On March 31, 2010, a surprise bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games was made by the Sri Lankan city of Hambantota. Hambantota was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. In the early 1800s decade, the British built a Martello Tower on the tip of the rocky headland alongside the lighthouse overlooking the sea at Hambantota. The tower was restored in 1999 and it now houses a fisheries museum. Hambantota has the status of a Special Economic Zone. Among the projects to be built in Huambantota are a new international airport, the Port of Huambantota, the Matara-Kataragama Railway Line, the Huambantota International Cricket Stadium, a wind farm, and a tele-cinema village. For Hambantota to host a Commonwealth Games, it will need massive infrastructure improvements and all of the venues and other Games-related infrastructure (such as hotels and a convention centre) will have to be built from scratch.

Among the projects to be built in Huambantota are a new international airport, the Port of Huambantota, the Matara-Kataragama Railway Line, the Huambantota International Cricket Stadium, a wind farm, and a tele-cinema village.

You forget, its emerging as an automative hub, as local and forigen car manufactures shift thier base to thier. a naval base, the colombo-matara expressway is proposed to have an extention to hambantota. among others.

hambantota will be the commerical hub of sri lankan and south asia by 2018.:banana:^^

Im surprised this hasnt been publicised that much in the media. I suppose the organising commitee must be keeping everything under wraps until they unveil their formal bid (ie. details about the sports village, their bid logo etc) later on.

Looks like a couple of FB pages are up and running to support the bid:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105856082783792&v=wall
http://www.facebook.com/CommonwealthGames2018?v=app_2373072738#!/CommonwealthGames2018?v=wall
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Volunteers-for-Commonwealth-Games-2018-Hambantota/112332485453817
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hambantota-2018-Support-Hambantota-to-Host-Commonwealth-Games/110792968945148

I hope they dont use the suriyaweva stadium...it should be only for cricket..not any other sport..

Apparantly Hambantota didnt do a bid presentation on the weekend. There are rumours that Hambantota is going to withdraw their bid. Anyone know if its true? IMHO I wouldnt be surprised since the Sri Lankan media hasnt given much publicity to the bid, but does anyone know for sure?

^^I hope Hambantota does withdraw their Commonwealth Games bid soon, and then, the win would automatically go to Gold Coast.

^^I hope Hambantota does withdraw their Commonwealth Games bid soon, and then, the win would automatically go to Gold Coast.

The commonwealth Games will be held at Hambantota...Sri Lanka and and her allies would make sure that happens...You can reserve your ticket too:)

The commonwealth Games will be held at Hambantota...Sri Lanka and and her allies would make sure that happens...You can reserve your ticket too:)

So the bid is still on? There hasnt been much information on it.

Rajapaksa likely to be chief guest at Games closing ceremony

B. MURALIDHAR REDDY


Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to be the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi on October 14.

State-owned weekly Sunday Observer said in a report that the invitation to Mr. Rajapaksa was intended to signal New Delhi's support for Sri Lanka's bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Mr. Rajapaksa was in New Delhi on an official visit in June.

It is immediately not clear whether his coming visit would create an opportunity for exchange of views on the situation in the post-LTTE Sri Lanka.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna will visit arrive here on an official visit in October last week. Besides holding discussions with his interlocutors on re-settlement of the nearly three lakh displaced Tamil civilians, he will visit the areas in the north, which were under the Tigers' control, to gain a firsthand knowledge of the re-settlement and utilisation of Indian funds meant for such people.




http://www.thehindu.com/news/article823647.ece

Sri Lanka leader to be guest at close of Commonwealth Games


Mahinda Rajapaksa, the controversial president of Sri Lanka, is set to be the guest of honour at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in India, on Thursday night.

Diplomatic sources and protocol officials in Delhi today confirmed that Rajapaksa had accepted a "joint" invitation from the Indian government and the event organisers, and would be flying to India on Wednesday.

His presence next to Prince Edward, who will close the games on behalf of the Queen, will spark anger from campaigners who have accused Rajapaksa of failing to protect many thousands of civilians who died in battles which ended the long civil war against Tamil separatists last year, and of flouting international human rights law.

In January, the 64-year-old politician won a second six-year term in a landslide victory and recently pushed through a constitutional amendment that will allow him to stand an unlimited number of times.

Rajiva Wijesinha, a Sri Lankan member of parliament and former minister, said that it would have been "rude and improper" not to accept the invitation.

"We've moved on. A lot of people are now aware that the allegations against us were not correct and the new government in the UK have made it clear that they are not continuing the patronising attitude of their predecessors," he told the Guardian.

Aslam Khan, head of protocol for the games, confirmed that the choice of guest for the closing ceremony in the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Delhi was a "joint venture between the Indian government and the organising committee". Rajapaksa is not expected to speak at the event, Khan said.

Tamil campaigners expressed outrage. "It is a shame. The Commonwealth is mainly composed of developing countries and needs to apply international law and humane standards," said Suren Surendiran of the Tamil Global Forum.

