Birmingham 2022: Nearly half of UK watched Commonwealth Games

The huge mechanical bull played a key role in the opening ceremony and proved a huge draw during the Games

Nearly half the UK watched or attended the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, new polling for the government has shown.

A report published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on Friday hailed the event as a spectacular showcase for Birmingham.

A survey featured in the report suggested it had also helped to change perceptions of the host city.

It said hundreds of millions of people around the world watched coverage.

BBC Sport's videos meanwhile were streamed 57.1 million times, more than six times the number during previous Games.

In its summary, the DCMS report said from the moment the "iconic Raging Bull stormed into the Alexander Stadium" in the opening ceremony, to the "final notes from the legendary Ozzy Osborne as the curtain fell, these incredible Games have captured the imagination".

The event was the best attended Commonwealth Games on record, with more than 1.5 million tickets sold.

Birmingham saw a big boost in visitor numbers during the two weeks, while the report said the legacy was expected to continue both in terms of the local economy and wider benefits for local communities for years to come.

Some £778m of public money was invested in the Games and although some early plans were scaled back - including rethinking proposals for a bespoke athletes village - the Alexander Stadium received a major revamp, while a new aquatics centre was built in Sandwell.

"These results really underline that Birmingham 2022 was more than just the 11 days of fantastic sport," Sports Minister Nigel Huddlestone said.

"The West Midlands and the UK really got behind Birmingham 2022 and recaptured that 2012 spirit, giving the whole country the opportunity to come together and celebrate our amazing athletes."

One survey conducted by Ipsos for the DCMS found six in 10 people from Birmingham and the surrounding area felt the Games had improved perceptions of the city.

Two in three people from the local area also engaged with the Commonwealth Games, the survey said, with a quarter of those polled saying they turned out to watch the Queen's Baton Relay.

'Did itself proud'

Birmingham 2022 CEO Ian Reid said the city and wider West Midlands had done "itself proud", adding the Games had created "a real feeling of renewed opportunity".

Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, meanwhile, said he had "never felt prouder to be from the West Midlands".

"I want to see a lasting legacy for the people of the West Midlands for generations to come and it's already clear that there is immense potential to deliver just that," he added.

Among the statistics published in the DCMS report:

• More than five million people visited Birmingham during the two weeks from 25 July, a 200% increase on the same period in 2021

• Spectators bought 1.5 million tickets for events across the region

• The event created 40,000 jobs and skills opportunities including 14,000 volunteers

• BBC Sport's coverage was streamed 57.1 million times, compared with nine million during the 2018 Games

• On TV, 28.6 million people watched the BBC's coverage with a peak of 6.6 million ahead of the men and women's 100m backstroke and breaststroke finals

• The BBC Sport website had 14.3 million visits during the event and highlights were viewed online 10.7 million times

The Games created 40,000 jobs and skills opportunities for local people, the DCMS report said, including 14,000 volunteers to support visitors and athletes.

The revamped Alexander Stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies as well as athletics events

Many of those volunteers have also been linked to other volunteering opportunities across the region.

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Ties with local communities have not always been plain sailing, with an independent panel concluding in May that diverse communities had been largely "ignored by Birmingham 2022 organisers.

However, in July, organisers said more than 7,500 unemployed people had received training to help them take advantage of job opportunities created by the Commonwealth Games.

More than £800,000 of lottery funding is also being used to help 1,000 young people connect with opportunities until December, while the Birmingham 2022 Festival is continuing its cultural programme until the end of September.