Birmingham, Alabama - Birmingham is ready for its moment in the Sun - a hot and humid one in fact. This is the message organizers of The World Games 2022 looked to disseminate during a press conference ahead of the opening ceremony on Thursday.
Jonathan Porter, Chairman of the Birmingham Organizing Committee (BOC), told those gathered, “Birmingham won the bid in 2015. Here we are seven years later. We believe that we are ready, we are prepared, to host this event.”
Porter spoke excitedly about the opening ceremony, promising a full stadium, adding, “the experience is going to be amazing.”
“We believe that the show, and the artists, and all of the talent that we have, will really showcase the excitement that exists here in Birmingham and the state of Alabama.”
He also quipped about the warm weather athletes will face in Birmingham, joking, “this will probably be a once in a lifetime experience for them to feel the heat of Alabama in mid-July.”
International World Games Association (IWGA) President José Perurena was similarly witty about the weather. He remarked, “when the hot is very, very hot…raining a little is not a problem in my opinion. It’s good.”
He also spoke on what he believed The World Games meant to athletes scheduled to compete in the coming days.
“When we start after the last [World] Games in Poland, millions and millions of athletes around the world [were] preparing for these Games. They only have one dream, to qualify to participate in Birmingham,” said Perurena.
“The athletes really awaited this dream, and now we have around 4,000 athletes here in Birmingham representing 106 countries.”
Sophia Olofsson, winner of a gold medal in muay thai at The World Games 2017, added, “when you compete in The World Games, you only compete against champions. It’s much tougher to win than the other championships.”
She looked forward to carrying in the flag of the Swedish delegation during the opening ceremony later in the evening.
One man who likely matched her eagerness for the opening ceremony was Nick Sellers, CEO of The World Games 2022. He offered reporters an analogy about the state of preparations for the Games, stating, “like a duck on water, it may seem calm to the world and that’s what we want.”
“It certainly is and the show is going to be beautiful, but there’s a lot of activity under the surface,” admitted Sellers. “The team is working so very hard.”
“Thousands of volunteers, countless individuals in our community are coming together for this very special moment to prepare. There’s countless details that go into presenting a world class event.”
“I’m confident we’re ready. We’re taking care of the final details,” assured Sellers.
“This, we believe, will be the first major international sporting event in the world that has the full fan experience again.”
He spoke on the significance of hosting The World Games in Birmingham, noting, “communities much like individuals are shaped by their experiences.”
“Birmingham is shaped by historical struggles,” he decried. “It was painful, but it was the necessary change for our country.”
“Through that struggle has come the fire that has brought us, I believe, closer together, and the world is going to see this new Birmingham. They’re going to see a city that’s ready to be an international city, ready to welcome the world, and see 3,600 athletes hopefully break some world records and compete for gold.”
American flag arrives in Birmingham
Excitement began to build the evening prior when the American flag, also known as “Old Glory,” finally found its way to Birmingham after a long, winding journey from the U.S. Capital in Washington D.C.
Veterans and supporters had teamed up to carry the flag an estimated 3,100 miles across 15 states in the U.S ahead of The World Games 2022. Their mission was nearly completed on Wednesday when flag bearers delivered the flag to the Birmingham Museum of Art.
Keith Galloway, one of the veterans who helped bring the flag to Birmingham, explained what the flag and relay meant to him. He told Around the Rings, “I had the privilege and honor to serve in the [U.S.] Navy for 20 years, and to wear the flag on my sleeve, which symbolizes a lot for me.”
In terms of what the flag symbolized, Galloway replied, “the sacrifice of the people who have gone before me, being able to serve and work with people for a common goal, and just understand that it was all bigger than me.”
He added, “It meant more than just what I brought to the table, and I grew and learned a lot through that experience, so being able to carry the flag in anything, especially in this relay was powerful. It really meant a lot.”
He also had advice for the athletes when it came to dealing with the intense heat and humidity in Birmingham. “Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate,” said the veteran turned flag bearer.
His physical effort, and the effort of many other veterans, will be rewarded when “Old Glory” is hoisted above Protective Stadium during the opening ceremony.
The World Games 2022 are set to open later this evening at 8:00 P.M. local time.