Tens of thousands of athletes, coaches, spectators and officials are coming to Birmingham, and many will be staying at the international athletes’ village at the University of Alabama at Birmingham during next month’s 2022 World Games. But UAB officials are pledging to keep the university campus and the hospital fully functioning as normal during the whirlwind event.

“We’ve worked really hard with the Organizing Committee to keep business as usual as much as possible for the campus,” said Brian Burnett, UAB’s Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration, and a member of the 2022 World Games Board of Directors.”

Burnett is UAB’s representative on the World Games Board and is overseeing the campus’ preparations for the the Games.

“We have hospital operations and clinical operations that run seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” Burnettt said. “Part of our work has been to make sure that we don’t interrupt those things that we need to continue to do. That includes our research and includes our clinical operations.”

UAB will provide venues for four World Games events – tug of war, lacrosse, squash and racquetball – and will convert six of its student dorms into an athletes’ village to host more than 4,500 athletes, coaches and officials from more than 100 different countries.