UP283 ReThinking Sport: Birmingham 2022

This year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham was the biggest and costliest sports event held in the UK since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Birmingham 2022 was the largest Commonwealth Games ever held, with 72 participating nations and over 1.3 million tickets sold. It was also the first to have more events for women than men and the first integrated event, with the para competition held at the same time. Alongside the Games, a cultural festival ran across the West Midlands, as well as a number of trade events and a Games specific esports event. It marked the last time that the Games were held under Queen Elizabeth II prior to her death on 8 September this year, which was exactly one month after the conclusion of the Games. 
According to UK government figures, the cost of the 11 day event was £778 million,  split between the central and local government in the form of Birmingham City Council, with the former paying three quarters (UK£594 million) of the total funding.
So, what is the Commonwealth Games for? What does its sporting programme say about how international federations view the job of attracting new audiences? How vibrant is the sponsorship and media rights market around the event and beyond the ticket buying audience, who is watching?
To help answer these questions is the person in charge, Kate Sadleir, Commonwealth Games Federation CEO, who took over the organisation in November 2021, the first woman to hold that post. A former Olympic and Commonwealth Games athlete, Sadleir held several senior sports roles within her native New Zealand before spending five years at World Rugby, where she was head of the women's game. 
This is episode 18 of ReThinking Sport, our series created in collaboration with Portas, the global strategy consultancy dedicated to sport and physical activity.  The other voice you'll hear on the podcast is Peter Whight of Portas, who worked on secondment in the run up and through the Games. 

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