The organizing committee for The World Games 2022 Birmingham on Friday announced the next three competition venues for The Games: Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham-Southern College and Avondale Park.
Signage has already been installed at all three venues, per a press release.
The World Games 2022 is a multi-sport event that will take place in the Magic City from July 7- 17, 2022. An anticipated 3,600 athletes from over 100 countries will participate in more than 30 different sports throughout The Games.
Through this extraordinary Olympic-style sports experience, elite athletes from all over the globe will compete for gold in multi-disciplinary competitions. However, the big winner is set to be Alabama.
With fans traveling from worldwide destinations to Birmingham and experiencing over 25 unique venues around the greater metropolitan area, The World Games 2022 will generate an estimated $256 million in economic impact.
“We’re excited to announce this next round of venues for The Games,” The World Games 2022 CEO Nick Sellers said in a Friday statement. “As we move closer and closer to the beginning of The Games, the announcement of venues where these world-class athletes will compete, and where fans from all over will congregate to watch, drives the anticipation. All of our venues offer athletes and fans a unique sporting experience they can’t get anywhere else.”
At the historic Sloss Furnaces, spectators will watch athletes compete in adrenaline-inducing Sport Climbing, Breaking, Parkour and Beach Handball.
Originally operated as a pig iron-producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971, Sloss Furnaces became one of the first industrial sites (and the only blast furnace) in America to be preserved and restored for public use. In 1981, the furnaces were designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
“Sloss Furnaces is more than a landmark or museum, it represents the spirit and character of the South’s rich industrial heritage—and of the people that made Birmingham the Magic City,” commented Karen Utz, interim executive director/curator of Sloss Furnace. “In that same vein, we’re excited to help show the rest of the world that spirit with our involvement in The World Games. This global event will mark yet another historical chapter in the history of the Sloss Furnaces.”
Several competitions will take place across the campus of Birmingham-Southern College, a private institution founded in 1856.
Goldfarb Field at Berylson Soccer Park, the home of Birmingham Southern soccer, will play host to Fistball. Bill Battle Coliseum, the home of Birmingham-Southern basketball and volleyball, will host a variety competitions including Orienteering, Karate, Wushu and Ju-Jitsu. Birmingham-Southern residence halls will also serve as the accommodation for several athletes competing at The Games.
“Promoting the community that surrounds us is a key part of our mission at Birmingham-Southern College, and we see that same vision in The World Games 2022,” stated BSC President Daniel B. Coleman. “We look forward to welcoming fans and athletes from all over the world to the Hilltop.”
At Avondale Park, the natural beauty of Birmingham will be on full display for Target Archery and Field Archery competitions.
A 40-acre wooded park on the slopes of Red Mountain that sits directly across from one of the most popular neighborhoods in Birmingham, Avondale Park re-opened after $2.88 million in city-funded renovations in November of 2013.
“Avondale Park is one of the best recreational areas our community has to offer, making it a perfect venue for the World Games 2022,” concluded Shonae Eddis-Bennett, director of the Birmingham Parks and Recreation. “We are excited to have the opportunity to show off Avondale Park to fans and athletes from all over the world.”
Previously announced The World Games 2022 venues include Legion Field, Birmingham CrossPlex and Boutwell Auditorium. The under-construction Protective Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
