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They call the Commonwealth Games the “Friendly Games” for a reason, but expect a deviation from the 280 gold medals offered at Birmingham 2022.
Here’s what to watch out for in all 11 days Team England try to regain top spot in the medal table from Australia.
Friday 29 July: The triathlon conquers the bucolic Sutton Park, where Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown battles Bermudan Flora Duffy. They went one-two to Tokyo and occupy the same places in the world rankings. We have the first glimpse of women’s T20 cricket in Edgbaston and 3 × 3 basketball in the city center while at the London Velodrome, Laura Kenny leads England in team pursuit.
Saturday 30 July: The morning marathons end in Victoria Square, where organizers replaced an unfortunate hole at the finish line just last month. Tom Dean and Duncan Scott’s 200m pool duel will be at the box office and the Roses will continue their netball title defense against Malawi.
Sunday 31 July: Will Adam Peaty be able to withstand injuries and keep his 100 breaststroke title? Surprisingly, Fiji have never won Commonwealth gold in rugby sevens and their last chance comes on a day that features all-round gymnastics finals and mixed triathlon relay.
Monday 1st August: The first lawn bowls final, men’s triple, could feature Nick Brett, “Wonder Bowler”. Judo returns to the Games program after missing 2018 and Dame Laura’s third and final medal shot comes in the scratch competition. The pool is graced by Maisie Summers-Newton, five-time Australian Olympic champion Emma McKeon and her pop star boyfriend Cody Simpson with her 4.6 million Instagram followers in tow, certainly the most here.
Tuesday 2 August: The pivotal day of the Games brings the start of the athletics program, the last gymnastics finals and the penultimate evening of swimming. There’s no need to look far for inspiration, as refugee weightlifter Cyrille Tchatchet and Craig Bowler – a para-athlete by name and nature, who plays bowling with one arm and no leg – aim for the gold.
Wednesday 3 August: Eyes on the track for the men’s and women’s 100m finals, with Dina Asher-Smith lined up for a potential rematch with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the latter. Mountain bike world champion Evie Richards, from the Malvern Hills, will be her gold favorite in her backyard and kiwifruit Paul Coll, winner of all, is the main attraction in the squash finals.
Thursday 4th August: The para-powerlifters lift their body weight three times and the one-day competition will feature Paralympic medalists Micky Yule, Olivia Broome and Zoe Newson.
The Roses face the New Zealand world champions in a netball group stage show stopper and cycle to Wolverhampton Road, where Geraint Thomas, Rohan Dennis and Dan Bigham face the time trial.
How to watch the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Date: July 28 – August 8
TV: The BBC will broadcast over 200 hours of live coverage on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Three, with additional coverage on the red button
Live broadcast: There will be up to 11 live streams to watch online on BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website
Emphasizes: A show of highlights Tonight at the Games will be broadcast on BBC One every night from 10pm to 10.40pm
Friday 5th August: We are at the end of the Games business with hockey and table tennis semi-finals, netball ranking matches and beach volleyball quarter-finals. Wrestling begins when 125kg Black Country grappler Mandir Kooner commands a notable spotlight.
Saturday 6 August: An impressive day of middle distance at Alexander Stadium with new world champion Jake Wightman facing all opponents in the 1500m in the morning and Keely Hodgkinson leading the 800m in the evening. Medals can be minted in boxing and netball semifinals while hoops, flowers and ribbons are out in rhythmic gymnastics.
Sunday 7 August: If you watch a day of the Games, do it like this. The netball, cricket and hockey finals in a matter of hours promise an unforgettable day of team sports. That’s before I even mention cycling road racing, an exceptional day of boxing finals and Laura Muir in the 1500m.
Monday 8 August: The men’s hockey final will be the last event of the Games with scores of badminton, diving, table tennis and squash all yet to be settled before the curtain falls with the closing ceremony at Alexander Stadium.
Nine home country athletes to watch
Adam Peaty (Inghilterra): Adam Peaty made a name for himself at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, beating Olympic champion Cameron van der Burgh in the 100m breaststroke to begin a streak of consecutive victories in that event that is still ongoing.
