After years of planning, months of preparation and weeks of international conferences and Zoom calls, Birmingham is ready for the world.
All eyes are on Magic City for the 2022 World Games (TWG 2022), an event that has the potential to transform Birmingham and its perception, not just this summer but for decades to come, say city and state leaders. the region.
“There’s a rare moment in a city’s history, where it has (the opportunity) to add another chapter to who (it is),” Mayor Randall Woodfin said of TWG 2022, which will take place from July 7 to 17. This event “literally adds a new page and additional chapters in the book of who (Birmingham is) as a community. … We can put on and show how beautiful we are, how far we have come. … And it’s going to send a wave because it’s not just about Alabama, the Southeast, America – we’re talking about the whole world.
Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight said, “We know the historical perceptions of Birmingham, and I think Mayor Woodfin said it best: ‘Let’s live for the future.’ We will not forget our past, but we have evolved. … When many people talk about Birmingham the images that come to mind are (black and white photos from the 1960s), but we are more than that. … That’s not who we are today.
The games haven’t even started and people are noticing the new Birmingham. Condé Nast Traveler magazine named the Magic City one of the best destinations in the world to visit in “The 22 Best Places to Go in 2022”.
One of the reasons is undoubtedly the TWG 2022, which attracts athletes from all over the world. The games will take place at venues around Birmingham – including Protective Stadium, Legion Field, Birmingham CrossPlex, Hoover Met Complex, Oak Mountain State Park, Barber Motorsports Park and Sloss Furnaces – and will impact economic value estimated at $256 million.
Featured events include competitions in martial arts, air sports, water sports, powerlifting, billiards, lacrosse, archery, gymnastics and dance.
“For people coming from overseas to America, it’s an opportunity to see Birmingham, to see the United States. … We want to leave a good impression that they can leave and then spread back to their country,” Knight said “It’s really going to put a feather in our cap long term.”
David Galbaugh, vice president of sports sales and marketing for the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, said foreigners will get to see a city that locals cherish.
“This is an international multi-sport event that is truly going to be a gateway for the world to see the great Birmingham that we know and love,” he said. “It will be a chance for Birmingham to really show what we have to offer and lead to other international multi-sport events in the future, such as the World Police and Fire Games, which (will be hosted by the city ) in 2025.”
“Amazing City”
When people from around the world arrive this week, they land at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, which has undergone over $10 million in upgrades.
“What an incredible city we have with an incredible history,” said Ron Mathieu, airport president and CEO. “There seems to be something historic around every corner of Birmingham…if you take the time to understand it and see it.”
Improvements to the airport are manifold. For example, all passenger boarding bridges have been refreshed with new carpets and paint; all terminal seats have been replaced to optimize passenger comfort and capacity; new Wi-Fi and cellphone transmitters have been installed throughout the terminal to increase cellular and wireless ranges; and all toilets have been renovated.
Mathieu pays attention to small and large details to “make sure everything is as it should be”.
“(There will be) new strips on the roadways, new lighting for pedestrian crossings. The garage will have a new LED lighting system all around so we can light it up depending on the event – whether it’s pink, whether it’s blue, in fact, right in the Games global. (The garage) will be illuminated all around with the various colors of the International World Games Association,” the airport CEO said.
Once inside the city, visitors will have several transportation options. The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority’s Birmingham Xpress will run approximately 10 miles from Five Points West through Birmingham city center to Woodlawn, connecting 25 areas of the city. The system consists of two transit centers and 16 intermediate stops. Buses will run every 15 minutes during peak periods.
Officials from TWG 2022, City of Birmingham and BJCTA are encouraging visitors to the World Games to ‘Ride the Line’ which will transport spectators to and from the events of TWG 2022.
The public transport system, which is free, will include red, green and blue lines, all converging at the World Games Plaza near the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) and Protective Stadium.
