The New Zealand team have officially arrived in Birmingham. Photo / AP
The New Zealand team have officially arrived in Birmingham. Photo / AP
The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham have begun.
Everything you need to know about the Commonwealth Games:
So it's Comm Games time?
It sure is. Those four years went fast. The 22nd Commonwealth Games heads back to the UK and it's Birmingham's time to host. The United Kingdom's second-largest city, famous for *checks Wikipedia* ... Dexys Midnight Runners, will welcome 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories for 11 days from July 29 to August 9.
The opening ceremony (which starts 7am Friday, NZT), the closing ceremony and the athletics will take place at Alexander Stadium which has been a regular host of the UK Diamond League event. It will have a capacity of 32,000 for the Commonwealth Games.
The cricket will take place at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, where Brian Lara scored his famous 501 for Warwickshire, while the gymnastics, basketball, beach volleyball, triathlon, hockey, squad and marathon will all be in Birmingham city.
Other sports will be in the West Midlands Region with the rugby sevens hosted in Coventry, the lawn bowls at Leamington Spa, aquatics at Sandwell, netball in Solihull and the cycling in Warwick (road race) and Wolverhampton (time trials). While the track cycling will be in London.
A general view of the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Photo / Getty
How can I listen?
As well as the NZ Herald's extensive digital and print coverage, listen to live wall-to-wall commentary on Gold Sport from 7pm each night with commentators Jason Pine, Elliott Smith, Malcolm Jordan, Andrew Alderson and Nick Bewley, plus regular updates on Newstalk ZB.
Sky TV will have Commonwealth Games coverage across six channels. The Sky Sport Now streaming service is also offering a dedicated Commonwealth Games pass for $24.99. Free-to-air coverage including daily highlights shows will be on Prime TV.
What does the schedule look like?
The Herald will be publishing a daily schedule. For a full list of New Zealand athletes, teams and results click here.
The official Birmingham 2022 website is the place to go for a full rundown of what events are taking place when. Click here to check it out.
I want to know everything about the New Zealand team
The New Zealand team includes 233 athletes, from 19 sports and two para-sports. 125 (54 percent) of the athletes are female and 108 male (46 percent).
The team members come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, including athletes with Samoan, Tongan, Cook Islands, Fijian, Filipino, Chinese, Australian, European and African heritage. Māori athletes make up 20 percent of the team (46 athletes).
New Zealand's youngest athlete heading to Birmingham is 16-year-old diver Maggie Squire who is in year 12 at Auckland's Takapuna Grammar School.
At 75-years-old, B2-B3 lawn bowler Sue Curran will become New Zealand's oldest ever Commonwealth Games athlete.
Auckland has produced the largest number of the Commonwealth Games athletes with 57 of the team hailing from the region. Canterbury comes in second with 32 athletes, the Waikato third with 29 and Bay of Plenty fourth with 17 athletes.
140 of the athletes will be attending their first Commonwealth Games, while the other 93 have already competed at one or more Games. Misha Koudinov (Gymnastics) and Val Smith (Lawn Bowls) are the most capped athletes, heading to their fifth Commonwealth Games.
New Zealand took home 46 medals from the Gold Coast in 2018, 15 of those gold, and will be hoping for around the same. Dame Sophie Pascoe returns to the pool where she will be competing in just one event. Joelle King, who won two gold and a bronze in 2018, is back as are fellow gold medallists Tom Walsh (shot put), David Liti (weightlifting), Julia Ratcliffe (hammer throw), Sam Gaze (mountain biking) while the women's hockey team and the men's and women's sevens teams are out to defend their titles.
There is also plenty of medal contenders in the likes of young stars Hayden Wilde (triathlon), Lewis Clareburt (400 IM), Erika Fairweather (400m freestyle), Sam Tanner (1500m athletics), Zoe Hobbs (100m athletics), Niamh Fisher-Black (cycling) and the 3x3 basketball teams.
Is there a mascot?
Come on! How can you ask that question? Of course, there is.
Meet Perry, a multi-coloured bull. Despite being a look-a-like of Elmer the Elephant he seems a good sort. According to the official website Perry "is a proper Brummie: strong, kind and a little bit cheeky, and he can't wait to get the party started".
He also "loves sport" which was probably high on his CV. Here's some colour-in sheets.
Perry loves sport. Photo / Birmingham2022
Perry smashes one back down the ground. Photo / Birmingham2022
What temperatures can we expect in Birmingham?
