Birmingham has received an ‘early Christmas present’ by being selected as the host city of the next Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) today announced that it has selected Birmingham as the host city partner of the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Birmingham 2022, which is expected to take place between 27 July – 7 August 2022, marks 20 years since Manchester 2002, the last time the Games were held in England.

‘With its rich history, cultural diversity, youthful dynamism and ambitious spirit, Birmingham embodies all that we cherish about the Commonwealth, and so the Commonwealth Sports Movement looks forward to collaborating with all the Games partners to showcase the city’s humanity and pride to a global audience over the coming months and years,’ said CGF President Louise Martin.

The final Birmingham 2022 bid documentation was submitted by Commonwealth Games England (CGE), the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and Birmingham City Council, supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority.

The foundations for the Games have been laid, with the official handover to Birmingham set to take place at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony on April 15 next year.

Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council and chair of the Bid Team, said: ‘This is a wonderful way to end the year and celebrate the festive season – with an early Christmas present for the city!

‘At the start of 2017 we were looking into the feasibility of hosting the Games in 2026, but when 2022 became a possibility in April, we made the decision to back ourselves even though we knew that we would need to do a lot of work in a short time frame. That work and belief has been rewarded.’