MPs DEMAND ANSWERS AS INDIA MUSCLE IN ON BIRMINGHAM’S GAMES

ORGANISERS of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham are set to face a grilling from MPs after it was confirmed that the archery and shooting will be held in India. The sports will take place in Chandigarh in January 2022 — six months before the main event. The farcical move was proposed after India threatened to boycott the Games as shooting and archery were originally left off the schedule. It recently emerged that the cost of building the Athletes’ Village in Perry Bar was going to come in way over its £493million budget, with the bill of moving a bus depot rising from £2m to £15.5m. Sportsmail understands the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee could hold a hearing with organisers before the end of the summer. The committee’s new chair is Julian Knight, whose Solihull constituency is 20 miles from the Alexander Stadium, the Games’ main venue. Sources have told Sportsmail that he is keen to check on the progress of plans. While India’s events will be separately organised and funded, there has been criticism of how the move affects the legitimacy of the Games. But Birmingham 2022 chief executive Ian Reid said: ‘There is a long tradition of Commonwealth championships being held across the globe, featuring several sports, so it’s great that India will be continuing this tradition.’