There’s new frustration from some local World Games vendors. One vendor feels the World Games overpromised and underdelivered to the vendors. She’s now in the hole tens of thousands of dollars.
The World Games leaders believe the perception-altering event has still done more good than bad. Still many on the council say they were left in the dark about how well the games were doing financially.
"Many factors contributed to the disappointing shortage. Due to the latest COVID spike, fewer than expected international travelers attended the games, particularly from China and Europe."
Law enforcement officials who worked behind the scenes to track down human traffickers during the World Games credit community awareness in saving victims’ lives.
The World Games are now over but the cleanup efforts continued on Tuesday. Crews are still working to break down stages and tents both at the World Games Plaza and inside Protective Stadium.
“Major sporting events like this routinely attract transnational criminal organizations and other bad actors involved in illicit criminal activity such as human exploitation crimes, drug trafficking and the sale of counterfeit merchandise.”
Lionel Richie headlined the concert that included The Blind Boys of Alabama, Alabama, Ruben Studdard, Taylor Henry, Bootsy Collins, Bo Bice and others.
The World Games 2022 brought together people from all around the world, some of whom built connections that will last a lifetime. Almost at random, a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy spotted an athlete from his second home of Greece.
It was a sea of maroon and white at the Microsoft Tent. The Alabama A&M Bulldogs were giving people a taste of what it’s like to attend an HBCU, showcasing the University’s technology, talent and culture.
There are only a few days of competition left at The World Games 2022, and tourism leaders are starting to focus on the economic impact of the international competition.
World Games and tourism leaders now looking at the international competition’s economic impact. According to World Games leaders, interest in the games has soared since opening ceremonies, with the latest numbers indicating a huge spike in ticket revenue over the last week.
“The World Games 2022 Plaza Team has recognized and heard the complaints from some of our vendors regarding the placement and promotion of the Merchants Market. Since learning about the concerns regarding the Merchants Market, we moved all Merchants Market vendors closer to the heart of The Plaza. We also added more marketing efforts to support our partners in this area."
Uptick Marketing is a company here in Birmingham that can track social media data and trends and they said the World Games are getting a lot of clicks online, but so is just Birmingham.
The City of Birmingham received complaints after opening ceremonies for The World Games 2022 that more needed to be done for fans with mobility issues.
Before the games started, officials were predicting around a $256 million economic impact in Alabama. City of Birmingham officials said it’s too early to tell exactly how numbers are tracking right now, but that crowd sizes they are seeing make them hopeful.
Birmingham and the World Games welcome a very special guest this evening. The International Olympic President Thomas Bach will be in town taking in the sights and sounds for himself.
For a sumo wrestler from Guntersville, American roots run deep. Andrew Roden’s great-great-great-great grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War. It’s why competing for Team USA is about more than medals.
Eva-Maria Raudsepp, the only Estonian female sumo wrestler at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, as well as the youngest and smallest female sumo at The Games, came to Birmingham without family or friends. As her competition wrapped up Sunday, she began feeling homesick.
We’re now in the second week of the World Games and there’s a lot going on behind the scenes to keep you safe. Hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement officers are all working together.
If you’re planning to ride the line to the World Games this week, listen up! Organizers are changing one of the routes. The update applies to the Yellow Line route and involves some shifts to the pick-up and drop-off locations.
Several business owners say the public’s perception of the World Games road closures is hurting their bottom lines. Now some of those owners are speaking up and stressing they are not only open for business, but they are easy to get to.
Athletes and visitors for the World Games will be jumping from one venue to the next starting this week, and today city and World Games leaders demonstrated one of the bus lines that will connect the city from end to end.
Lt. Joni Money with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department said there will be multiple officers at each event, some are in uniform so you can find them if you need them. But, others are in plain clothes. She said it’s just another added level of safety.
Dozens of small businesses are set up underneath the Merchants Market tent, ready to share their merchandise with the world. Unfortunately, so far they haven’t sold much at all.
The City of Birmingham has announced road closures to begin on Sunday, July 10 through Monday, July 11 for the World Games 2022 Roller-Speed Skating road course.
Canopy Piloting requires athleticism, grace, and a whole lot of guts. This World Games thriller features the top 32 canopy piloting athletes in the world.
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