David Moorcroft urges businesses to strike gold with 2022 Commonwealth Games

The former chief executive of UK Athletics won gold in the 1,500 metres at the Commonwealth Games held in Canada in 1978. The world record holder then topped the podium once again to by winning the 5,000 metres at the 1982 games in Australia.

It’s now three years until the 2022 games gets under way, with events due to be held in host city Birmingham and across the West Midlands. And with business contracts to be won and a host of volunteering opportunities on the horizon, Mr Moorcroft, who was involved in the successful bid for the games, has urged people to make the most of having a major sporting event on their doorstep.

“Outside of London, the West Midlands was the most successful region in the country to benefit from business contracts for the Olympic games in 2012,” Mr Moorcroft said during a visit to the Express & Star. And the most successful region in the West Midlands was the Black Country.

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“There were so many lessons learnt from 2012 but for me one of the most important was really understanding that the last couple of years fly by.

“Sometimes you only realise the opportunities you can get from a major games, after the games has been and gone.

“It’s really easy to wake up the day after the closing ceremony and think ‘if only we had done this, if only we had done that.’

“The Black Country is so close to Birmingham and is hosting the aquatics in Sandwell. You don’t just want to get to the games and think ‘oh, it’s here now.’”

Any businesses keen to be involved in working at the Commonwealth Games should visit commonwealthgames.finditinbirmingham.com