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Birmingham prepares giant pin gifts for Commonwealth

The first of the 72 outsize pin badges displayed in the city during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games have been prepared for delivery.

They will be sent in boxes made from wood recycled after use at Games venues around the city. Custom Metal Emblem

Birmingham prepares giant pin gifts for Commonwealth

The badges are made of wood but resemble the metal pins collected at major events.

They are to be given to the Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) or High Commissions of the 72 nations and territories which took part in the Games in what the city has described as "our gift from the people of Birmingham".

Each badge is to be accompanied by a letter of greeting from Birmingham, revealed at a special "thank you" ceremony held at Birmingham City Council House.

"Pin swapping has become a way of bringing people together a powerful embodiment of the unity and togetherness that are essential values of the Commonwealth Games," the letter explained.

"Flags of the Commonwealth nations adorned every venue during the 2022 Games and a celebration of the exchange of pin badges was exhibited in the city of Birmingham in the form of the 'Flag of Nations', a display of oversized badges," the message continued.

It informed each CGA that the cases were 100 per cent recycled material from wood used at various venues during the Games.

The original markings have been left on the casings to emphasise their authenticity.

They were produced by Birmingham Case Makers Limited, a company which had also manufactured the trays used in the victory ceremonies.

To protect the badges, they are also encased in recycled foam lining supplied by Ramfoam in Dudley, with screws from another local firm Forward Fasteners.

"This is truly a box made by local craftspeople especially for you," the message reads.

"As a legacy of this unforgettable event, the proud host city would like to give you your very own Flag of nations badge to display as a proud participant in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

"You are receiving a true piece of Birmingham history", it assured participants.

The giant souvenirs are expected to be despatched to the participating nations in the new year.

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Support insidethegames.biz for as little as £10

For nearly 15 years now, insidethegames.biz has been at the forefront of reporting fearlessly on what happens in the Olympic Movement. As the first website not to be placed behind a paywall, we have made news about the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and other major events more accessible than ever to everybody. 

insidethegames.biz has established a global reputation for the excellence of its reporting and breadth of its coverage. For many of our readers from more than 200 countries and territories around the world the website is a vital part of their daily lives. The ping of our free daily email alert, sent every morning at 6.30am UK time 365 days a year, landing in their inbox, is as a familiar part of their day as their first cup of coffee.

Even during the worst times of the COVID-19 pandemic, insidethegames.biz maintained its high standard of reporting on all the news from around the globe on a daily basis. We were the first publication in the world to signal the threat that the Olympic Movement faced from the coronavirus and have provided unparalleled coverage of the pandemic since. 

As the world begins to emerge from the COVID crisis, insidethegames.biz would like to invite you to help us on our journey by funding our independent journalism. Your vital support would mean we can continue to report so comprehensively on the Olympic Movement and the events that shape it. It would mean we can keep our website open for everyone. Last year, nearly 25 million people read insidethegames.biz, making us by far the biggest source of independent news on what is happening in world sport. 

Every contribution, however big or small, will help maintain and improve our worldwide coverage in the year ahead. Our small and dedicated team were extremely busy last year covering the re-arranged Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, an unprecedented logistical challenge that stretched our tight resources to the limit. 

The remainder of 2022 is not going to be any less busy, or less challenging. We had the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, where we sent a team of four reporters, and coming up are the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Summer World University and Asian Games in China, the World Games in Alabama and multiple World Championships. Plus, of course, there is the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Unlike many others, insidethegames.biz is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe that sport belongs to everybody, and everybody should be able to read information regardless of their financial situation. While others try to benefit financially from information, we are committed to sharing it with as many people as possible. The greater the number of people that can keep up to date with global events, and understand their impact, the more sport will be forced to be transparent.

Birmingham prepares giant pin gifts for Commonwealth

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