The Games are coming: Here's what you need to know about them

Taking place over 11 days, the 22nd edition of the Games will be bring the nations of the Commonwealth together in competition at venues across Birmingham and the wider area.

But what is the Commonwealth Games? What is it about it that gives it the nickname of the 'Friendly Games'? Where can you go to watch it and how many nations and territories are taking part?

This guide aims to tell you everything you need to know about the Commonwealth Games.

When did the Commonwealth Games first take place?

The first Empire Games, as they were then known, was first held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in August 1930 after being organised by sports writer Bobby Robinson, who attended the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam and wanted to create a similar event for the British Empire.

Australia, Bermuda, British Guyana, Canada, England, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales were the participating nations and the Games featured six sports: athletics, boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving and wrestling. England topped the medal table with 61, including 25 golds.

The games were opened by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Willingdon. Canadian triple jumper Gordon Smallacombe would claim a few hours later the debut gold medal

The Games first became known as the Commonwealth Games at the 1954 Games in Vancouver in Canada.

How many countries and territories are competing in the Commonwealth Games in 2022?

There will be 72 countries and territories competing at the Games. They are:

Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

Americas and Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands

Asia: Bangladesh, Brunei, Malaysia, Maldives, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka

Europe: Cyprus, England, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Malta, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales

Oceania: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

How many venues are being used to host the Games?

The Games will make use of 15 venues across Birmingham and the West Midlands region.

In the host city, there will be seven venues hosting sports, which range from the existing venues of Arena Birmingham for gymnastics and Edgbaston Cricket Ground for T20 cricket to the recently renovated Alexander Stadium, home of athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies.

Other venues include purpose-built stadia at Smithfield for 3x3 basketball, 3x3 wheelchair basketball and beach volleyball, Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield for triathlon, University of Birmingham for hockey and squash and Victoria Square for the marathon.

Outside of Birmingham, events are being held on Cannock Chase (mountain biking), Wolverhampton and Dudley (cycling time trial), Sandwell (swimming and diving), Coventry Arena (rugby sevens, judo and wrestling), Leamington Spa (lawn bowls), NEC (badminton, boxing, netball, table tennis and para-table tennis, weightlifting and para-powerlifting) and Warwick (cycling road race).

Additionally, the Lee Valley VeloPark at the Olympic Park in Stratford in London will host the track cycling.

How many events are taking place during the Games?

There are 280 events taking place across 20 sports during the Games, with gold medals sessions taking place on each day.

The Sandwell Aquatics Centre will see the most gold medals awarded, with 64 medal sessions taking place from Friday, July 29 to the final day of the Games on Monday, August 8.

The number of gold medals available for each event is as follows:

Diving: Five men's, five women's and two mixed events; Swimming: 25 men's, 25 women's and two mixed events.

Athletics: 29 men's and 29 women's events.

Badminton: Two men's, two women's and two mixed events.

3x3 Basketball: Two men's and two women's events.

Beach Volleyball: One men's and one women's events.

Boxing:10 men's and six women's events.

Cricket: One women's event.

Mountain biking: One men's and one women's event; Cycle road racing: Two men's and two women's events; Track cycling:10 men's and 10 women's events

Artistic gymnastics: Eight men's and six women's events; Rhythmic gymnastics: Six women's events

Hockey: One men's and one women's events

Judo: Seven men's and seven women's events

Lawn Bowls: Five men's, five women's and one mixed events

Netball: One women's event

Para Powerlifting: Two men's and two women's events

Rugby Sevens: One men's and one women's events

Squash: Two men's, two women's and one mixed events

Table Tennis : Five men's, five women's and one mixed events

Triathlon: Two men's, two women's and one mixed events

Weightlifting: Eight men's and eight women's events

Wrestling: Six men's and six women's events

Where can I go to watch the events during the Games?

More than 1.2 million tickets have already been sold for Games events, but there are still opportunities to buy tickets for events, including the core sports of athletics at Alexander Stadium and swimming and diving at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre.

To find out what is still available and to buy tickets, go to tickets.birmingham2022.com

Alternatively, if you can't get tickets and still want to watch an event during the Games, there are five events taking place that provide a chance to see them for free.

These are the cycling section of the triathlon in Sutton Coldfield (Friday, July 29 and Sunday, July 31), cycling time trial in Wolverhampton and Dudley (Thursday, August 4), mountain biking on Cannock Chase (Wednesday, August 3), marathon across Birmingham (Saturday, July 30) and cycling road race in Warwick (Sunday, August 7)

Where can I buy merchandise and what is available?

Each venue will have a merchandise area, while there is also the purpose-built Megastore.

Located in Centenary Square, the Megastore is the second and largest official store and will offer shoppers 10,000 square feet of retail space and will stock a range of merchandise which has not yet been available, as the widest range of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games products to date hits the shelves.

There are more than 400 lines available to purchase from now and throughout the Games, including t-shirts, hoodies, accessories, collectables and mascot soft toys, alongside Team England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey and Isle of Man ranges.

There will also be the opportunity for avid Games fans to purchase premium items and collectables including a selection of the Royal Mint’s commemorative coins, the limited edition 100cm Perry soft toy and memorabilia items.