Everything you need to know about Birmingham 2022

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is just around the corner with 11 days of competition set to get underway from 28 July to 8 August.

It’s the 22nd edition of the Games, and just the seventh since the introduction of squash at Kuala Lumpur 1998, where Australia won six medals including gold in the women’s singles (Michelle Martin) and mixed doubles (Michelle Martin and Craig Rowland).

Since then Australia has gone on to become the most successful squash nation at the Games with 11 gold medals, eight silver and 14 bronze.

Can Australia add more medals to their tally in Birmingham?

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Who’s pulling on the green and gold?

Australia will field an eight-strong team in Birmingham with Rhys Dowling, Jess Turnbull, Alex Haydon, Rachael Grinham, Donna Lobban, Zac Alexander, Ryan Cuskelly and Cameron Pilley hoping to add more medals to the collection.

Lobban and Turnbull have earnt 9-16 seeding for the women’s singles event with six-time Commonwealth Games representative Grinham also set to pull on the green and gold in the women’s singles.

Meanwhile, Dowling, who will make his Commonwealth Games debut, will be the only Australian in the men’s singles competition.

Following the singles competition, 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lobban/Pilley will come together to defend their mixed doubles title with Grinham/Alexander being Australia’s other pairing in the mixed doubles event.

The men’s doubles will see Dowling/Pilley and Alexander/Cuskelly, with Gold Coast 2018 women’s doubles bronze medallist Grinham/Lobban and young guns Haydon/Turnbull representing Australia in the women’s doubles event.

What happened last time?

Australia finished with two gold and bronze at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Once again, the Aussies dominated the doubles events, winning a medal in each of the three events with Alexander/David Palmer and Lobban/Pilley securing gold in the men’s and mixed, respectively. 

Lobban and Grinham also took bronze in the women’s doubles after beating Laura Massaro and Sarah-Jane Perry of England.

Who else will be there?

Birmingham 2022 will boost a stellar lineup including men’s world No.2 Paul Coll, who comes into the tournament off the back of a PSA World Tour Finals in June, finishing runner-up to Egypt’s Mostafa Asal. 

Coll will be looking to go one better in Birmingham after taking silver on the Gold Coast.

He will also partner with women’s world No.5 Joelle King for New Zealand in the mixed doubles where they’ll be looking to improve their bronze medal from four years ago. King has been named as the no.1 seed coming into the women’s singles event, where she will look to defend her Gold Coast 2018 title.

Reigning World Doubles Men’s champions Declan James and James Willstrop of England will reignite their partnership at the Commonwealth Games after finishing with bronze on the Gold Coast. There will be strong contention from Scotland’s Greg Lobban and Rory Stewart, who formed a new partnership ahead of these Games.

India’s Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik, who won the women’s doubles title - the first time an Asian country has won gold at the event - will be one’s to keep an eye on along with England’s Sarah-Jane Perry and Alison Waters, who were runners-up at World Doubles earlier this year.

When does competition start?

The men’s and women’s singles start on Friday 29 July at 9pm AEST with all medal matches scheduled for 3 August.

Dowling will be the first Australian to take to the court, where he will face Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ Jason Doyle. Turnbull, Lobban and Grinham will start their singles campaign in the Round of 32 after receiving byes in the opening round. 

Singles competition will be followed by the doubles, with mixed doubles action beginning on 3 August before men’s and women’s doubles get underway the following day (4 August). 

Doubles medal matches will start on 7 August with mixed before the final day of competition at the Commonwealth Games sees the men’s and women’s doubles bronze and gold medal matches.

The full draw and results can be found here 

Where can we watch it?

Catch all the action from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games LIVE via the 7 Network and 7Plus.