Chris Evans, a British Member of Parliament (MP) and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for boxing, believes the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham are a “great opportunity” for the sport.
Six British boxers earned medals at the Tokyo Olympics, and Evans says it has already had a “transformative” impact on the area where he is an MP.
“The boxers were among Team GB’s (Britain) best performers and caught the public’s imagination as they delivered some of the standout moments of the Games,” Evans wrote.
Writing in the foreword of GB Boxing’s 2020-2021 annual review, Evans said the next Commonwealth Games can have a similar impact.
“The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year will provide valuable exposure and is a fantastic chance to highlight not just the quality of the boxers but also their characters, personalities and backstories.
“It will be a great opportunity to showcase the sport to a large audience, many of whom may not be traditional boxing fans.”
Britain finished second in the boxing medal table in Tokyo, with Lauren Price – who is from South Wales, where Evans is an MP – and Galal Yafai, who is from Birmingham itself, winning the country’s two gold medals in boxing.
“The big challenge now is to capitalise on this momentum in attracting new people into the sport and maintaining the profile of amateur boxing on television, in the news and on social media,” Evans noted.
Birmingham 2022 is scheduled to begin on July 28 and run till August 8. The boxing competition will take place at the NEC Arena.