Sri Lanka was blocked from hosting the next meeting of Commonwealth leaders in 2011, after Britain and Australia joined forces last year to protest at alleged human rights abuses. "It is unfortunate that the heads of state says one thing and then there is inconsistency," said Surendiran.

The head of the Commonwealth is the Queen but due to an overcrowded travel schedule, Prince Charles opened the games.

The presence of Rajapaksa among the senior dignitaries in front of 65,000 spectators and hundreds of millions of television viewers will renew criticism of the Commonwealth for avoiding tackling tough issues.

Last week, the Guardian revealed that the current secretary general, Kamalesh Sharma, had told his staff that it was not the organisation's role to "speak out" against abuses by the 54 member states.

David Cameron and the foreign secretary, William Hague, have both said they will put new emphasis on the Commonwealth in Britain's foreign policy.

India's invitation is part of a charm offensive aimed at countering diplomatic inroads made by China in Sri Lanka in recent years. The two Asian powers are both investing much effort in wooing Rajapaksa, who remains popular with the Sinhalese majority in the island state, with economic aid packages, technical help with infrastructure projects and other initiatives.

The Sri Lankans are considering their own bid for the Commonwealth Games. Rajapaksa is hoping to win the 2018 event for Hambantota, the southern Sri Lankan port, which is his home town.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/11/sri-lanka-leader-commonwealth-games

Exclusive: Hambantota presentation would have been seen as "attack on close friend India"

16 October 2010

By Tom Degun in New Delhi

October 16 – Nalin Attygalle (pictured left), the man behind Hambantota's bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, claimed it would have been wrong for the Sri Lankan city to give a presentation to voters at an annual meeting ahead of the Opening Ceremony as it could have been viewed as an attack on India.

The Hambantota team were widely criticised for failing to give an optional presentation on their bid to Prince Edward, the Vice Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), and other high ranking officials who will decide where the 2018 Games will be held.

The Gold Coast in Australia, Hambantota's only rival for the event, gave a flawless performance at the meeting.

However, Attygalle said that while Hambantota regret the fact they couldn't show voters the strength of their bid in a presentation, they made the decision so as not to upset their strong allies India.

Attygalle told insidethegames: "Avoiding the presentation is something we have been heavily criticised for and something Hambantota would like to address, so let me explain.

"The presentations were scheduled to take place prior to the Opening Ceremony, and if you think back to what the circumstances were like for Delhi back then, the whole world - particularly the Indian media - were heavily criticising the Games and the Organising Committee.

"They were saying things like the Games is not going to happen, it is a complete failure and that only bad things will happen from the event.

"Some of the Western media were even saying it was the wrong decision to award the Games to an Asian country.

"Now, India is like Sri Lanka's big brother and at a time when India is under attack, does anybody really want Hambantota and Sri Lanka - a close friend of India - to give a presentation saying we can do a much better job than Delhi when the city is in trouble?

Hambantota
"If we had shown the strength of our bid at that stage, as another Asian city, it would have highlighted some of Delhi's weaknesses in the build-up to the Games and it could have had huge repercussions on the relationship between India and Sri Lanka.

"Therefore, it was a strategic decision we made as a team not to take up the kind offer to give an optional presentation.

"Yes, missing an opportunity to showcase what a fantastic Commonwealth Games Hambantota can host in 2018 is one minus point but maintaining good relations going forward is two plus points.

"We also knew from the start that India would do a far better job than the media had predicted so we thought it would be best for us to start our talking after Delhi now that things have gone quite well, as we predicted.

"India showed they have world class facilities to host a major sporting event and though there were a few problems along the way, that is a minor issue and India has done well.

"If you now ask to hear about Hambantota, we would be delighted to tell all about our beautiful city because India has overcome criticism to show that Asia can host a Commonwealth Games and host it well."

Attygalle added that a 2018 Commonwealth Games in Hambantota would be far different to Delhi 2010 because India was aiming to prove it could host an Olympic and Paralympic Games in the future.

He said: "India have built their Commonwealth Games on a huge scale so it has been like a mini-Olympics.

"It looks very much like the Games have been designed as a platform for the Olympics.

"But my only concern with that is that Commonwealth standards and Olympic standards are two different things.

"In the future, I think we must be aware of this and Hambantota would certainly conduct the Games in a far more compact way.

"The city is building and improving its infrastructure all the time following the devastation of the Tsunami [which decimated the country in 2004] and the Commonwealth Games would really help us continue to do that and provide a real sporting legacy to the people of Sri Lanka.

"We would conduct the 2018 Games in a very organised, very efficient way so that it wouldn't have any of the logistical problems Delhi had.

"But we on the Hambantota 2018 bid team are very proud of Delhi for showing that an Asian country can host a strong Commonwealth Games and I have learnt so much from being here and participating in the Candidate City Observer programme.

"We can now take the strengths of Delhi but also learn from the weaknesses."

