Birmingham 2022 has released the latest version of the competition schedule for the Commonwealth Games, the biggest multi-sport event to be staged in the UK for a decade, with squash taking place between Friday July 29 – Monday August 8.
There will be 20 sessions in all, with three medal sessions.
England’s James Willstrop and New Zealand’s Joelle King took gold at the individual event during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, while King also took gold in the women’s doubles alongside Amanda Landers-Murphy.
Australian’s Zac Alexander and David Palmer captured the men’s doubles gold medals, while their compatriots Cameron Pilley and Donna Lobban won the mixed event.
The sporting action at Birmingham 2022 will start in style on Friday 29 July with medal sessions on the first day confirmed for swimming, track cycling, gymnastics and triathlon, all sports in which the host nation has reigning Commonwealth champions.
Birmingham 2022 will feature the biggest ever Commonwealth Games sports programme, with 286 sessions, while 283 medals will be up for grabs.
Last year, organisers confirmed that more medals will be awarded to women than men for the first time ever at a major multi-sport event and Sunday 7 August will be a showcase for women’s team sport in particular, with the medal matches for women’s hockey, cricket T20 and netball all taking place on the same day.
The final day of competition will be held on Monday 8 August when gold medals will be awarded in squash, diving, table tennis, badminton and hockey – also sports where Team England has previously excelled, so it could be a magical finish for the home nation.
The ceremonies team will be most in demand on Tuesday 2 August when nine sports will award medals and Sunday 7 August when the medallists in eleven different sports will be decided.
The new schedule, which has been finalised following detailed conversations with Games Partners, international federations and broadcasters, has been added to the Birmingham 2022 website, with a dedicated new section allowing eager sports fans to start planning their visit to the West Midlands for the Games.
“This is another significant milestone as we move closer to Birmingham 2022,” said Commonwealth Games Federation President Dame Louise Martin, DBE.
“We are fortunate to showcase two full weekends of world-class sport, with the event featuring the largest para sport programme in Commonwealth Games history with an unprecedented platform for women’s sport.
“It is a huge source of pride for everyone in the Commonwealth Sport Movement that Birmingham 2022 will be the first major multi-sport event to have more medals for women than men, providing a huge boost for women’s sport.
“After such a difficult period, I am delighted Birmingham 2022 is unveiling this exciting schedule today, to give Commonwealth athletes and fans a spectacular competition to look forward to.”
Birmingham 2022 Chief Executive Ian Reid said: “We’re on track to stage a magnificent edition of the Commonwealth Games and we have seen huge interest in tickets in recent weeks. Now more than ever, people are searching for something to look forward to and that is certainly what we will deliver.
“There are millions of sports fans out there who, because of the pandemic, have not been able to attend events for 12 months and with things moving in the right direction, and vaccines being rolled out, we are anticipating a huge amount of interest when our tickets go on sale later in the year.”
To find out more, visit www.birmingham2022.com where you can also sign-up to receive the latest updates about the Games and hear about tickets and volunteer opportunities first.