Skip to main content

Birmingham 2022: Kevin Currell reflects on his Commonwealth Games experience

25 August 2022

It’s been two weeks since the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games came to a close, with the event and its host city earning praise for a job well done. Kevin Currell, Director of Performance Support and Science at the English Institute of Sport (EIS), was one of those able to watch the sport in person, and here he reflects on why it was such a special experience for him.

At the start of August, Kevin Currell took the chance to consider his journey within high performance sport, and the role that Birmingham had played in that. Coming back to the University of Birmingham – from where he gained a PhD – was “quite something”, he said.

Reflecting on that return this week, Currell said: “It definitely felt like one of those full circle moments. I knew I would be back on campus because I was going to watch the Squash and Hockey, but it never crossed my mind that I’d end up walking past my old office window.

“It looked like it had been done up since then, but it was 16 years ago! I lived there [Birmingham] for three years while I was doing my PhD, so walking past those old buildings that I would spend time in was brilliant. In fact, where the hockey pitches are was where I did my first study, spending hours with an undergraduate student getting a bunch of student footballers to run around and drink sports drinks.

“[The PhD] set me up for my career really – it’s where I found my interest in Performance Nutrition, which is where I was before I became a director [at the EIS], where I found my real interest in how food and nutrition influences performance.”

As well as Hockey and Squash, Currell also had the opportunity to experience Gymnastics, Netball and Triathlon over the four days he spent at the Games.

Discussing his personal highlights as a spectator, Currell – who is also on the Board of Triathlon England – said: “I went to both days of the Triathlon, and there was a brilliant atmosphere there. I have a long history with the sport, so it was nice to see that.

“The moment I loved the most was probably seeing the Welsh team get a [silver] medal in the relay and particularly Non Stanford come through at the end – just a brilliant way for her to end her career. And really nice to beat the Aussies as well!

“All the way through, I loved seeing the reactions of the people, the fans, and the atmosphere that was created. I saw England play Malawi [in the Netball competition] and the atmosphere was electric, really incredible. The noise and the support that all the athletes, particularly the English athletes, got was pretty special, as it always is when sporting events are here [in the UK].”

And while the EIS level of support was not on the same scale as for an Olympic or Paralympic Games, Currell estimates that 30 to 40 EIS practitioners were involved in some capacity at Birmingham 2022.

He said: “I saw some of our practitioners working, some of the analysts at Hockey for example, and I just tried not to annoy them or get in their way! You always know that whenever an athlete stands on the start line, there’s been a big effort from the sport and the support teams that are there.

“Many of them [support staff] are EIS, so there are some fingerprints [on the Games] there for sure. But ultimately it’s the athletes on the start line and it’s them who do the business.

In terms of what he takes away from the Games experience, Currell said: “We’re really privileged to work in the world that we do, behind the scenes with those athletes that the fans were cheering on, and we get those insights into their day-to-day lives.

“That’s something we should make sure we don’t forget – the athlete is the end point of everything. Everything I do, everything everyone [in the EIS] does – it’s about those athletes on the start line, trying to do their best.”

Related Articles