Contact the writer of this article tom.degun@insidethegames.biz

http://insidethegames.biz/commonwealth-games/2018/10791-exclusive-hambantota-presentation-would-have-been-seen-as-qattack-on-close-friend-indiaq


LOL shame that they couldnt present on time and made this excuse. After all, they are competing against the Gold Coast NOT Delhi, so I dont believe this excuse one bit.

http://insidethegames.biz/commonwealth-games/2018/10791-exclusive-hambantota-presentation-would-have-been-seen-as-qattack-on-close-friend-indiaq


LOL shame that they couldnt present on time and made this excuse. After all, they are competing against the Gold Coast NOT Delhi, so I dont believe this excuse one bit.

Btw guys I saw on TV that sport minster saying that 2018 will be held in H'tota, I am sure MR will do something to achieve this:)

Btw guys I saw on TV that sport minster saying that 2018 will be held in H'tota, I am sure MR will do something to achieve this:)

Well Sri Lanka has to persuade the majority of the commonwealth countries to vote for Hambantota. So its not really up to the sports minister. It helps that MR is close with a few countries who could lend some votes, but the bid committee has to present a flawless bid in order to persuade the other countries. And not presenting in Delhi (and making this subsequent excuse) hasnt helped. Theyll need world class infrastructure which could cost around $4 billion. Thats a lot of money which could be spent on new universities and rail ines, for example. Anyway lets hope for the best! :)

Theres a lot of negativity about the Hambantota bid (since the bid team didnt bother showing up to Delhi) so if you want it to go ahead, voice your support on the following forums/threads:

SSC 2018 bid thread:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1079641&page=13

Gamesbids.com Hambantota 2018 bid thread:
http://www.gamesbids.com/forums/topic/17315-hambantota-2018/page__st__60

Nov 09, 2010 (LBO) - Sri Lanka seeks to hire a consultancy firm to advise the government on its bid to stage the Commonwealth Games in 2018 in the southern city of Hambantota, the central bank said.

Central bank governor Nivard Cabraal has been appointed to head an organizing committee which will handle the island's bid, it said in a statement.
The committee wants to hire a "reputed consultancy firm" to advise and assist it in the preparation of its bid document and manage other logistics in relation to the Commonwealth Games in 2018, it said.


It will receive and evaluate Expressions of Interest from suitably qualified and competent consultancy firms who have expertise and experience in the subject.
^^^^^^^^^^

Sri Lanka is spearheading a two pronged strategy to win the hosting of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Hambantota and also bag at least 50 Gold medals at the competition.

This was stated by the Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal who is heading the 2018 Commonwealth Games candidate city organizing committee.

Cabraal said “We are executing a plan towards achieving these twin goals”

He said if Sri Lanka can host the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Hambantota, it would be a huge advantage to the nation.

According to him the beneficiary sectors would be tourism and sports.

The Chairman of the Organizing Committee announced that a program will be launched to train young kids who are in the ages of 13 to 14 at present to compete in the 2018 commonwealth games.

He said “If we start doing it now, within another 8 years results can be achieved”.

A talent management program is on the cards to make the dream a reality, said Cabraal.

Cabraal noted “We want to win at least 50 to 100 medals”.

He was highly confident of doing it.

The Country’s top Monetary Authority went onto say “We will not spend money on a game where others will bag the medals and go away”.

The highest tally of medals Sri Lanka has won in a single Commonwealth games is the 3 medals it won at the concluded Delhi Games.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka has already hired specialized international firms such as UK’s Bell Pottinger to help it submit a successful bid document.

Last week Ajith Nivard Cabraal was in Scotland attending a seminar organized by the Commonwealth Games Federation in relation to the 2018 games.

The bid document to compete for the 2018 games has to be handed over by May this year.

Australia’s Gold Coast city is also competing to win the hosting of the 2018 Games in that part of the world.
News360 (http://www.news360.lk/other/sports/sri-lanka-to-win-at-least-50-gold-medals-at-the-2018-cwg-cabraal)

We will not spend money on a game where others will bag the medals and go away

That gets the gold medal for the dumbest remark of the year 2010 !!! :ohno:


Sri Lanka is spearheading a two pronged strategy to win the hosting of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Hambantota and also bag at least 50 Gold medals at the competition.

This was stated by the Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal who is heading the 2018 Commonwealth Games candidate city organizing committee.

Cabraal said “We are executing a plan towards achieving these twin goals”

He said if Sri Lanka can host the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Hambantota, it would be a huge advantage to the nation.

According to him the beneficiary sectors would be tourism and sports.

The Chairman of the Organizing Committee announced that a program will be launched to train young kids who are in the ages of 13 to 14 at present to compete in the 2018 commonwealth games.

He said “If we start doing it now, within another 8 years results can be achieved”.

A talent management program is on the cards to make the dream a reality, said Cabraal.

Cabraal noted “We want to win at least 50 to 100 medals”.

He was highly confident of doing it.

The Country’s top Monetary Authority went onto say “We will not spend money on a game where others will bag the medals and go away”.

The highest tally of medals Sri Lanka has won in a single Commonwealth games is the 3 medals it won at the concluded Delhi Games.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka has already hired specialized international firms such as UK’s Bell Pottinger to help it submit a successful bid document.

Last week Ajith Nivard Cabraal was in Scotland attending a seminar organized by the Commonwealth Games Federation in relation to the 2018 games.

