Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past while, you’re probably already aware that the 2022 Commonwealth Games are underway. This year, they’re being hosted by Birmingham, right here in the UK, and are taking place in multiple venues. Between the swimming and aquatics due to take place in the brand-new, purpose-built Sandwell Aquatics Centre, beach volleyball and basketball hosted at Smithfield, and the triathlon and para triathlon taking place in 2,400-acre Sutton Park, the 2022 Commonwealth Games will have Birmingham buzzing with sporting life.
The Games’ Opening Ceremony was kicked off with a colourful carnival at Alexander Stadium, where fans of all things track and field will be able to enjoy the athletics and para-athletics once the games are underway. Not long later, the same stadium will host the Games’ Closing Ceremony on the 8th August 2022. Highlights included Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi guest starring alongside music legends Duran Duran, as well as 30,000-strong crowd cheering the proceedings on. But did you spot the convoy of classic cars that featured in the Opening Ceremony?
Birmingham’s motoring heritage
Birmingham has a strong motoring heritage that’s over one hundred years old. In fact, Birmingham entrepreneur Herbert Austin founded The Austin Motor Company Limited on the site of Longbridge, Birmingham. It became a thriving hub of car production under such names as the Rover Group, British Aerospace, and BMW, until 23 September 2016, when MG announced the cessation of all work onsite.
Despite Longbridge’s closure, the Birmingham region, as well as the city itself, still has a strong connection to the motoring and car production industry. In fact, the University of Birmingham have reported that the West Midlands is the UK’s leading region for global car exports, comprising around 40% of the country’s total.
Given this motoring heritage, it made sense for the organisers and choreographers of the Game’s Opening Ceremony to focus on the city’s stellar reputation for car industry and production.
The cars of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony 2022
Staged almost ten years to the day after the critically acclaimed Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games had big shoes to fill. Thankfully, the team of choreographers and creatives who masterminded the Ceremony weren’t phased by this legacy, with Artistic Director Iqbal Khan working alongside Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight to stage a show to remember. Around 2,000 people got together to choreograph, rehearse, and execute a Ceremony designed with one thing in mind – the celebration of all things Birmingham.
Competitors and audience members alike were able to enjoy a convoy of classic cars including Jaguars, MG Rovers, and Land Rovers. The entrance of these vehicles was carefully choreographed, with a cohort of seventy two red, white, and blue makes and models arriving according in deliberate sequence, so as to form a visual of the Union Jack flag when viewed from above.
Rehearsal and coordination of the scene lay at the feet of three-time British Autotest Champion and professional stunt driver Paul Swift. He’s the son of stunt driver Russ Swift and began his driving career by performing stunts aged seven on his family’s ride-on lawnmower. Swift worked with the team of twelve stunt drivers alongside sixty volunteers who drove their own vehicles so as to execute a tightly honed display that made up a memorable scene of the Opening Ceremony.
A royal addition to the cars on show
The classics in the show weren’t the only notable vehicles. As the cars aligned themselves, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales, there to represent an absent Queen, drove into the station in a classic Aston Martin from the Duke’s private collection.
The navy blue convertible Aston Martin – which we can identify as a 1970 DB6 Volante Convertible – has made a previous public appearance. It was driven by Prince William when he married Kate Middleton in 2011, and Prince Charles has been known to quip that the car runs on a by-product of wine and cheese (we can neither confirm nor deny whether this is true!) Regardless, the Aston certainly stunned fans and brought a James Bond-like glamour and sophistication to the Ceremony.
Storytelling and spectacle
The show took place over around two and a half hours and combined the talents of many Birmingham-based creatives. Comedian Joe Lycett appeared and welcomed the athletes, with Sir Lenny Henry introducing the athletes’ parade, which was kicked off by the Australian team.
The city’s industrial heritage was given a nod via the appearance of female chain-makers, who dragged on a giant, raging bull designed to represent the Industrial Revolution. Meanwhile, the Red Arrows gave a stellar show overhead, and the 400-strong Team England walked out in style to the band Queen’s We Will Rock You, before Duran Duran closed the show with support from some spectacular fireworks.
Storytelling also took centre stage, with the aim of imparting the history of Birmingham. A central video played visuals of a falling star, whilst a community group known as Stella and the Dreamers hustled around the stage, collecting pieces of this fallen star. The burning of the Library of Birmingham in 1879 – which resulted in the destruction of some of Shakespeare’s works, as well as the original building – was depicted via impressive set design and visual graphics, and followed with a steampunk performance to reflect the city’s role in the Industrial Revolution.
Other inspiring moments included the appearance of Malala Yousafzai, the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate, who took to the stage in order to express her experience of the city of Birmingham. It was to the Queen Elizabeth hospital that Malala was taken in 2012 after having been shot in the head in Pakistan. The power and importance of her speech was only rivalled by Olympian Tom Daley, who used his appearance in the Queen’s Baton Relay in order to highlight LGBTQ+ rights.
All in all, the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games made for a memorable evening of storytelling and spectacle, made all the better for the inclusion of the city’s motoring heritage and industry.
