Inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships set for Birmingham, UK

The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum is set to be staged in Birmingham, UK at the International Convention Centre, August 2022. The Championships is a result of the 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. The Commonwealth Esports Championships, 6-7 August, will feature esports athletes from across the Commonwealth. The event is set to feature demonstrations showcasing active esports and the technologies that support the convergence of sport and esports. 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, 5 August. The Commonwealth Esports Championships was sanctioned by the CGF executive board to be held at the same time as the 2022 Commonwealth Games while being independent of Birmingham 2022. The Commonwealth Esports Championships will have separate branding, medals, organisation, and governance, led by the GEF and its community of partners. 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 of England, UK and enable the Commonwealth Sport Movement to further explore the impact and potential of esports as part of the roadmap. Dame Louise Martin, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said: “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. Chris Chan, president of Global Esports Federation, stated: “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 500m views from around the world.” Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, added: “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.”