The bid document to compete for the 2018 games has to be handed over by May this year.

Australia’s Gold Coast city is also competing to win the hosting of the 2018 Games in that part of the world.
News360 (http://www.news360.lk/other/sports/sri-lanka-to-win-at-least-50-gold-medals-at-the-2018-cwg-cabraal)

We will not spend money on a game where others will bag the medals and go away

That gets the gold medal for the dumbest remark of the year 2010 !!! :ohno:

Yes does anyone seriously expect Sri Lanka to bag 50 medals when they couldnt even get one medal at the recent Asian games!

Anyway the general bid seems to be going along well since they have got some reputed firms to advise them and design the venues (including the architect of the London 2012 stadium).

We will not spend money on a game where others will bag the medals and go away

That gets the gold medal for the dumbest remark of the year 2010 !!! :ohno:

i think they've actually got a plan: its not a senseless comment but they've got a plan to train kids in a certain age group. does that not make it smart and achieveable?

Yes. Please don't get me wrong. I sincerely hope that Hambantota will get to host the games. That will be a great boost for the country. Just found that statement about the medals a bit silly, that's all.

We have to organize them well in order to justify the selection. Otherwise it will only jeopardize the country's reputation.

http://www.ft.lk/wp-content/uploads/file/30_main_LL(1).jpg

MP Namal Rajapaksa points to an area in the model of the proposed 2018 Commonwealth Games City in Hambantota to Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Mike Hooper.
http://www.news360.lk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Mike-Hooper-CEO-Commonwealth-visting-Hambantota.jpg
Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who is also the Co-Chairman of the Organising Committee for the bid as well as the other co-chairman and Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal, business leader and Secretary Ministry of Transport Dhammika Perera, CWG Hambantota 2018 (Pvt) Ltd CEO Nalin Attygalle look on – Pic by Samantha Perera
Sri Lanka ‘can do’ spirit gets new zeal with bid for Commonwealth Games 2018
Model of futuristic sports city Hambantota unveiled with ‘Together. From the heart’ tag line
Sri Lanka’s ‘can do’ spirit is getting a new zeal with the country’s ambitious bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Hambantota which is being branded as an international sports city.
http://www.ft.lk/wp-content/uploads/file/28(63).jpg
The country’s bid, which is being firmed up with expertise from the same party which helped UK to win the honour of hosting 2012 Olympics got a fillip with the visit of Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Mike Hooper over the weekend. Yesterday he visited Hambantota whilst on Saturday the Commonwealth Games Hambantota 2018 Games City Model was unveiled along with its tag line “Together. From the heart.”
MP Namal Rajapaksa and Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who is also the Co-Chairman of the Organising Committee for the bid as well as the other co-chairman and Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal, Commonwealth Games Association President Hemasiri Fernando officiated at the ceremony along with representatives of companies which have come forward to support the bid.
The key purpose of Hooper’s visit to Sri Lanka was to understand the steps being taken by Hambantota as a Candidate City for the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and to assess the commitment and preparedness of the city towards hosting the games.
Cabraal said that Sri Lanka’s decision to bid for 2018 Games was to inspire over 50 other Commonwealth countries which hadn’t hosted the event thus far. “It is time that Sri Lanka and other nations say that we are also equal and competent to host the Commonwealth Games,” he added.
India hosted the 2010 Games in New Delhi and the next is due to be held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014.
It was pointed out that if Sri Lanka succeeds in winning the bid thereby hosting the Games, it will be an ideal opportunity to enhance the brand of Commonwealth which among other things promotes humanity and world peace.
http://www.ft.lk/wp-content/uploads/file/29(60).jpg
Cabraal also said that the Games will also be an excellent opportunity for Sri Lanka to showcase itself to the Commonwealth as well as rest of the world.
“Sri Lanka in recent years has astonished the world by becoming the first country to overcome modern and ruthless terrorism. Post-war, Sri Lanka has also seen rapid socio-economic growth midst sound macro-economic fundamentals,” Governor Cabraal added. He said that Sri Lanka thus far has been a successful co-host of the ICC World Cup 2011 and part of this endeavour was the building of a brand new cricket stadium in Hambantota.
“A few years ago dreaming even the idea of bidding or hosting the Commonwealth Games was impossible. Sri Lanka became popular and hit the global headlines for the wrong reasons of terrorism. However since mid-2009 after the end of terrorism we are more inspired and determined that Sri Lanka can do it,” he pointed out.
Cabraal also emphasised Sri Lanka was building a new brand image. “We are branding ourselves to the future and what better way than to brace ourselves to host the Commonwealth Games. We are positioning ourselves as a country that delivers, has a ‘can do’ spirit and our bid to host the Games reflects that can do spirit of Sri Lanka,” Cabraal added.
He said that with the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa this transformation has been possible encouraging Sri Lanka to set its sights higher. He also said that during the past five years Sri Lanka has doubled its per capital income and a similar trend is being pursued in cycles of five years in the future as well.
“Our bid is an important step and a great challenge and it is these characteristics that we have made the tag line to be “Together, From the heart”,” Cabraal added.
Focusing on the preparations, the co-chairman of the bid organising committee said that Sri Lanka wants to be ready two years ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. This he said will be achieved with Hambantota hosting the 2016 South Asia Federation (SAF) Games. Hambantota will also be featured in the ICC Twenty20 champions, which Sri Lanka will host next year. Another key event in the future calendar of Sri Lanka is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2013 in Hambantota.
Cabraal said that the planned futuristic international sports city in Hambantota will be iconic and act as a catalyst to spur development in rest of Sri Lanka.
The Organising Committee (OC) of the Commonwealth Games 2018 Candidate City of Hambantota is in the process of preparing an attractive bid document under the 15 stipulated themes and the bid book is due to be submitted to the CGF on 11 May 2011. In addition to submitting the bid book, the OC will also convey the city’s commitment to host the games, while showcasing the country’s heritage, beauty and potential.