He arrives in Birmingham shortly to prepare after a long absence due to a broken foot, but the greatest British swimmer ever has Commonwealth gold in the 50m breaststroke in his sights, the only title missing from his sizable collection.
The Commonwealth Games play sport in full
- aquatic
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Beach volley
- Boxing
- Grillo T20
- Cycling
- Gym
- Hockey
- Judo
- Lawn bowls
- Netball
- Para powerlifting
- Seven-a-side rugby
- Squash
- Ping-pong
- Triathlon
- Weightlifting
- Lotta
Hannah Cockroft (Inghilterra)
In terms of total domination of their sport, there are few Brits who can hold a candle to Hannah Cockroft, who will make her debut at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Hurricane Hannah has seven Paralympic titles, 11 world golds and has only been beaten three times, all by compatriot Kare Adenegan. Their 100m battle in the T34 category should be a cracker and an opportunity for Cockroft to build on her already impressive legacy.
Alex Yee (Inghilterra)
For the first time in 16 years, there will be no Brownlees at the major Games, but the baton has already been passed to Alex Yee. Silver medalist in Tokyo in the men’s triathlon and champion in the mixed relay, he will be one of the favorites in both races in Birmingham. A recent accident in Leeds was caused by New Zealander Hayden Wilde, who is arguably Yee’s main rival for the gold medal: On Friday, Yee beat Wilde to the first Games gold.
Elinor Barker (Galles)
Last time we saw Elinor Barker on a big stage, she was a pretty surprising scratch from the British team’s first round of chase in Tokyo. As it turned out, Barker, who had raced in qualifying the previous day, was pregnant at the time and found out the same evening that the British team was winning Olympic silver. She now heads to Birmingham to compete for away team Wales as the mother of a four month old baby.
Jake Wightman (Scozia)
In the space of three and a half minutes in Oregon, Jake Wightman changed the stratosphere in terms of national consciousness. The new 1500m world champion stunned the world by beating Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and captured the imagination as Father Geoff commented on his extraordinary result. The Team Scotland athlete now faces the not inconsiderable challenge of sustaining that performance in Birmingham as he tries to improve on the bronze he won at the Gold Coast.
Alex Marshall (Scozia)
Ask most people who is the most decorated Scottish athlete at the Commonwealth Games and you will likely get Sir Chris Hoy, Duncan Scott or perhaps Allan Wells in response. The correct answer is Alex ‘Tattie’ Marshall, a five-time gold medalist in lawn bowls who heads to Birmingham 2022 for his seventh Commonwealth Games, after overtaking Wells as Scotland’s greatest four years ago. He is also a 21-time world champion in indoor and outdoor bowls.
Helen Housby (Inghilterra)
The enduring image of the 2018 Gold Coast was Helen Housby, hands over her mouth in disbelief after scoring an unlikely netball gold for England against Australia in her backyard. Few would have predicted that outcome in an event where Australia and New Zealand had played all previous finals, but if England are to repeat the feat, they will need more heroes from Housby, who plays netball at her club in Australia. .
Rhys McClenaghan (Northern Ireland)
The shock of the Games four years ago came when the unannounced Rhys McClenaghan stunned Olympic champion Max Whitlock by winning horse handle gold. The Northern Irish gymnast was nearly prevented from defending his crown, initially banned from the games by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) because he represented Ireland in major competitions. After a late U-turn from the FIG, McClenaghan will be in Birmingham looking for another Commonwealth title.
Sophie Ecclestone (England)
Sophie Ecclestone, the best bowler in the world in both one-day and T20 internationals, will be key to England’s hopes of winning the inaugural Commonwealth women’s cricket title. Her left arm spinner stands six feet tall and that height of hers makes her incredibly difficult for opposing hitters to tackle. At the World Cup earlier this year, Ecclestone won 21 wickets but she is still looking for a first major title for the national team, having missed the 2017 World Cup due to school exams.
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