AND THE 2022 GAMES CURTAINS CLOSE IN BIRMINGHAM
It has been 11 bustling days of sports, pomp, tears, and joy in the West Midlands city of Birmingham but like every good thing that has a beginning, an end is also inevitable.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games finally came to close in the beautifully diverse West Midlands city of Birmingham in the British nation of England.
Another historic closing ceremony was held to wrap up proceedings and as expected, it was filled with splendour and fanfare from Ozzy Osbourne stealing the show to sneak a peek into the coming Peaky Blinders stage show
Once again, the city of Birmingham had its rich and diverse cultural heritage on display and stole the heart of spectators both home and abroad as travel commentators insist that there would be an influx of tourists to the city after the games
Held at the now famous Alexander Stadium, the closing ceremony opened with a set of children playing in the streets on a set that reproduced a typical day in the life of 1950s Birmingham.
This quickly morphs into a set of dancers just behind Industrial Birmingham, a town known as the haven for cars, metals and textiles that sailed to various parts of the world
Up next came the musical band Dexy Midnight Runners who thrilled spectators with a delightful rendition of “Come on Eileen” led by a green suit decked Kevin Rowland.
After this came more music and a procession that detailed how people from other parts of the world from Asians to Caribbeans all contributed to helping the West Midlands region rebuild after the second world war.
This was followed by a procession of the athletes. All dressed for the occasion according to the part of the world they came from.
And then came more music which ranged from Indian to Reggae with the spectators enjoying every second.
Beverly Knight and Jorja Smith held the audience spell bound with their performances with beautiful voices accompanied by an entourage of dazzling dancers
Then came The Peaky Blinders!!!
The tubular bells gave a rousing rendition of the show’s theme song. The world-renowned title track which is, of course, Nick Cave’s ‘Red Right Hand.’
Then came more music, Duran Duran and many more.
Chair of the 2022 Birmingham Games Organizing Committee, John Crabtree also took to the stage for the expected thanksgiving speech.
Singapore’s table tennis player Feng Tianwei was also announced as Outstanding athlete of the year after she increased her Commonwealth Games medal tally to 13 medals
Feng is Singapore’s most decorated athlete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with a total haul of 3 medals which she won in the women’s team, singles, and doubles events.
The Commonwealth Games flag was then wrapped up and handed over to the Governor of the city of Victoria, Linda Dessau.
As scheduled, the city of Victoria in Australia will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex then declared the Games officially closed.
Ozzy Osbourne then gave a closing closing-ceremony worthy performance.
Organizers confirmed that over 1.5 million tickets across different sports were sold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and one could assume that this was one truly memorable event destined for the history books.
More than 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories competed in 280 medal events across 11 days in what has truly been a spectacle to behold with memories made, friendships forged, and time well spent.
Team Australia did emerge champions of the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a total of 178 medals – 67 gold, 57 silver and 54 bronze
2022 Commonwealth games have come and gone.
Goodbye Birmingham!
See you soon Australia!