FT.LK (http://www.ft.lk/2011/03/21/progressive-pointer/)
:banana::banana::banana::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::banana::banana::banana:

CEO, Hambantota Chamber of Commence, Azmi Thassim said that one of the main reasons for the leisure sector to move to the Hambantota area is the Hambantota Port, HIA and the International Cricket Stadium. In addition, tourism too is now picking up and the region has received tremendous publicity due to hosting of World Cup matches and the Hambantota 2018 Commonwealth Games Bid

Over 3,000 star class hotel rooms will be built in Hambantota and construction work on some of the properties will commence by June this year. reports the sunday observer

The ground breaking ceremony of the proposed five star Shangri-La Hotel in Sisilasa Gama Hambantota will commence in July. This would be a 100 room resort hotel along the beach. The hotel is expected to be opened by end of 2013.

Sri Lanka is a country of unsurpassed natural beauty, rich in cultural heritage and above all it is well recognised for its warm and hospitable population, said Shangri-La International Hotel Management President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Dogan.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, and regarded as one of the world’s finest hotel ownership and management companies.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation is also looking at exploring the possibility of entering the leisure industry by building a four star plus property in Hambantota.

In addition the Korean Convention Centre that is being built in Hambantota is also offering over 200 rooms. This is mainly for the MICE market that is expected to patronise the Convention Centre, an officer from the Centre said.

The fourth major hotel project is expected to be built in between the new Suriyawewa International Cricket Stadium and the proposed Hambantota International Airport (HIA) in Mattala. The Sri Lanka hotel chains have expressed interest for this project.

The Foundation stone for the construction of main Passenger Terminal of Sri Lanka’s second International Airport at Mattala (in Hambantota District) was recently laid by Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa.

According to Chairman, Air Port Aviation, Prasanna Wickramasuriya, the HIA too would build their own airport hotel which would have over 75 rooms. Construction of this would commence by the end of the year.

The Gold Coast has over 150,000 rooms including Five Star International Hotels, Convention Centres, Resorts, Self-Contained Apartments, Units and Condominiums, Motels, Caravan Parks and Back-Packer accommodation…:nuts::nuts:

Gold Coast 2018 (http://goldcoast2018.com.au/?p=820)

The Gold Coast has over 150,000 rooms including Five Star International Hotels, Convention Centres, Resorts, Self-Contained Apartments, Units and Condominiums, Motels, Caravan Parks and Back-Packer accommodation…:nuts::nuts:

Gold Coast 2018 (http://goldcoast2018.com.au/?p=820)

The whole of Sri Lanka has only 15000 rooms IIRC. Honestly whilst the bid is good publicity I dont see the point of hosting the games. The CW Games are a dud event, no one in Australia and other countries even watched it despite it being hyped up so much. This money will be a lot better spent on infrastructure such as expressways (especially to places such as Jaffna) and railways to all parts of the island.

The whole of Sri Lanka has only 15000 rooms IIRC. Honestly whilst the bid is good publicity I dont see the point of hosting the games. The CW Games are a dud event, no one in Australia and other countries even watched it despite it being hyped up so much. This money will be a lot better spent on infrastructure such as expressways (especially to places such as Jaffna) and railways to all parts of the island.

We can use our money to build those things.....China Man pays for these

Looks like the bid books for both Gold Coast and Hambantota have been released on the following site. May the best bid win!
http://thecgf.com/games/bid.asp


That said, Hambantota's bid does look better than what I expected. Im a bit concerned about expanding the cricket stadium to 60000 spectators though (and whether so many people will watch cricket in SL). IMHO Premadasa Stadium shouldve been redesigned with 60000 seats and a better design like Hambantota's. The new Premadasa Stadium looks like a shack compared to the proposed stadiums in Hambantota. Im hoping they will build a smaller, secondary sports city in Colombo replacing Sugathadasa and Premadasa Stadiums (possibly using land reclaimed from squatters as well), although I doubt it would ever happen!

