration & Growthรย said: รขโฌลWe are very proud to celebrate the completion of the state-of-the-art Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Smethwick.
รขโฌลThis is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our construction partners, who worked diligently throughout the project and a global pandemic to complete this venue on time and on budget.
รขโฌลWe are incredibly excited to be part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate Sandwell on a global stage as the proud host venue for the swimming, Para swimming, and diving events for the Games.
รขโฌลWe want the whole community in Sandwell and beyond to benefit from the world-class swimming and diving facilities at this fantastic new facility. More than that, the new Aquatics Centre is supporting our vision to boost the health and wellbeing of our communities, driving economic growth and regeneration, and improving transport links.รขโฌย
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “It is fantastic that with 100 days to go, Sandwell Aquatics Centre is ready for competition – completed on time and within budget.รย
“The venue is just one of the ways in which Birmingham 2022 will level up access to sport and champion the best of the West Midlands to the world.รย It is not too late to snap up tickets for this sportingรย spectacular.”รย
Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said:รย รขโฌลAs we reach the final sprint, Birmingham and the West Midlands should be enormously proud of all the Games progress to date. The Sandwell Aquatics Centre is an impressive, world-class, community-focused facility and Iรขโฌโขve no doubt all remaining tickets will be in high demand when they go back on sale today.รขโฌย
Deborah Cadman, Chief Executive at Birmingham City Council,รย said: รขโฌลWeรขโฌโขve come so far over the last four years since Birmingham was named as Proud Host City for the Commonwealth Games.
รขโฌลThe hard work put in by everyone involved is clear to see and the finishing touches are now being made to ensure the city and wider region are a perfect platform to bring people together for the biggest event to be staged in our history.
รขโฌลThis is our chance to be bold and deliver a golden decade of opportunities for Birmingham.รขโฌย
Now that the Sandwell Aquatics Centre has been completed, the facility will stage a couple of events ahead of the Games. On 30 April a community swimming gala will be overseen at the venue by Sandwell Council and then from 20 May to 22 May Birmingham 2022 will stage a series of test events including swimming and diving training sessions, and a swimming competition where tickets will be allocated to local residents and the swimming community.
Tickets for every single sport at Birmingham 2022 went back on sale at 8 am on 19 April, with prices starting from รยฃ8 for under 16s and รยฃ15 for adults. Tickets also include access to public transport in the local area on the day of your event.
Go toรย birmingham2022.com/ticketsรย to find out more and check availability.
Press release from Birmingham2022
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