The blue line will travel from this area to Legion Field. The Red Line will trace the route of the Magic City Connector and travel between 20th Street Plaza, or World Games Boulevard, to downtown Homewood, making stops at Five Points South, Vulcan Park, and in other areas. The Green Line will include stops at Sloss Furnaces and Avondale Park.
BHAM city walk
Apparently, everyone finds a way to intervene. The City of Birmingham used $5 million of US Rescue Plan funds to purchase equipment for various services – including Birmingham Fire and Rescue, Birmingham Police Department, Boutwell Auditorium and Birmingham CrossPlex – to repair and upgrade facilities throughout the city.
Nick Sellers, CEO of TWG 2022, highlighted additions to the downtown entertainment district, as well as the new BHAM City Walk under Interstate 20/59, which has everything from beer and wine gardens to parks. for dogs.
City Walk BHAM “is going to be an amazing gathering place. It will also host our Regions World Games Plaza, and it will be the heart of (TWG 2022),” he said. “I really believe that part of the legacy of these World Games will be that we as a community develop more confidence in ourselves.”
City Walk BHAM is located on 31 acres from 15th Street North to 25th Street North. The area, comprising 10 blocks, includes recreational sports space, a regional skate park, performance spaces, water features, market spaces and public art.
Not far from City Walk BHAM is the Protective Stadium – the $200 million outdoor sports ground with 45,000 seats which is the home ground of the UAB Blazers football team. The stadium will host the Grand Opening and Closing Ceremonies of TWG 2022. Trees have been planted around the stadium as part of a beautification project.
Protective Stadium in December 2021 hosted the sold-out TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl between Auburn University and the University of Houston. Its economic impact could be a precursor to the World Games, according to city leaders.
“When you look at the number of people who have stayed in our hotels, the number of people who have visited our restaurants and bars, who have stayed here for several days, visited our museums and gone shopping, in and around the area, I just think it has a huge impact on our city as a whole, the amount of taxes and the economic impact,” Woodfin said.
Also nearby is the newly renovated 18,000-seat Legacy Arena on the BJCC campus with a new suite level, upper-level club area, upgraded food and beverage options, new seating, ribbon at 360 degrees in the seating bowl and renovated halls. .
RELATED: 2022 World Games Competition Guide Part 1: Trend Sports
RELATED: 2022 World Games Competition Guide Part 2: Ball Sports & Artistic Sports
RELATED: 2022 World Games Competitions Guide Part 3: Martial Arts, Precision Sports & Strength Sports
Local benefits
Locals are sure to reap some of the benefits of TWG 2022. Small businesses, such as food trucks and startups, will have the opportunity to be in the spotlight as visitors enter the city.
“Small businesses are Birmingham’s bloodline,” said Kathy Boswell, executive vice president of community engagement for TWG 2022. “With the games ahead, our businesses will be able to be put in the spotlight alone.”
Residents who live near Protection Stadium are excited about what the games mean to them and to the city. Edward Eaton, acting vice-president of the Druid Hills Neighborhood Association, agreed the event could help overturn the outdated view outsiders have of Birmingham.
“That stigma is still attached to (the city) – the bombings, the race relations and stuff like that – but we turned it around completely… and people have to see it for themselves to have something to compare with ,” he said.
James Sullivan, former president of the Central City Neighborhood Association, said visitors will see the city has more to offer than what happened in its past. “There is diversity and people really talk. … They will see people talking happily. (They will see) growth and development. It will be a welcoming experience.
Woodfin said he understands why residents are excited.
“People from all over the world will descend on our community and our city, and they will see who we are. It should excite every human being who is a citizen of this city,” the mayor said. “It’s a reset button. Ask Atlanta, (Summer Olympics) 1996. Ask (Summer Olympics Los Angeles) 1984. The last time the World Games were held in America, they were held in Santa Clara, California, in 1981. It’s an incredible opportunity.
This story was originally published by The Birmingham Times. Staff writers Ryan Michaels and Haley Wilson contributed.
