Birmingham has been chosen ahead of Liverpool as the recommended city for England’s bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Having won in a tight race to win the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s backing, the UKs second city must now convince the government to approve the bid and underwrite the event’s costs.
The Department’s backing of the West Midlands city means it now has to convince the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) that it should stage the event.
In a statement, Sports Minister, Tracey Crouch, said: “I am grateful to the bid teams from both cities for their hard work in making the case as potential Commonwealth Games hosts.
Now, after a comprehensive assessment process, the government will look at the final bid proposal from Birmingham and decide if a formal bid will be submitted to the CGF.
The UK has fantastic expertise in hosting the biggest events in sport, as recently showcased at the London 2017 World Para Athletics and IAAF World Championships, and if we are to bid and are selected to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022 I have no doubt that Birmingham would host an excellent sporting spectacle.”
Former BBC athletics commentator and Commonwealth gold medallist Brendan Foster said he was "delighted but not surprised" Birmingham had been chosen.
"It's the right time, in the right place, in a city that has all the facilities in place," said the founder of the Great North Run, who was part of the bid team.
The city's proposal to create the UK's largest permanent athletics stadium supplemented by four indoor arenas was central to its bid.
The plan is for the Alexander Stadium to be expanded from its current capacity of 13,000 to 20,000, with 25,000 additional seats for the Games itself. This will make the Perry Barr venue, already the home of UK Athletics, the largest, permanent athletics track in the country, and it is also intended to be used for other sports, concerts and conferences.
In a statement, the chair of Birmingham’s bid committee said: “This is a great endorsement by the UK government of Birmingham’s credentials to host the Games and recognition of the city’s resolve to deliver a memorable event.
However, this is not the end of the journey and we look forward to working with the government as it makes its final decision to support a UK candidate city.”
Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is likely to be the main rival after Durban was stripped of the event in March.
The South African city originally won the bidding process in 2015 but the CGF was not convinced it could successfully host the event and started a search for a new host city.
Submissions from candidate cities need to be received by September 30 and its executive board is expected to make its decision by the end of the year.
