OPENING & CLOSING CEREMONIES
Opening and closing ceremonies at the 2022 The World Games were held at Protective Stadium in Birmingham , Alabama . There were significant logistical accommodations made to meet necessary medical and security standards . The stadium has a capacity of approximately 47,000 seats , but given the stage location , a portion of the stadium was closed to spectators . Athletes , staff , and performers were seated on the field .
Approximately 22,000 spectators attended the opening ceremonies , with some 15,000-18,000 spectators present for the closing ceremonies . Field-level attendance is difficult to quantify , but it is estimated that there were several thousand athletes , staff , and performers at the field level . These events saw multiple high-level dignitaries and prominent individuals attend both as spectators and performers , which added a slightly different dynamic from the usual operations at Protective Stadium .
This venue routinely hosts large football games and concerts , with on-site response and emergency plans provided by Birmingham Fire and EMS , as well as UAB Emergency Medicine physician and nursing personnel . This large municipal fire department also provided many medically trained personnel and on-site command and communications staff . The site incident commander for Birmingham Fire was positioned to be able to see virtually the entire site and dispatch resources , either by seeing directly or , more commonly , via radio communication from “ spotters ” positioned throughout the stadium concourse and near the field level . These spotters would communicate to incident command if there was a need for patient evaluation and transportation to the first aid areas . These spotters would then help guide in responding personnel with either wheelchairs or gas-powered vehicles for transporting patients to one of three first aid station locations .
There were two fixed first aid station locations on the concourse at either end of the stadium , and there was an additional aid station located at the field level to be able to take care of any athlete , performer , or staff member who might need of medical attention during the ceremonies . Additional aid stations were positioned at The World Games Plaza for spectators and athletes during ingress and egress to the stadium .
18 The World Games Playbook : Event and Medical Overview