The organizing committee for The World Games 2022 Birmingham on Tuesday announced the next three competition venues for The Games: Oak Mountain State Park, Barber Motorsports Park and John Carroll Catholic High School.
Signage has already been installed at all three venues, per a press release.
The World Games 2022 is a multi-sport event that will take place in the Magic City from July 7- 17, 2022. An anticipated 3,600 athletes from over 100 countries will participate in more than 30 different sports throughout The Games.
Through this extraordinary Olympic-style sports experience, elite athletes from all over the globe will compete for gold in multi-disciplinary competitions. However, the big winner is set to be Alabama.
With fans traveling from worldwide destinations to Birmingham and experiencing venues around the greater metropolitan area, The World Games 2022 will generate an estimated $256 million in economic impact.
“The excitement about the competition at these venues grows as we unveil each one,” The World Games 2022 CEO Nick Sellers stated. “We’ve announced 11 venues to date and have six to go. All of these venues are world-class and we look forward to seeing fans from all over the world witness history as athletes compete for gold in July of 2022.”
Oak Mountain State Park will play host to several water-based competitions, including Waterski/Wakeboard, Canoe Marathon and Middle Distance Orienteering.
Since it was established by the Alabama State Lands Act of 1927, Oak Mountain State Park has grown to 9,940 acres making it the Yellowhammer State’s largest state park.
“We are honored that Oak Mountain State Park will play a role in The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, and we are tremendously excited about hosting orienteering, canoe marathon, waterskiing and wakeboarding events at the park,” said park superintendent Kelly Ezell. “It’s going to be a truly exciting time for the competitors, the spectators and our park. We believe Oak Mountain is one of Alabama’s treasures, and we can’t wait for people from all over the globe to see amazing athletes compete in one of our state’s most scenic places during The World Games.”
At Barber Motorsports Park, fans will be able to watch Drone Racing and Canopy Piloting.
The Barber Motorsports Park is an 880-acre, multi-purpose racing facility located on the eastern fringes of Birmingham. It was built by George Barber and includes the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum, which has been named the “World’s Largest Motorcycle Museum” by the Guinness World Records. The motorsports park, which opened in 2003, has a 17-turn, 2.38-mile (3.83 km) road course, designed by Alan Wilson, viewable from several naturally wooded or grass-covered banks.
“We at Barber Motorsports Park are excited to be part of The World Games 2022,” commented owner and founder George Barber. “The Greater Birmingham Area will be center stage for the world in the coverage of all the events associated with The World Games. This includes the events held at Barber Motorsports Park. The Park and Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum are honored to part of this historic event.”
Flying Disc will take place on John Carroll’s campus.
“John Carroll Catholic High School is proud to be a partner of The World Games 2022 and we look forward to welcoming many of the athletes, and their fans, to our beautiful campus next summer,” remarked John Carroll principal Anthony Montalto. “The opportunity to be a part of an endeavor that includes other first- class businesses and community leaders in our city is a privilege. We want to thank The World Games officials for their diligent work on behalf of the city of Birmingham, and we offer our support in making this event the most successful one in The World Games history.”
Previously announced The World Games 2022 venues include Legion Field, Birmingham CrossPlex, Boutwell Auditorium, Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham-Southern College and Avondale Park. The under-construction Protective Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
