Commonwealth Games back in England

This year, Birmingham takes centre stage as the home of the Commonwealth Games 2022, the judo tournament is scheduled to kick off on Monday August 1. The Games take place across venues in Birmingham, as well as in Coventry, Leamington Spa, Warwick, Cannock, Wolverhampton and Sandwell. The well-anticipated Games will host over 5,000 athletes from 54 commonwealth countries competing at Birmingham 2022 in more than 15 different sports and more than 250 events including the judo weight categories.

Judo will be held at the Coventry Arena/Coventry Stadium. The city never hosted an important judo championship, whereas Birmingham had the tradition of organizing the 1999 World Championships. The Commonwealth Games though have a rich tradition and first started in 1930 hosted by Canada as a celebration of sports of all shapes and sizes. While the Commonwealth Games have their origins in the British monarchy and the nations of the Commonwealth, the heart of the Commonwealth Games has always been about cooperation, community and a shared interest in sport, teamwork and athletic excellence.

The first Judo event though was organized in 1986 in Edinburgh with lots of winners from England with that successful ‘british’ women’s team including Karen Briggs, Sharon Rendle, Ann Hughes and Diane Bell who all were or became World Champions.

In 2002 the Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester with a very successful England team again, but foremost judo was celebrated in a fantastic atmosphere. Now the Games are back in England as Birmingham was announced as host on 21 December 2017, marking England's third time hosting the Commonwealth Games after London 1934 and Manchester 2002.

The previous Commonwealth Games were in Australia’s Gold Coast but didn’t include judo in the program. The Games have grown from featuring 11 countries and 400 athletes to a global spectacle of 6,600 sportsmen and women from across 72 nations and territories.

The Commonwealth is made up of 54 member states from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific. The original British Commonwealth was founded with the signing of the Balfour Declaration in 1926 and included Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and the United Kingdom.

While athletic events like the 100-metre sprint or the high jump are always big favourites, especially with the participation of many Olympians and world champions; events like gymnastics and judo that make the Commonwealth Games stand out as a unique and exciting competition. There’s a huge variety and everything to play for in search of the 59 medal events.