Ward was instrumental in bringing the Games to the English city, after serving as chairman of the Birmingham 2022 Bid Committee following the decision to strip the event from Durban.

He has been invested in the project but faced the possibility of being removed as Council leader just weeks before the Opening Ceremony.

Not being in charge during Birmingham 2022 would have been a huge blow, but a leadership challenge by Labour colleague Waseem Zaffar threatened to do just that.

Ward, however, hung on, in an extremely narrow ballot which went his way by 33 votes to 31.

He can now look forward to being in position for the Commonwealth Games which will open on July 28, but Birmingham has sporting ambitions for long after the 72 countries and territories have left town.

The goal is to host eight more major sporting events by 2027, and ensure that the Games leave a strong legacy.

A Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Business and Tourism Programme is already up and running, with the aim of capitalising on the event to create a long-term economic and sporting legacy in the West Midlands and the rest of the country, while bolstering trade and tourism links.

"What we would like to do is become a major sporting city and a venue for sporting events over the next 10 years," said Ward, who grew up in Birmingham's Tile Cross area, to insidethegames.

"We want to establish ourselves as a major host city for large sporting events.

"So we've launched our strategy and that's been very well received by other partners in the city.

"It reflects the diversity of the city, the youthfulness of the city, and sets out a portfolio approach to the events we'd like to attract in the future.

"We've got partners around the table as a result of the strategy, who are guiding us on that journey."

The Alexander Stadium, the focal venue of Birmingham 2022, which will host the ceremonies and athletics, has been significantly upgraded into a 30,000-seater venue.

Dave Wagg, the head of sport and physical activity at Birmingham City Council, revealed to insidethegames last month that the city was mulling over a bid to host the 2026 multi-sport European Championships, which would include athletics.

Could the World Athletics Championships also be in the city's crosshairs? 

"We now have the best athletics stadium in the country by some measure," said Ward, who sits on the Birmingham 2022 Board of Directors.

"Having invested in that facility, we need to make sure it is utilised again in the future.

"Those kind of things [Championships] have definitely got to be on the list.

"If you think of the stadium we've got, the European Athletics Championships and the World Athletics Championships are obvious ones.

"It's just a question of the cost of those and the timing of them.

"We're obviously interested in those sort of events."

Ward said he wanted Alexander Stadium, the host of a Diamond League meeting this month, to be used regularly, rather than just occasionally.

"We need to make sure there are other international athletics events that take place in that stadium," he added.

Birmingham already hosts regular indoor athletics meetings, and has hosted the World Athletics Indoor Championships twice.

Test cricket takes place at Edgbaston, football club Aston Villa play in the Premier League and major triathlon races are planned for Sutton Park.

The All England Open Badminton Championships, one of the sport's most prestigious tournaments, calls the city home, and the Birmingham Classic is an important grass court event in women's tennis.

Already secured for next year are the Trampoline World Championships and the World Blind Games.

As well as the Alexander Stadium, the city boasts two major indoor arenas and the nearby Sandwell Aquatics Centre which has been built for Birmingham 2022.

The Belfry is one of the best golf courses in the world and has been the scene for some of the Ryder Cup's most famous moments.

"We're looking at the UK Sport list of major sporting events and what we might want to work with governing bodies on to bring to the city," said Ward.

"We're looking for economic benefit, we're looking for profile, TV coverage and that sort of thing. 

"We also want to ensure the events we're targeting are welcome and youthful, and that they are innovative and diverse, inclusive, collaborative and sustainable."

Ward said Birmingham would push for Villa Park to be included if England submits a bid to host the men's European Football Championships.

A bid could also be made for the Invictus Games, the event created by Prince Harry for injured members of the armed forces.

Other cities, of course, will also be looking to host sport so how can Birmingham stand out from the crowd, even with the big shop window that the Commonwealth Games provides?

"We've got a number of big assets," said Ward. 

"One is the diversity of the city. 

"Second is its youthfulness - 40 per cent of our population is under the age of 30. 

"That's a very helpful thing because if these sporting events are about anything, they're a celebration of youth. 

"We're a really young city. And of course we have the infrastructure that's needed. We don't need to build anything."