Despite the recent heatwave in the UK, temperatures for the first few days will be around 22-23 degrees with some rain expected, according to the Met Office. It won't be an issue for the track cyclists however who race indoors, and are competing in London.
New sports
Basketball 3x3 and women's T20 cricket are making debuts. Cricket was last played at the 1998 Games - 50 over matches for men only. Meanwhile, 19 shooting events have been given the bullet from the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Aquatics diving, aquatics swimming and para swimming, athletics and para athletics, badminton, basketball 3x3, beach volleyball, boxing, cricket - Twenty20, cycling - mountain biking, cycling - road race, cycling - time trial, cycling - track and para track, gymnastics artistic, gymnastics rhythmic, hockey, judo, lawn bowls and para lawn bowls, netball, para power lifting, rugby sevens, squash, table tennis and para table tennis, triathlon and para triathlon, wheelchair basketball 3x3, weightlifting, wrestling.
Full list of New Zealand team - From Andrews to Zeimann
Sydnee Andrews - Judo Kody Andrews - Judo Ellesse Andrews - Cycling - Track Shane Archbold - Cycling - Road Imogen Ayris - Athletics Suzie Bates - Cricket Jack Bauer - Cycling - Road George Beamish - Athletics Connor Bell - Athletics Lynda Bennett - Lawn Bowls Patrick Bevin - Cycling - Road Jayden Bezzant - 3x3 basketball Portia Bing - Athletics Michaela Blyde - Rugby sevens Bryony Botha - Cycling - Track Nicole Bradley - Athletics Kelly Brazier - Rugby sevens Gerald Brouwers - Lawn Bowls Nathan Brown - Diving Lauren Bruce - Athletics Tayla Bruce - Lawn Bowls David Brydon - Hockey Eden Carson - Cricket Leroy Carter - Rugby sevens Lwamba Chileshe - Squash Temwa Chileshe - Squash Paris Chin - Gymnastics - Rhythmic Qona Christie - Judo Henrietta Christie - Cycling - Road Lewis Clareburt - Swimming Che Clark - Rugby sevens Tiarna Clarke - 3x3 basketball Paul Coll - Squash Dylan Collier - Rugby sevens Elliott Connolly - Judo Anton Cooper - Cycling - Mountain Bike Kaitlin Cotter - Hockey Anna Crowley - Hockey Sue Curran - Lawn Bowls Scott Curry - Rugby sevens Sam Dakin - Cycling - Track Tarryn Davey - Hockey Frances Davies - Hockey Mikali Dawson - Diving Sophie Devine - Cricket Ethan Dick - Gymnastics - Artistic Sam Dick - Gymnastics - Artistic Stephanie Dickins - Hockey Sam Dickson - Rugby sevens Katie Doar - Hockey Michaela Drummond - Cycling - Track George Enersen - Hockey Erika Fairweather - Swimming Sean Findlay - Hockey Theresa Fitzpatrick - Rugby sevens Niamh Fisher-Black - Cycling - Road Stacey Fluhler - Rugby sevens Tayla Ford - Wrestling - Freestyle Ella Fotu - 3x3 basketball Ali Forsyth - Lawn Bowls William Fu-Allen - Gymnastics - Artistic Brad Fuller - Beach Volleyball Sarah Hirini - Rugby sevens Jazmin Hotham - Rugby sevens Shiray Kaka - Rugby sevens Mike Galloway - Lawn Bowls Troy Garton - Boxing Helena Gasson - Swimming Aaron Gate - Cycling - Track Izzy Gaze - Cricket Samuel Gaze - Cycling - Mountain Bike Jacko Gill - Athletics Selina Goddard - Lawn Bowls Tony Grantham - Lawn Bowls Cameron Gray - Swimming Claudia Green - Cricket Maddy Green - Cricket Andrea Hansen - Triathlon Ella Harris - Cycling - Road Brooke Halliday - Cricket Mikayla Harvey - Cycling - Road Aniwaka Haumaha - Cricket Leon Hayward - Hockey Cole Hawkins - Wrestling - Freestyle Jillian Harmon - 3x3 basketball Sam Hiha - Hockey Zoe Hobbs - Athletics Havana Hopman - Gymnastics - Rhythmic Megan Hull - Hockey Katelyn Inch - Lawn Bowls