Inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships set for Birmingham
The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum will be
staged in Birmingham, England this summer. The Championships is a tangible result of the Strategic
Partnership between the Global Esports Federation and the Commonwealth Games Federation,
announced in May 2020. The new competition in Birmingham will be supported by the British Esports
Association, the not-for-profit national body established in 2016 to promote esports in the UK, increase
its level of awareness, improve standards and inspire future talent.
The Commonwealth Esports Championships will take place at the International Convention Centre
(ICC) in Birmingham on August 6-7, 2022. The Commonwealth Esports Forum – a global convention
of thought leaders and idea creators – will be held at the same venue in the lead-up to the
Commonwealth Esports Championships, on August 5, 2022.
The Commonwealth Esports Championships will feature esports athletes from across the
Commonwealth. Renowned multi-genre global titles are in the final stages of confirmation and will be
announced shortly. The event is set to feature exciting demonstrations showcasing Active Esports and
the powerful technologies that support the convergence of sport and esports.
The Commonwealth Esports Championships was sanctioned by the CGF Executive Board to be held
at the same time as the 2022 Commonwealth Games whilst being independent of Birmingham 2022
and its sports programme. The Commonwealth Esports Championships will have separate branding,
medals, organisation, and governance, led by the GEF and its community of partners.
The event is supported by the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP)*, which aims to maximise the
economic legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as the regional economic
development agency, the West Midlands Growth Company, which drives long-term tourism, investment,
and major events into the region.
Exploring esports is one of the recommendations outlined in the new Commonwealth Sport 2026/30
Strategic Roadmap. The aspiration is that the innovative inaugural event will engage new audiences,
showcase the digital and gaming credentials of the West Midlands and enable the Commonwealth Sport
Movement to further explore the impact and potential of esports as part of the roadmap.
Quotes from the Organisers:
Commonwealth Games Federation: Dame Louise Martin, President: “I am delighted that we are
announcing the first Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum to
take place in Birmingham this summer.
Esports is continuing to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation, particularly amongst
young people, and we are continuing to look at ways to explore how it can align with the Commonwealth
Sports Movement.
Commonwealth Esports Championships provides an excellent opportunity to pilot esports close to the
Commonwealth Games.
This will allow us to review the long-term relationship between the Commonwealth Games and esports
as we continue to evolve and explore future editions of our event and what they could look like.
I would like to thank the Global Esports Federation for their partnership with this exciting event, including
the British Esports Association and the Business and Tourism Programme, who will help us bring this
concept to life.”
Global Esports Federation: Chris Chan, President: “We are proud to establish yet another first for
the world’s esports community. The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships comes hot on
the heels of the first-ever Singapore 2021 Global Esports Games staged in December 2021, capturing
more than 500 million views from around the world.
The Commonwealth Esports Championships offers our community another exciting event in the global
esports calendar. We look forward to welcoming the esports community to Birmingham in August.
British Esports Association: Chester King, CEO and Founder: “When we established the BEA in
2016, we did it with the aspiration that esports would become recognised for the incredible value it
provides its community.
The gaming community has long understood that esports helps teamwork, communication and strategic
thinking together with combating loneliness, but alongside this, it creates opportunities for its athletes
to participate in a team environment in a similar way to traditional sport with all the benefits.
We advocate the values of representation, whether that is your team, school, county, or country and as
such are delighted to see the Commonwealth Games Federation recognises its potential too.
Furthermore, it is an honour that we get to showcase the values of esports whilst the Commonwealth
Games is underway here in the UK.
The BEA is fresh from the successful participation at the Global Esports Games which took place in
Singapore in December 2021, where the Great Britain team secured its first medal (silver in the DOTA
2 women’s competition).”
Leader of Birmingham City Council, Cllr Ian Ward: “As the country’s fastest-growing tech cluster,
responsible for a quarter of British games products, Birmingham and the West Midlands is a thriving
hub of creativity and development, reflecting one of the UK’s youngest and most diverse communities.
Having developed iconic gaming titles such as Formula One, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Forza, there
isn’t a better-suited location to host the Commonwealth Esports Championships, bringing together
young competitors from across the world.
“This unique sporting competition builds on the region’s rising reputation as a hotbed for large-scale,
globally aired Championships; the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games representing the latest
major event to captivate audiences worldwide, also taking place this year.
“Through the Business and Tourism Programme, we look forward to working with the Commonwealth
Games Federation and Global Esports Federation to bring this truly exciting event to Birmingham.”
Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street: “I am thrilled that the first ever Commonwealth Esports
Championships will be staged this summer right here in the West Midlands.
“To put in perspective the sheer scale of the potential ahead of us, the first-ever Global Esports Games
in Singapore in December 2021 attracted more than 500 million views from around the world. And with
the West Midlands’s growing status as an esports hub, I am incredibly excited to see how we build on
last year’s success.
“The Championships are also a brilliant example of our Business and Tourism Programme in action,
ensuring we use the platform of the Commonwealth Games to bring in new investment that will benefit
the West Midlands long beyond the 11 days of sporting excellence.”
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