Looks like the bid books for both Gold Coast and Hambantota have been released on the following site. May the best bid win!
http://thecgf.com/games/bid.asp

IMHO Premadasa Stadium shouldve been redesigned with 60000 seats and a better design like Hambantota's. The new Premadasa Stadium looks like a shack compared to the proposed stadiums in Hambantota. Im hoping they will build a smaller, secondary sports city in Colombo replacing Sugathadasa and Premadasa Stadiums (possibly using land reclaimed from squatters as well), although I doubt it would ever happen!

Thats what i wanted too, and the premadasa you see is set for atleast another 20 years, slc is already in 4 Billion Rs Debt......i dont think they will build any stadiums...and Hambantota stadium looks good form outside but inside looks crap, LOL,

Thats what i wanted too, and the premadasa you see is set for atleast another 20 years, slc is already in 4 Billion Rs Debt......i dont think they will build any stadiums...and Hambantota stadium looks good form outside but inside looks crap, LOL,

Still looks better than Premadasa Stadium with its lop sided roofs LOL. Anyway im not sure if you read the doc (since the file size is 50mb+) but Hambantota Stadium will be upgraded to 60000 seats (3 tier stands) by 2012 World Cup at a cost of 22293 GBP, which SLC seems to be able to afford and fund (according to the bid book), despite their huge debt. The rest of the venues will be owned by the govt which could mean Chinese (or some other external) funding for them. Overall id rate the sports city on par with Homebush Bay in Sydney.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110529/images/Commonwealth_1.jpg
While the most recent document pertaining to Sri Lanka's bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018 in Hambantota envisages a lavish yet sustainable spectacle, kicking off with an opening event on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, and continuing on to its closing on Sunday, May 27, 2018, there is an important question that some in Sri Lanka are asking. How much and for what?

Cost
Well, in the most simple terms, the answer to the main part of the above question is: Rs. 265 billion (at 2011 prices), according to Sri Lanka's bid document presented to the organisers of the Games in Kuala Lumpur of which a copy was obtained by the Business Times.

The bids, by Sri Lanka (Hambantota) and Australia (Gold Coast) were presented on May 11 during the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) executive committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The vote on the venue of the 21st edition of the Games will take place at the federation's general assembly in St. Kitts & Nevis on 11-11-11 (November 11, 2011). The 20th Commonwealth Games are being held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014.

The expenditure will include the building of eight new sporting venues in Hambantota. All of which are expected to be ready in time for the proposed 2016 South Asian Games (SAG), where seven of these, at a total cost of Rs. 100 billion, will be first used (the cycling not being an event at SAG 2016 and so the velodrome not being needed). In addition, all new venues will be funded and, as such, ultimately owned by the Government of Sri Lanka. The sole exception being the proposed Commonwealth Games Village which will be co-funded and, so, co-owned by the state-controlled Sri Lanka Insurance and the private sector Environmental Resource Investments.

Further identified, Rs. 75 billion will go towards operating and capital expenditures specific to running the Commonwealth Games 2018 such as retaining staff, medical, security, catering, transport, ICT, ceremonies, other events, promotion, etc. Although, it has been stated that a third of these operating expenditures are slated to be recouped via local sponsorships (25%), ticket sales (1%) and broadcast rights (7%).

Other planned expenditures showcased in the bid document include Rs. 40 billion committed by the private sector for increasing hotel room numbers and related facilities, within travelling distance of Hambantota, to adequate levels. And Rs. 60 billion spent on a university in the area (as well as a business and IT park) which features prominently in the games' vision.

Also to be kept in mind, there will be even more infrastructure expenditures for the Hambantota district amounting to Rs. 265 billion for the development of an airport and a seaport, roads and railways and utilities and healthcare, all of which are slated to happen irrespective of the success of this one bid.

At the same time, there also exists a plan to commission a 132 kV grid sub-station at Suriyawewa to meet the 25 MW of electricity which will be needed. Further, a 2014 slated upgrade for the only venue already built, Hambantota's new International Cricket Stadium which was recently used for the first time during the 2011 ICC world Cup, which will double its capacity to 60,000 spectators, planned for use in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sri Lanka-hosted Commonwealth Games 2018.

Meanwhile, it is also stated that sponsors have already been selected in a number of areas: Sri Lanka Telecom/Mobitel for telecommunications, Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation for insurance, Sampath Bank for retail banking, Ceylon Electricity Board for utilities, Premium American for drinking water, Browns Group for pharmaceuticals, automotive and household, LOLC for finance, Shermans for logistics, and John Keells for hotels. However, ultimately, there will be 35 local sponsors (five first tier, 10 second tier and 20 third tier) who will contribute approximately Rs. 18 billion in income to the games.

Grand vision

However, being prepared to pay top dollar does ensure that the second part of the question posed at the beginning of the article, the what, encompasses a sufficiently grand vision of things to come, and not only for Hambantota but also for the whole country. From the large-scale investments in infrastructure, hotels and what looks likely to be top-notch sporting facilities in Hambantota, to investments trickling down into healthcare, skills building, education, transportation and logistics, etc., especially for nearby communities, to even a new terminal at Bandaranaike International Airport, there is no doubt that no matter the cost to local taxpayers, there will be significant upgrades to the entire infrastructure of Sri Lanka.

