The Drone Racing events at The World Games 2022 will be held in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, USA, at the newly-built Protective Stadium. The venue will also host the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the multi-sport event.

There are numerous positive implications about this choice of venue for drone racing, and the news has been well-received by the drone racing community and the FAI Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM).

Located in the heart of the city, the stadium can be easily reached by spectators using public transport and is therefore accessible to a younger audience. The interior infrastructure of the stadium itself is well adapted to drone racing. The spectators’ zone allows optimum visibility and the available big screens can be used by the scoring system or the video system.

Scheduling of events at the Protective Stadium is also permitted in the evening, which makes for a thrilling spectacle for drone racing audiences, as the drone lights fly around the track in the darkness. Importantly, there are no other sports using the Protective Stadium and so the program for drone racing can be optimised to allow as many spectators as possible to watch the racing.

Aside from the actual drone racing events, there will be free entertainment for visitors very close to the stadium which will add to the exciting atmosphere of the games.

Tad Snider, Executive Director and CEO of the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority, which owns and operates Protective Stadium, commented:

"Drone racing is an incredible competition that will light up the night, and we look forward to hosting it at Protective Stadium, Alabama's newest state-of-the-art, multi-use facility. The stadium also sits adjacent to City Walk Bham, the site of The World Games Plaza, where there will be many free entertainment options for spectators and competitors to enjoy.”

 

Around 500,000 visitors are expected to visit events at TWG2022. The World Games Opening Ceremony will take place on 7 July 2022 and is expected to be a dynamic and colourful celebration of the sports represented, with live entertainment, special effects and an athletes parade representing over 100 countries. On July 17 the Protective Stadium will host the official Closing Ceremony which will include the ceremonial passing of The World Games flag to representatives from Chengdu, China, the next host city of The World Games in 2025.

Construction began on the 47,100-capacity stadium in 2020, the new home of UAB Blazers football team who played their first match in the newly-opened stadium in October 2021.

• TWG 2022 schedule and ticket options
• TWG 2022 FAI mini-site