Birmingham says goodbye to The World Games 2022 at Closing Ceremony [PHOTOS]

Just like that, The World Games 2022 (TWG 2022) wrapped up on Sunday, July 17. Birmingham’s years of planning and anticipation for the global event ended with a thrilling night of performances and a look to the future of The World Games. Keep reading to see how our city celebrated the end of this amazing competition.

A farewell to Birmingham

Protective Stadium was the place to be on Sunday night. Presented by Coca-Cola Bottling United, the Closing Ceremony gave Birmingham one last opportunity to applaud our city and the amazing athletes for a job well done.

“The Closing Ceremony presented by presented by Coca-Cola Bottling UNITED gives Birmingham one more chance to show the world just how special Alabama is.”

Nick Sellers, CEO, The World Games 2022

The best lineup

Only the best live music and performances. (Bham Now)

The night featured many performances to end The World Games 2022 on a high note. You know it was a must-see because Alabama native Lionel Richie was there. Other performers on the lineup included:

• Alabama
• Allison Sanders
• Blind Boys of Alabama
• Bo Bice
• Jamey Johnson
• Martha Reeves
• Pastor Mike Jr.
• Ruben Studdard
• Taylor Hicks
• Worth the Wait
• Yung Bleu

The crowd was pumped up to see all of these stellar performers and welcomed them on stage by doing the wave around the stadium. Even the athletes joined in—a much-deserved time of celebration for all of their hard work.

Looking forward to the next World Games

We’re already ready for 2025. (Bham Now)

Wondering where the next edition of The World Games will be? Well, get ready to pack your bags or watch online to see the amazing athletes compete in Chengdu, China in 2025. During the Closing Ceremony, the International World Games Association president Joachim Gossow passed TWG flag to representatives from Chengdu. Birmingham and Chengdu celebrated the new road to TWG 2025 with a dance performance and videos to get us pumped up for the new host city.

Do you know how the Vulcan was Birmingham’s mascot for TWG 2022? Well, it’s likely that the giant panda will be Chengdu’s mascot!

The road to The World Games 2022

If you’ve been a Bham Nower for long, you know we’ve been hyped up about TWG 2022 for a while. As we’re saying goodbye to the competition, here are some of our favorite highlights of the road that led us here and from the past couple of weeks.

• The World Games 2021 CEO Nick Sellers on “huge opportunity” for Birmingham
• The World Games 2022 to include a new initiative for disability inclusion
• First Olivia Mannon played lacrosse for Mountain Brook + now is on the Israeli team at The World Games
• These incredible volunteers are sharing Birmingham’s Southern hospitality [PHOTOS]
• Check out scenes from break dancing at The World Games 2022 [PHOTOS & VIDEOS]

What was your favorite part of TWG 2022? Tag us @bhamnow on Instagram + Facebook to let us know!

Reviewed by Sharron Swain.