Ozzy Osbourne wraps up the Commonwealth Games in style with an eclectic closing ceremony

The 2022 Commonwealth Games officially ended with a spectacular Closing Ceremony at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.

It was the largest competition in history with more than 5,000 athletes from 72 countries participating in 20 different sports.

Birmingham is only the third British host of the Commonwealth Games, having fallen behind as a replacement for original hosts Durban after the South African city was forced to withdraw due to financial problems.

dramatic and musical ending

According to the creative duo of Amber Rimmel and Bronski, also known as Tawbox, Monday night’s ceremony was designed to celebrate the people, culture and sounds of Birmingham through musical performances and choreography.

They add:

“Set in post-war Birmingham in the 1950s, the series consists of the true stories of real people who made the city Britain’s thriving post-industrial hub.”

The dramatic spectacle, which has drawn many comparisons to London’s 2012 opening ceremony, is accompanied by some of the best musical exports from Birmingham and the Midlands, from Dexys Midnight Runners to UB40, a nod to Peaky Blinders.

The Earl of Wessex paid tribute to Birmingham for displaying “the spirit and values ​​of the Commonwealth” and a special guest appearance at Alexander Stadium was teased throughout the evening and did not disappoint.

Amid an explosion of fireworks and pyrotechnics, the Dark Prince of Birmingham, Ozzy Osbourne, emerges from the smoke, before closing the Commonwealth Games with the cry of “Birmingham forever!”.

Now that the game is over metropolitan sports A look back at the winners, losers and biggest stories from the last 12 days…

How did indigenous peoples develop?

Unlike the Olympics, each of Britain’s four nations will compete separately at the Commonwealth Games, leaving Birmingham with mixed feelings.

England won a record 176 medals (57 gold, 66 silver and 53 bronze), but not enough to beat Australia in the medal standings, just short of the 58 gold set in Glasgow. 2014.

The Aquatic Center was where 17-year-old Andrea Spendrini Sirix, the daughter of TV star Fred Sirix, won many of those diving medals, winning two golds and one bronze.

Gymnastics was also a huge success, as both the men’s and women’s teams won the all-around event, with Jake Jarman winning a total of four gold medals.

Notable stars such as heptathlon player Catalina Johnson-Thompson and cyclist Laura Kenny won gold medals, and the women’s field hockey team won for the first time.

Scotland fell short of Glasgow’s medal record eight years ago, but still have the second most success with 13 gold, 11 silver and 27 bronze medals.

Unsurprisingly, track and field stars Laura Muir and Eilish McColgan won medals (four to be exact), including gold in the 1,500m and 10,000m.

Boxing proved to be his most successful sport, with Sam Hickey, Sean Lazelin and Reese Lynch winning their respective divisions in a matter of hours.

Of particular note is George Miller, 75. He won the B2/B3 mixed doubles at Lawn Bowls, becoming the oldest medalist in Commonwealth history.

Wales were unable to replicate their performance on the Gold Coast in 2018, but still managed to collect 8 gold, 6 silver and 14 bronze medals.

They were particularly strong in the Para events, where James Ball won gold and silver in the bike tandem.

Athletics stars Olivia Breen and Aled Davis and table tennis ace Joshua Stacy were among the gold medalists, while former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas (time trial) disappointed me because I could only manage a bronze medal. The latest Heroes of Wales Commonwealth game.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland endured the most successful Commonwealth Games to date, winning 7 gold, 7 silver and 4 bronze medals, setting a record for the most gold and medals won at the Games.

Five of those gold medals are thanks to boxers Jude Gallagher, Amy Sarah Broadhurst, Dylan James Eagleson, and brothers Aidan Walsh and Michaela Walsh.

Swimmer Bethany Firth and Lorne Bowles’ men’s quad team won two more gold medals in a competition the country will never forget.

Where did the rest of the medals go?

Australia topped the medal table for the eighth time in their last nine games, while England topped the table with 67 gold, 57 silver and 54 bronze.

This will set the Wallabies up for the next Commonwealth Games in Victoria in 2026, the first time the games will not be held in a city.

Canada, India and New Zealand are also in the top five in the medal table, while Nigeria and South Africa round out the rest of the top 10 along with other host nations.

Meanwhile, Guernsey won its first medal in 28 years thanks to Lucy Beer’s silver in the Lawn Bowls. The Channel Islands also won their first athletics medal as Alastair Chalmers took bronze in the 400m hurdles.

Was there any controversy?

This is a global sporting event, so there was certainly some controversy, but maybe not as much as it used to be.

Track cycling first broke down in tears after British pairing Sophie Wynn and Georgia Holt finished third in the tandem sprint, but were denied bronze and a podium finish after the race. Medal events and false alarms.

Just two days later, on the final lap of Scratch Race Qualifying, England’s Matt Walls had a terrifying crash that sent him over a barrier into the crowd, forcing the day’s race to be cancelled.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the incident, but the crash raised safety concerns for the sport, with cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy recommending that the future venue for the velodrome be fitted with a plexiglass screen.

Australia may have won the 2022 tournament, but its gold medal first place jumped after it was revealed that a member of the winning cricket team had tested positive for covid-19 hours before the final.

Star all-rounder Talia McGrath has tested positive for COVID-19 but continued in the gold medal match against India, confusing rival teams and calling McGrath’s right to play “shameless”. Many of the critics who called were outraged. and “breach of duty by the authorities”.

Finally, the England women’s 4x400m relay team was heartbroken when they were disqualified and stripped of their gold medals after winning in the most dramatic fashion.

They were initially trailing Canada’s win by a thousandth of a second, much to the delight of the home crowd, but as they celebrated, officials reviewed their first pass and noticed that Jody Williams had moved into another lane.

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