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Commonwealth Games, Birmingham 2022

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We unfortunately missed the opening, but watched the closing ceremony. For us it was a bit yes/no, we found some of it difficult to relate to, but that is probably an age thing. Overall though we enjoyed it.
Julie watched more of the games than I did, I dipped in here and there. The most interesting things for me are the sports that I would have no possibility of doing. Topping that list is the springboard and high diving, I simply couldn't, full stop. Then pole vault, high jump and swinging around on the 'horse'. And those hanging rings. Watching those sports fills me with admiration for the participants.

As for taking the gold from the ladies relay team. That made me leave my seat and say things I thought I had forgotten. They should have found that before the medal was announced. I wept for those girls.

Andrew.
 
I think the opening ceremony was excellent but they ran out of ideas for the closing and filled it with singers. It started off saying it represents B,ham in the 1950's a time of great change and then showed the actors dressed in baggy clothes,flat caps and cravats etc from much earlier times than the 1950's

As for great change it was more the 1960's really but they demolished beautiful buildings and replaced them with concrete eyesores and I certainly would not celebrate that.
 
I think the opening ceremony was excellent but they ran out of ideas for the closing and filled it with singers. It started off saying it represents B,ham in the 1950's a time of great change and then showed the actors dressed in baggy clothes,flat caps and cravats etc from much earlier times than the 1950's

As for great change it was more the 1960's really but they demolished beautiful buildings and replaced them with concrete eyesores and I certainly would not celebrate that.
These occasions have always represented an escape from reality. I don't have a problem with that, lord knows we need it.
Dave A
 
Very true, we do need more occasions that lift us out of the doldrums. Birmingham especially needed the Games and it shows perfectly how it can inject enthusiasm back into the population. There are several other major athletics events now being pursued by Birmingham. Well that’s understandable; they’ve shown how well organised they are and the facilities are already available so it must put them in a strong position. Viv.
 
Very true, we do need more occasions that lift us out of the doldrums. Birmingham especially needed the Games and it shows perfectly how it can inject enthusiasm back into the population. There are several other major athletics events now being pursued by Birmingham. Well that’s understandable; they’ve shown how well organised they are and the facilities are already available so it must put them in a strong position. Viv.
I don’t think it just has to be sport to enthuse people There are lots of events going on all over the UK that are never seen. Book festivals, Folk festivals, lots of musical events, Art Trails, Climbing, Food festivals, Poetry events, Fishing competitions etc. etc. The London based media are locked into a very restricted view of our cultural lives.
 
Absolutely agree Tinpot. To enthuse people you need to engage them which also means getting the message across. This is one of the things the Games has achieved incredibly well. But it takes, first and foremost, money but also determined effort and positivity.

Be interesting to see what the legacy of the event is further down the line. The mission of the Games is below. Will it live up to every one of these in the longer term ? Viv.

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Absolutely agree Tinpot. To enthuse people you need to engage them which also means getting the message across. This is one of the things the Games has achieved incredibly well. But it takes, first and foremost, money but also determined effort and positivity.

Be interesting to see what the legacy of the event is further down the line. The mission of the Games is below. Will it live up to every one of these in the longer term ? Viv.

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The first and last statements are the ones that are relevant to Birmingham and its environs. I think they were totally achieved Viv.
I can pretty well guarantee that every other strategy, plan, application to government, funding agency, lottery etc will contain the other intentions in their mission statements too but my sense is that we are not doing anything like enough to achieve them.
I remember when the earlier rounds of The World Cup were in Birmingham in 1966. There was a great buzz in the city then. Tinpot
 
Please could I register a request that when mods think this thread has run its course, the thread is archived in the Sports History section. This echoes Radiorails’ original intention for this thread in recording our thoughts and reactions to the developments for the Birmingham held games. Many thanks. Viv.
 
An interesting piece Dave, thanks. Didn’t know Birmingham has a particularly high young people demographic. I think the idea of getting more youngsters into sport is well overdue - the idea of contact sports makes sense - time to wean them off their Playstations, Xboxes etc! The question of the legacy from the Games on housing looks like the biggest challenge, something that didn’t fully materialise for East London in 2012. Viv.
 
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I came across this yesterday which might be helpful to anyone researching history of athletics.
 

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thanks everyone for your contributions to this thread..had many opinions and photographs posted which has been great...we are now closing the thread but it will not be deleted due to its historical content...

the team
 
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