Hugo Inglis - Hockey George Jackson - Cycling - Track Alia Jaques - Hockey Andrew Jeffcoat - Swimming Hayley Jensen - Cricket Fran Jonas - Cricket Tessa Jopp - Hockey Andrew Kelly - Lawn Bowls Dominique Kelman-Poto - 3x3 basketball Jordan Kerby - Cycling - Track Amelia Kerr - Cricket Nick Kergozou De La Boessiere - Cycling - Track Hamish Kerr - Athletics Joelle King - Squash Olivia King - Cycling - Track Bradly Knipe - Cycling - Track Moira Koster - Judo Jason Koster - Judo Misha Koudinov - Gymnastics - Artistic Amanda Landers-Murphy - Squash Sam Lane - Hockey Arno Lee - Diving Tyler Lench - Hockey Moses Leo - Rugby sevens Dane Lett - Hockey Oliver Leydon-Davis - Badminton David Liti - Weightlifting Alex Lukin - Hockey Onyx Lye - Boxing Hayley Mackey - Judo Rosemary Mair - Cricket Olivia Merry - Hockey Uila Mau'u - Boxing Dylan McCullough - Triathlon Nikau McCullough - 3x3 basketball Shannon McIlroy - Lawn Bowls Emma McIntyre - Weightlifting Jess McFadyen - Cricket Ngarohi McGarvey-Black - Rugby sevens Cam McTaggart - Weightlifting Olivia McTaggart - Athletics Michelle Montague - Wrestling - Freestyle Harry Miskimmin - Hockey Sione Molia - Rugby sevens Joe Morrison - Hockey Alex Mukuka - Boxing Tyla Nathan-Wong - Rugby sevens Tupou Neiufi - Swimming Ariane Nicholson - Boxing Tone Ng Shiu - Rugby sevens Mark Noble - Lawn Bowls Jorden O'Connell-Inns - Gymnastics - Artistic Sam O'Dea - Beach Volleyball Keeley O'Hagan - Athletics Grace O'Hanlon - Hockey Ben Oliver - Cycling - Mountain Bike Hazel Vanessa Ouwehand - Swimming Matthew Oxenham - Wrestling - Freestyle Anona Pak - Badminton Abbie Palmer - Squash Georgia Plimmer - Cricket Hayden Phillips - Hockey Risi Pouri-Lane - Rugby sevens Kalani Purcell - 3x3 basketball Dame Sophie Pascoe - Swimming Tori Peeters - Athletics Rebecca Petch - Cycling - Track Shaunna Polley - Beach Volleyball Hope Ralph - Hockey Mya Rasmussen - Swimming Julia Ratcliffe - Athletics Tayler Reid - Triathlon Quentin Rew - Athletics Jesse Reynolds - Swimming Brahm Richards - Wrestling - Freestyle Emile Richardson - Boxing Brooke Roberts - Hockey Akuila Rokolisoa - Rugby sevens Hannah Rowe - Cricket Kane Russell - Hockey Alena Saili - Rugby sevens Aidan Sarikaya - Hockey Callum Saunders - Cycling - Track Tom Sexton - Cycling - Track Olivia Shannon - Hockey Emily Shearman - Cycling - Track Megan Signal - Weightlifting Suraj Singh - Wrestling - Freestyle Luke Sipkes - Diving Graham Skellern - Lawn Bowls Dion Smith - Cycling - Road Jacob Smith - Hockey Val Smith - Lawn Bowls Maggie Squire - Diving Wendell Stanley - Boxing Campbell Stewart - Cycling - Track Liam Stone - Diving Corbin Strong - Cycling - Track Lea Tahuhu - Cricket Caleb Tangitau - Rugby sevens Samuel Tanner - Athletics Blair Tarrant - Hockey Junior Tasi - Weightlifting Frazer Tavener - Diving Dylan Thomas - Hockey Eve Thomas - Swimming Ainsley Thorpe - Triathlon Nicole Toomey - Lawn Bowls Rose Tynan - Hockey Nicole van der Kaay - Triathlon Vester Villalon - Weightlifting Pam Walker - Lawn Bowls Tom Walsh - Athletics Erin Walsh - Boxing Regan Ware - Rugby sevens Kaitlyn Watts - Squash Joe Webber - Rugby sevens Sam Webster - Cycling - Track Maddi Wesche - Athletics Hayley Whiting - Weightlifting Hayden Wilde - Triathlon Georgia Williams - Cycling - Road Niall Williams - Rugby sevens Tenika Willison - Rugby sevens Joshua Willmer - Swimming Ally Wollaston - Cycling - Track Portia Woodman - Rugby sevens Nic Woods - Hockey Tai Wynyard - 3x3 basketball Simon Yorston - Hockey Alice Zeimann - Beach Volleyball