The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is a momentous event for the great city of Birmingham.
It was simply amazing to see that the host Birmingham, in the United Kingdom, just turned into a festival city on Wednesday, before the day of the opening ceremony of the sports carnival.
It is hard to imagine that the citizens just made the whole city into a get-together center to enjoy when their joy knows no bounds.
At different important places, like Victoria Square Festival Site, one of the big open spaces where thousands of peoples can convene to enjoy a festival, the Centenary Square, in front of the Library Shop, the largest library in Europe were almost full to the brim with the crowds of all ages.
Birmingham City, which features the War Memorial in its center, is surrounded by important attractions such as the ICC, Birmingham Rep and the Symphony Hall. It in fact seems to have an abundance of city squares. Walking through the town you have to pass Victoria and Chamberlain Squares before crossing a bridge into what is the most popular public square in the city.
Surrounding the square are some of Birmingham's top attractions besides the ICC, Symphony Hall, Repertory Theatre and New Library, the largest in Europe and has some great views across the square from a terrace on the third floor.
When this Bangladesh Post reporter, who is now in Birmingham to cover the Commonwealth Games, was passing all these beautiful places, watching thousands of people enjoying music shows in an open stage when they were dancing and rumbling with the singers.
It was almost a similar scenario in almost all the squares where the people gathered after their daylong work.
Especially Victoria Square in Birmingham city centre, will be the official finish area for the Marathon events of the games scheduled to be held on Saturday 30 July 2022.
The square is also a welcome sight for the finishers in all four races that will be held on the first Saturday of the Games, with the men’s marathon, women’s marathon and the men’s and women’s T53/T54 events all taking place on the same course which will start at Smithfield, another Birmingham city centre venue that will serve as the home of beach volleyball and basketball 3×3 and wheelchair basketball 3×3 during the Games.
The Centenary Square, in front of the Library, nearer to the Media hub (at Birmingham Arena) is one of the most decorated, second to the Alexander Stadium, the venue of the opening and closing ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Centenary Square is decorated with the replica of gold medals with the flags of 72 participant’ countries, which is an extraordinary work of artistic design.
Now thousands of spectators are eagerly waiting for the curtain raiser, which will kick off today at the Alexander Stadium, an 18000 capacity venue already sold out when the venue was ready to stage both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Athletes will also compete in track when Duran Duran, the pop group is scheduled to perform on the same bill as fellow local musician Tony Lommi of Black Sabbath and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).
