Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games included in major TV awards nominations

The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last summer was a huge success and thousands of people visited the city to catch a glimpse of the magic of the massive spectacle - the largest event in England in a decade.

Ticket sales for the event went above and beyond expectation with more than 1.5 million snapped up. From the opening ceremony starring the iconic ‘Raging Bull’ at the Alexander Stadium, to the closing ceremony featuring legendary Ozzy Osborne, these incredible Games captured the imagination of the city, region and audiences across the globe.

It was the third Commonwealth Games hosted in England following London 1934 and Manchester 2002. Participants from all the Commonwealth Nations took part in various sports like badminton, athletics, cricket, swimming, hockey and more.

During this spectacular event, 877 medals were awarded and 96 Commonwealth Games records and 4 world records were broken. There was more para sport than ever before at a Commonwealth Games, more medals events for women than men for the first time ever at a major multi-sport event and basketball 3x3, wheelchair basketball 3x3 and women’s T20 cricket appeared at the Commonwealth Games for the very first time.

The sporting extravaganza was captured by multiple TV channels during the 11 days it was on - and now one of them has been nominated for an important award for its extensive coverage.

The BBC has been nominated for a BAFTA award for its coverage of the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham. BBC One’s coverage of the 2022 Games was nominated at the BAFTA TV Awards in the sports coverage category.

The broad capture captured the events that took place in 15 venues across Birmingham, the West Midlands and London. There were nine free Festival Sites in Birmingham, including Neighbourhood Festivals hosted at seven different sites across the city during the 11 days of competition. Ten other towns or cities hosted additional Festival Sites across the West Midlands and London.

The task for covering the Games was a massive one and the production team, including BBC Sport, Sunset+Vine/BBC One, for the Games is competing against two other events at BAFTA TV Awards.

Other nominations in the category are UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 Production Team - Whisper, BBC Sport and BBC One; and Wimbledon 2022 Production Team, which includes BBC Sport and Wimbledon Broadcast Services/BBC One.

Other BAFTA nominations from Birmingham

Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders has one nomination in 2023. Cillian Murphy was nominated in the Lead Actor category for his portrayal of Tommy Shelby. This is also a BBC One show.