Sandwell pool ready as Commonwealth Games hit 100 days to go

With 100 days to go until the Commonwealth Games, the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre has been completed, and swimmers and divers have tested the pools for the first time.

Paralympic swimmers and an Olympic diver tried out the new venue on 19 April, along with local club swimmers, as organisers marked the milestone by putting tickets for every sport back on sale.

A new pool for the Games

The Sandwell Aquatics Centre, in Smethwick, is the only major new venue built for the Games. It will host swimming and diving for all 11 days of competition, and will then be converted into a community leisure centre, which is why local club swimmers joined the celebrations to test the main 50-metre pool.

Around 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories are expected to compete in 19 sports and eight para sports at the Games, which begin on 28 July.

"The Games feel real"

Paralympic swimming champion Ellie Simmonds, a member of the Birmingham 2022 board, said the completion of the centre was a key moment.

"This is an important and proud moment for everyone associated with Birmingham 2022 and having swimmers and divers in the pools for the very first time makes the Games feel real," she said.

She urged people to buy tickets quickly, as sports such as aquatics had proved very popular.

"The biggest event in our history"

Deborah Cadman, chief executive of Birmingham City Council, said the city had come a long way since it was named host city four years ago.

"The finishing touches are now being made to ensure the city and wider region are a perfect platform to bring people together for the biggest event to be staged in our history," she said. "This is our chance to be bold and deliver a golden decade of opportunities for Birmingham."

Dame Louise Martin, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, described the centre as "an impressive, world-class, community-focused facility".

Tickets on sale

Tickets for every sport went back on sale at 8am on 19 April, with prices starting at £8 for under-16s and £15 for adults. Tickets include travel on local public transport on the day of the event.

The countdown

Preparations are now entering their final stages. At the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, the £72 million redevelopment is nearing completion, and the stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics. The athletes' village will be spread across several sites.

Other events will take place at existing venues across the city and beyond, including Arena Birmingham, the NEC, Edgbaston, the University of Birmingham, Villa Park and Sutton Park. Women's cricket will feature at the Games for the first time, with matches at Edgbaston.

The Queen's Baton Relay is currently travelling around the Commonwealth, and will finish its journey in Birmingham at the opening ceremony. With just over three months to go, the city is preparing to welcome athletes and visitors from around the world.