Leading off with a promise of having all the venues ready in time for Sri Lanka's hosting of the South Asian Games in 2016, possibly a way to score points following the delays associated with the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010, and playing up the fact that all venues would be "legacy" oriented and, as such, allow for the creation of a modern sporting city, the bid document also suggests a Sri Lanka-hosted 2018 Commonwealth Games will be sustainable, inclusive, secure, etc.

Further, and possibly to again tie into allegations regarding waste, fraud and ticket abuse in New Delhi in 2010 and the ICC World Cup 2011, there is a guarantee that a Sri Lanka-hosted 2018 Commonwealth Games will encompass a highly compact concept with minimum wastage - all but three venues will be integrated into the so-called "Commonwealth Games Park." Also, "a fair and equitable ticketing strategy focused on delivering full venues" via very affordable tickets and only public transport options intended to make the venues highly accessible to Hambantota's 1.2 million populace (as of 2018). Additionally, despite soon to be introduced new visa rules which will do away with visa on arrival, "gratis" visa on arrival will be provided for those travelling to Sri Lanka with a valid event ticket. And to cap all this off, a suggestion that awarding Sri Lanka the 2018 games will be a "great opportunity to market the games to new hosts." Meaning Commonwealth island nations who may otherwise not bid because they feel they can not compete against the likes of Australia, Canada, etc. Indicating that "improved transport infrastructure means that there is a population of three million within one hour and a further six million within 2.5 hours of the games park", the bid document also noted that this event will help to "develop the city of Ruhuna (city centre of the Greater Hambantota area) as a major transportation hub for South Asia, based upon the international Seaport, international Airport, new southern railway and southern highway - with possible connection to the proposed Asian highway."

Suggesting that a further legacy plan is forthcoming in June 2011, the bid document noted that prior to 2018 there would be a "comprehensive volunteer programme focusing on the district and building upon the volunteer programmes to be developed for both the South Asian Beach Games in 2011 and the 2016 South Asian Games in Hambantota." There would also be "sporting programmes including revisions to the school curriculum to include new Commonwealth sports and provide more opportunities for pupils to progress in their selected sports and sports development programmes. These programmes include coach/teacher development and sports facility developments across Sri Lanka's nine provinces."

Additionally highlighted as per the bid document, the introduction of educational programmes to "promote learning about the games, the Commonwealth nations and geopolitical issues. Activities such as inter-school debating, art and essay competitions will be used to promote educational awareness and raise the profile of the Commonwealth and what it means. The target age groups for these activities are 11 to 14 years, supported by practical games-time experiences such as young reporters and photographers programmes."

Also introduced; "An international exchange programme involving young people from other Commonwealth countries. This will be designed to foster goodwill, promote understanding of different cultures and lifestyles and help endorse the CGF's values of humanity, equality and destiny."
Besides formal education the bid document also promises a number of activities, the most high-profile of which is the 2018 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, an event where: "Celebratory elements of the main annual festivals in Sri Lanka will be blended with distinct traditional music and dance from each of Sri Lanka's nine provinces... There will be a 'festival feel' including fireworks; grand, elegant costumes; richly decorated elephants on parade; traditional drummers and cultural dances, including fire dances, whip-dances and Sri Lanka's unique Wes dance."

Venues

Encompassing two clusters, the Games Park cluster (hosting all sports except for shooting, triathlon and cycling) and the Tissamaharama cluster, the primary focus of the Sri Lanka hosted 2018 Commonwealth Games will be the 38-hectare Games Park cluster (also boasting eight hectares of adjacent green space), which will be "designed around two main axes designated as boulevards. These boulevards provide pedestrian-only access to the venues and open plazas surrounding them. They provide a central thoroughfare and hub of activity for spectators. The boulevards will be lined with entertainment, concessions and design elements such as water features, to generate a festival atmosphere for the 125,000 spectators expected to visit the games park on an average day."
Additionally; "This atmosphere will be facilitated by a Live Site, with entertainment and big screens in the open plazas creating an exciting buzz for athletes and spectators alike." Overall, the park will comprise 8,140 beds in total for athletes and officials and post games will be retrofit into accommodations for business and IT parks and the planned sport university, with some structures converted into schools, retail space, etc. However, their first use will be during the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Aside from the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, which will be upgraded to the tune of Rs. 4.5 billion by 2014 to double seating capacity, the following will be newly built to hold events:
http://www.hambantota2018.com/images/gallery/image/lag/night_view_suriyawewa_stadium.jpg
Athletics Stadium - Rs. 15.2 billion

A new purpose-built Athletics Stadium, with a capacity of 40,000, will be developed by 2014 and used in 2016 for the South Asian Games (2016 SAG). During the 2018 games, it will stage both Athletics and Rugby 7s.

Hockey Stadium - Rs. 2.3 billion

The hockey Stadium will provide a purpose-built venue for Hockey during the games. Developed by 2014, two new full size synthetic hockey pitches will be built in accordance with international requirements, the main pitch will have a spectator capacity of 5,000, with 2,000 temporary seats for the secondary pitch.

