Brendan Foster, the former Commonwealth 10,000m champion, has joined the team trying to bring the 2022 Commonwealth Games to Birmingham.

Foster is the founder of the Great Run Company, the mass participation sports event body that organises the Great Birmingham Run, the Great Birmingham 10k and Birmingham International Marathon.

He joins a Birmingham 2022 bid team that includes Birmingham City Council deputy leader Ian Ward, UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos, NEC Group arenas managing director Phil Mead and University of Birmingham director of sport Zena Wooldridge.

Warwickshire County Cricket Club chief executive Neil Snowball, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Faulkner and Performances Birmingham chair Anita Bhalla are also part of the team, among others.

Foster said Birmingham was an “ambitious, vibrant city with a great sporting heritage”.

“I believe [it is] the ideal location to host such a prestigious global event,” he added.

“Our company has a strong relationship with Birmingham through organising Great Run events in recent years and in October we’ll be staging the first marathon in the city for 28 years.”

Ward said Foster’s knowledge as a former athlete and business professional will “boost our efforts”.

“We have a strong team working hard to bring the Games to Birmingham. With 95 per cent of our venues already available, combined with our expertise at delivering world-class sporting events, and our position as the heart of the UK, soul of the Commonwealth, we are in a good position,” he added.