Only one out of 20 members of the Board of Directors and Executive Management for the 2022 Commonwealth Games was not white, despite Birmingham being one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United Kingdom. 

In response, CGF President Dame Louise Martin resigned from her role on the Board and nominated Sandra Osborne as her replacement. 

Osborne is CGF legal advisor and President of the Barbados Commonwealth Games Association and Olympic Association.

Grevenberg praised Dame Louise for her actions and suggested to insidethegames that Host City Contracts would be changed to prevent a repeat of the situation. 

"I have had the privilege of serving under her leadership for several years, and I think it is just representative of her," he said.

"Osborne is going to be a tremendous voice and perspective, and will strengthen the Board of Birmingham 2022.

"I think what this has done is given us the opportunity to look at how we draft our Host City Contracts, and as we move forward, ensure that there is more prescriptive language about diversity and inclusion.  

"This is not just a sign of the times, it is a necessary evolution." 

Grevenberg also claimed diversity and inclusion was a key component of the Commonwealth Games.

"Ultimately, the Games can be a force for freedom, fairness, equality and justice if you allow it to be," he said.

"Whether that is reparative justice, whether that is reconciliatory truth and reconciliatory programmes.

"All of that is part of our ethos and has been for the past several Games."

Criticism of Birmingham 2022 included an open letter, signed by 51 prominent figures from across the city.

Birmingham 2022 chief executive Ian Reid acknowledged the criticism was justified.

"The background to this is just simply that our Boards are made up of nominations from a huge number of organisations, and when it has come together it has not been reflective of the region," he said. 

"It has been rightly highlighted, and we did not defend it, instead we put our hands up and said it needs to change."

Reid also emphasised the need to ensure changes were not just made at governance level.

"The more important thing is, how do the Games, and everything they do, whether that is volunteer programmes, ceremony cast and general engagement of businesses, reflect the region," he said. 

"How do we make sure it is not just a governance issue?

"We have a paper going to the Board for the August meeting, to talk about that whole range of our engagement and diversity plans to make sure that, rightly so, we become fully reflective of this region.

"It has been highlighted that some of the governance across sports organisation is not where it needs to be, so we are trying to position this now as putting our hands up and saying, we are not where we want to be, but actually we can change at pace. 

"Perhaps that will help the wider sports movement as well, across the UK."

Grevemberg and Reid discussed the issue here at an event marking the two years to go until the Games. 

Birmingham 2022 unveiled the location for the 3x3 basketball and beach volleyball venues as part of the celebrations.

Smithfield, previously the site of Birmingham's wholesale markets, has been chosen to stage the two sports, with temporary courts set up to demonstrate the venue.