Curtains come down on 22nd Commonwealth Games with glittering closing ceremony in Birmingham; Australia topped the final standings with 178 medals including 67 gold, 57 silver, 54 bronze,
India finish 4th overall with 61 medals, including 22 gold.
Birmingham embraced the Commonwealth Games like no other has done before it.
Ozzy Osbourne, Jorja Smith and a host of Birmingham’s musical stars brought the curtain down on a spectacular Commonwealth Games 2022.
Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said: “These Games have been bold, buzzing and absolutely brilliant.”
Birmingham embraced the Commonwealth Games like no other has done before it, a constant backdrop of jam-packed grandstands delivered an emphatic vindication of its relevance in the international sporting calendar.
BIRMINGHAM FOREVER💛#Birmingham #CommonwealthGames #ClosingCeremony pic.twitter.com/3JdR9Xspma
— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) August 8, 2022
Eleven days of action drew to close at Alexander Stadium on Monday night as organisers turned the traditional Closing Ceremony into a non-stop party involving local luminaries like Dexy’s Midnight Runners and UB40.
It continued an atmosphere that had pervaded throughout, be it lawn bowlers from the Cook Islands performing an impromptu South Seas love song in Leamington Spa, or the semi-final celebrations of Jamaican netball’s ‘Sunshine Girls’.
What a way to bring it all to an end!
Thank you, Birmingham. Thank you, thank you, thank you!@ozzyosbourne @tonyiommi @wakemanofficial#B2022 #ClosingCeremony #CommonwealthGames pic.twitter.com/2UoSFrqoeH
— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) August 8, 2022
Even the toughest cynic would be hard-pressed to deny the extraordinary success of a Games that appeared to have drawn the short straw in being asked to follow the sun and surf success of the Gold Coast in 2018.
There we go.
The Commonwealth Flag has been lowered, and handed over to Team Australia, signifying the end of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games🥹@CommGamesAUS #BIRMINGHAM #Birmingham2022 pic.twitter.com/aeNjw4V071
— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) August 8, 2022
What it lacked in golden beaches it made up for in simply being itself. With no Copacabana or Coolangatta, it plonked its beach volleyball venue on the graffiti-strewn site of an old fruit and veg market in the shadow of the Bullring, and brought the house down.
Fans thronged to watch early morning rotations of rhythmic gymnastics just as they soaked up the star quality of the likes of Adam Peaty in the pool and the likes of Keely Hodgkinson and newly-crowned world champion Jake Wightman on track nights to remember.
For a Games so often pilloried for second-rate standards, Birmingham 2022 showed how to succeed by simply being itself. It provided a blueprint for future editions by actively prioritising the pursuit of a feelgood factor over the never-ending narrative of win-at-all-costs.
Sport is just the beginning. 🥇
Over the last 11 days, performances of passion and pride set Birmingham alight.
Take a look at the highlights of a fantastic competition showcasing not just world class talent, but humanity, equality and destiny. ❤️#CommonwealthGames | #B2022 pic.twitter.com/S97BISFOPo
— Commonwealth Sport (@thecgf) August 8, 2022
The memorable moments were not found in world records and sensational split times. They emerged in the ear-splitting roar that swept Eilish McColgan down the back straight to clinch 10,000 metres gold for Scotland, and the cascades of cheers that greeted another historic achievement by England’s women’s hockey team.
They were found in the tears of Michaela Walsh, a Northern Ireland boxer who turned two consecutive, controversial silver medals into gold at the third time of asking, and got to celebrate with her younger brother Aidan, who also won gold in the men’s event.
They were found in gold medals for both 17-year-old divers and seventy-something lawn bowlers, and bronze medals for tiny Pacific atolls whose athletes used their appearance at this Games to raise issues of global warming that leave their respective nations’ very existence under threat.
The success of Birmingham was in finding the right balance between the essential star quality and recognition of the sheer joy of sport.
Birmingham 2022 was a great Games, up there in its own way with the storied success of London 2012. To paraphrase Black Sabbath’s Osbourne, who brought the Games to a fittingly deafening conclusion, it didn’t try to change the world.
But these bright and colourful Games might have fired up countless kids to make their own imprint in the years and decades to come.
UK PM Boris Johnson thanked everyone for successfully host the Commonwealth Games 2022.
In tweet UK PM Boris Johnson said,”I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make the 22nd Commonwealth Games such a success – athletes, officials, spectators, organisers and volunteers.
Birmingham has staged one of the all-time great sporting spectacles – a legacy that will live for generations.”
I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make the 22nd Commonwealth Games such a success – athletes, officials, spectators, organisers & volunteers.
Birmingham has staged one of the all-time great sporting spectacles – a legacy that will live for generations. pic.twitter.com/bBbUlifO02
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 8, 2022
Topics
Commonwealth Games Birmingham Event Sports Kolkata
Bengali