Commonwealth Games could help fight ‘ever-increasing tide of populism’ – leader

Speaking during an update on progress on the former Athletes Village, Councillor Ian Ward said that hosting the event would help "bring people closer together" something he feels is important "given the ever-increasing tide of populism that we seem to be faced with".

Last month it was announced that the Athletes Village in Perry Barr would not be completed in time for the start of the Games.

Instead, athletes and officials travelling to the city for the 2022 Games will be housed in a mix of university accommodation and hotels.

On Wednesday Councillor Ward gave an update on the progress of the village, with 1,400 new homes still set to be provided as part of the council’s legacy commitment.

And he took the opportunity to talk about the benefits that hosting the games would bring to the city, saying that residents would feel "very, very proud" once the event had concluded.

“When the announcement was made I think a number of people, not just in Perry Barr but across Birmingham, jumped to the wrong conclusion that nothing was going to be built at all,” he said.

“Certainly I received a handful of emails from people in Perry Barr about how they were now not going to get anything on this site, and I think that was unfortunate, because certainly in the communications that went out in the middle of August we were trying to emphasise that we’re still going to deliver the housing.

“But I think the important thing for the city – and the 11 days of sport is great, don’t get me wrong, and it will be a great celebration and a great festival in the city for those 11 days in 2022 when we have the games here in Birmingham. But the real prize from hosting any of these large-scale events is the legacy that you derive from it. And obviously delivering the housing was a key part of our legacy, the revamping of Alexander Stadium another key bit of it.

“It’s about that community cohesion, bringing people closer together, which I think is important given the ever-increasing tide of populism that we seem to be faced with. It’s about using the games to ensure that we bring people together, get greater understanding between the different communities and engendering again some civic pride across the city.

“This is Birmingham, a city that can do things of this scale, can deliver them successfully, in spite of the fact that we’re having to do it in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.

“So I think there’ll be lots to be proud of and I remain optimistic that we will come out of these games with people being very very proud of their city and what we’ve achieved.”

One of the questions raised during the meeting was if the Athletes Village would continue to be referred to as such, given that no athletes will now be staying there.

One suggestion made by a member of the committee was for the name to be changed to the Commonwealth Village – though Councillor Ward said that it would probably just be referred to as ‘The Village’ for now.

“Will the village still be called the Athletes Village I think is a really interesting question,” he said.

“I think we’ll probably still refer to it as the village if we don’t call it the Athletes Village. It will have in the park area that’s right in the centre of the development a running track going round the edge of the park, as a kind of connection with the games.

“So I think if not the Athletes Village I think we’ll still refer to it as the village.”