July 27th 2012 was the start of the summer Olympic Games in London and I was lucky enough to experience four days of fantastic sport:
• Boxing
• Show jumping
• Beach volleyball
• Waterpolo
• Hockey
When I heard the commonwealth games were coming to Birmingham in 2022 I knew I had to get tickets, wanting to experience different sports that I hadn’t seen before and being inspired by what I witnessed back in 2012.
A ticket application was submitted and a few £100s later we had tickets starting at the Sandwell aquatics centre for swimming. I had never experienced watching swimming in person at a major event and didn’t know what to expect.
First, we used the Park&Ride from The Hawthorns and I highly recommend this with it only being a short bus drive away from the venue. We jumped straight on the bus and were at the venue within 15 minutes. The security at all the events is high and airport like, so be prepared to remove your items and belt etc. All the events we attended were very well organised when it came to security and we only had a short wait each time. However, I would recommend arriving at least an hour before the start. This gives you time to pass security and explore the venue with food, drink and merchandise stalls including activities for both adults and children. The only issue with the aquatics centre is the limited number of toilets, so be prepared for a queue. Inside, the venue was great with air con being pumped in to stop it becoming too hot for both the athletes and spectators. The atmosphere was great and only grew as the evening went on. Overall, a very enjoyable experience
Next up Boxing 🥊 at the NEC. This time we got the train, if you have tickets for an event you get free public transport for the whole day so definitely worth using depending on where you are coming from.
The NEC was easily accessible by train, but be warned you have to walk the whole way around the NEC arena for the boxing!! We went through security within seconds and found loads of food vendors, including weatherspoons (Save yourself some money). Another tip is to use the londis before entering the event, as you can take these items into the event, saving you money.
The boxing itself was amazing and we saw some good bouts. It was just a shame that the venue was only half full!
Did someone say judo?? This was being held at the Coventry arena. It can be accessed by train, but due to where we were staying, we drove. Once again, pre-paying for parking costing £15. Treble the amount we paid for swimming, but it was very convenient with a short walk to the venue. Loads of food and drink outside the venue this can be accessed at any time during the event. The event itself was amazing, watching medal events and seeing home nations winning 🏅
Our final event ………. Athletics. The venue is based around Perry Park with the train station a 30 minute walk away. There are shuttle buses directly to the centre of Birmingham including park and ride options available. We decided to use Uber, which worked well and dropped us off around a 5 minute walk to the stadium. The venue has everything you would expect plus more. It was simply amazing. Top tip get a taxi or use the park and ride. These seemed to be the best option for getting away from the stadium in good time.
As expected an amazing trip away! Paris 2024 anyone?!
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