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Birmingham bidding to host 2026 Commonwealth Games to bring £390m economic boost

Birmingham is bidding to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games with hopes the city could benefit from a £390 million economic windfall.

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Civic leaders said the sporting event would be able to "showcase the very best" of the city and deliver a "huge economic impact" to the wider West Midlands.

Launching the official bid on Friday, the city highlighted the possible financial legacy of hosting the games, by creating thousands of new jobs, benefiting local suppliers, and boosting existing transport and housing plans.

It pointed to the benefits of the Glasgow Games in 2014, which it said had generated £740 million for the Scottish economy and brought in 690,000 more visitors.

Setting out Birmingham's credentials, the city council's leader John Clancy said: "Birmingham is a fantastic sporting city and we have proven ourselves to be warm, welcoming and friendly hosts to a number of international events in recent years.

"In addition to the huge economic impact, these events showcase the very best of our city and wider region to the world."

He added: "I hope that we get to do that yet again in 2026 and you can be sure the games would be a huge success in Birmingham."

In 2002 the games were held in Manchester.

The Birmingham bid's backers, which include councils and businesses, said the city had a track record of hosting big interntaional sporting events at existing venues like Villa Park, Edgbaston cricket ground and the Alexander Stadium, near Great Barr.

It could also draw in existing venues outside Birmingham, including West Bromwich Albion's The Hawthorns and Coventry's Ricoh Arena.

The city also boasts the NEC exhibition venue, International Convention Centre - this year due to host the Conservative Party conference - and both the Genting and Barclaycard arenas.

Next year, the second city is hosting the Birmingham International Marathon and fixtures for cricket's ICC Champions Trophy, and in 2018 will be home to the World Indoor Athletics Championships.

Birmingham City Council's deputy leader Ian Ward called on the entire region to get behind the bid.

He added: "The economic benefit, not to mention the excitement and legacy of such an immense sporting event would have on this area, is massive.

"We are the perfect choice to host the Commonwealth Games."

The games were last hosted in the UK by Glasgow in 2014, while the next competition will be at the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, in 2018.

The 2022 games is set to take place in Durban, South Africa.

Among other contenders for the 2026 games are Liverpool, which announced its bid earlier this year, while Auckland in New Zealand and Edmonton in Canada have also been tipped as possible venues.

A decision on which UK city will be chosen to go forward with a bid to host the games is due to be made in 2018.

The ultimate choice as to which city will welcome the 2026 games is to be confirmed in September 2019 by the Commonwealth Games General Assembly.

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