IT’S been an incredible start for Team GB at the Olympics, with a record number of medals won in the first four days.

Even without spectators, the Olympics are really special and – after the horrible time that so many have had during the Covid pandemic – it is great to see people uniting behind the British team and our remarkable athletes.

The transformation in Britain’s Olympic performances has been phenomenal since National Lottery was introduced. The Lottery was controversial when it was introduced in 1994, but I don’t think even its most optimistic advocates could have predicted the difference it has made to British sport from the grassroots to elite level, as well as for local community and heritage projects.

I remember standing in my primary school in Stourbridge as we waited for the International Olympic Committee to announce whether Birmingham would be chosen to host the 1992 Games.

Birmingham wasn’t successful that year, but 30 years later we can look forward to a major international multi-sports event coming to the West Midlands.

This week marks one year to go until the start of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Many of the world’s greatest stars in sports – ranging from athletics to wrestling – will be coming to our region for the biggest multi-sports event, watched by 1.5billion people around the world.

After a year-and-a-half of Covid restrictions around the world, this will be one of the first global sporting events taking place in front of full crowds.

Black Country sports fans have until Friday to make sure they are first in line to experience the Games happening on their doorstep by applying for the West Midlands priority ballot for tickets. Local people can apply for the ballot at birmingham2022.com/the-games/tickets

As well as the amazing sights of athletes like Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Bradley Wiggins putting in world-beating performances, the London 2012 Olympics are remembered for the remarkable volunteers who made the Games so special.

We need to show the West Midlands can do it even better! To do that, Birmingham 2022 will need 13,000 dedicated and dynamic volunteers to make these the best Commonwealth Games ever.

This is a fantastic opportunity for local people to join the “Commonwealth Collective”, which will be the heart and soul of the Games for athletes, officials and spectators. Apply at birmingham2022.com/volunteering if you would like the chance to create memories to treasure for a lifetime.

300 young people, aged 16 to 30, will also have the chance to perform at a variety of events, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. If you enjoy performing and want to be part of this dance crew, you can find out more at criticalmass2022.org.uk.

The Games coming to Birmingham is expected to bring more than a billion pounds to the West Midlands economy, creating jobs and helping us to rebuild after the pandemic.

To make sure our local employers can take advantage, the Business and Tourism Programme has launched this week to maximise the economic benefits that the Games bring long after the sport has finished.

With a year to go, I can’t wait.