Mayor of Sandwell, Richard Jones, presented the keys to the event's venue general manager Joanna Rolfe.

"The Sandwell Aquatics Centre is a fantastic facility, and we are delighted that it is part of our venue portfolio for the Commonwealth Games," said Rolfe.

"Tickets for the aquatics events have been hugely popular and so we are expecting full crowds in this venue which means the swimmers, para swimmers and divers will experience an amazing atmosphere during the competition.

"We would like to thank Sandwell Council and their construction partners for all their hard work and support to ensure that this venue was finished on schedule and we now can’t wait for the Games to begin."

The Sandwell Aquatics Centre is the only brand-new, purpose-built facility for Birmingham 2022.

It will be one of the busiest at the Games with 11 days of swimming, Para-swimming and diving scheduled from Friday 29 July until Monday 8 August.

With more than 60 medal events in total set to be held at the facility, it will be the stage for more medal moments than any other Birmingham 2022 venue.

"This is a day to celebrate Sandwell," said leader of Sandwell Council, Kerrie Carmichael.

"This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our construction partners, who worked diligently throughout the project and a global pandemic to complete this venue on time and on budget.

"The world’s eyes will be on Sandwell so I can’t wait to welcome talented athletes from across the Commonwealth and see what they can achieve in this fantastic new facility.

"The legacy the Games will leave us is not simply this state-of-the-art facility for local residents, but also hopefully the inspiration not just for the next generation of athletes, but perhaps all of us to be more physically active."

The facility will be handed back to the council for public use from 2023 following a 10-month legacy construction phase after the Games are over, to establish more local facilities for residents.