International Aquatics Centre - Rs. 4.5 billion

An International Aquatics Centre comprising two 50m ten-lane swimming pools and a 33m x 25m diving pool. The project is due to commence in 2012 and will be completed by 2014 in readiness for the 2016 SAG. Spectator capacities for the Swimming and Diving pools will be 5,000 and 2,500, respectively.

Exhibition Centre - Rs. 4.7 billion

The new Exhibition Centre will host three sports during the games - Badminton, Weightlifting and Netball (preliminaries). Each sport will be housed in a separate hall, with a 2,500 spectator capacity.

Multi-Sport Complex - Rs. 14 billion

A new Multi-Sport Complex will accommodate five sports during the games, each with a capacity for 2,500 spectators: Squash (six singles and four doubles courts, including a flexible show court for singles or doubles); Table-tennis (two show courts and a further eight match courts); Wrestling (area); Boxing(ring), and Lawn Bowls (five natural turf competition greens, four for competition and one main)

Main arena - Rs. 10.6 billion

The Main Arena, designed as a flexible, multi-purpose facility, will stage Gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic) as well as Netball (finals). Construction of the 5,000 capacity venue will start in 2012 and be completed by 2014.

Velodrome - Rs. 3.8 billion

Only built if Hambantota is selected to host the games, this new, and permanent, Velodrome will be built within the games park and will be the only velodrome in Sri Lanka, to be completed by early 2017.

Ranminithenna Shooting Range -

Rs. 1.4 billion

The Ranminithenna Shooting Range will be the only permanent venue located outside of the games park, approximately 35km away in Tissamaharama. It is also noteworthy that, according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Agency (SLTDA), there will be 13,400 visitor rooms in total in the Southern Province by 2016. Further, the bid document also shows commitments for 6,079 hotel rooms (encompassing two, three, four and five stars) within 50 km of the games. This is inclusive of 1,400 rooms within 1 km of the game park. Meanwhile, the bid documents estimates that, as of 2018, the minimum room rate would be Rs. 12,500 for a two-star room and the maximum, Rs. 57,500 for a five-star room.

Tickets

Considering the bid document's headline pledge to make the games inclusive and accessible to as many Sri Lankans and international visitors as possible, tickets can be considered as playing a big part in the overall strategy for the games. As such, it is noted that the "services of an experienced ticketing service and solution provider at an early stage, to handle all ticketing operations and ensure a robust programme is put in place."

It has also been stated that tickets prices will be "categorised into four tiers, with 55% of tickets in the lower priced tiers. Prices will also be differentiated between qualification sessions and finals sessions where medals will be awarded. 61% of total available tickets will be priced at Rs. 550 or less and 83% of total available tickets at Rs. 1,100 or less. In addition to this, there will be many free or non-ticketed events for spectators to enjoy, including Triathlon, Marathon and the Cycling road and time trial. Prices for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will range from Rs. 2,200 to Rs. 13,275 per ticket. Prime events such as Athletics, Aquatics, Rugby 7's and Badminton will range from Rs. 225 to Rs. 2,750 and all other events will range from Rs. 90 to Rs. 1,600."

Additionally, "during the period of the games, valid tickets will provide all day access to the games park as well as the respective sport session. A Live Site within the games park and a number of games related activity centres, shops and food areas will provide entertainment throughout the day. Ticket and information booths within the games park will be strategically located to promote 'match day' ticket sales as well as providing information on upcoming events, medal sessions and results." Free public transport within the district of Hambantota will also be provided on production of an event ticket for that day.

Further, a rider in the bid document states that "apart from international cricket matches, tickets for sport events have traditionally been offered free of charge. Hosting the games will be the biggest celebration of sport that Sri Lanka has ever seen. As such, tickets for the many people wishing to be part of the games and make Sri Lankan history will be priced recognising both this unique opportunity and the price sensitivity evident in the market. The fair and affordable ticket pricing structure for the games has been developed in line with ICC Cricket World Cup ticket prices, as well as prices for other local leisure activities such as film and theatre tickets."

According to the bid document, 1.1 million tickets will be sold for the 251 sports sessions, and this will earn a projected income of around Rs. 870 million. As such, the "percentage sell-out rate (based on saleable tickets) is based upon a conservative estimate of 85% sold for ceremonies and 70% sold for sport competition sessions. However, given this will be the first event of this nature to be held in Sri Lanka and considering the detailed communication programmes to cultivate interest over four key communication stages, it is expected that sell-out rates for both ceremonies and competition sessions will far exceed these percentages."

ST (http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110529/BusinessTimes/bt26.html)
:nuts::nuts::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::nuts::nuts:

http://www.ft.lk/wp-content/uploads/file/_MG_7049-(1).jpg
SriLankan flies Commonwealth Hambantota 2018 bid logo high

A survey among 2,600 people in all nine provinces of the country indicates an overwhelming nationwide support from all regions for Hambantota’s Commonwealth Games bid.

The survey was undertaken as a part of the bidding process and was conducted among males and females aged 14 to 70 years in March and April this year by The Nielsen Company.

When asked how supportive they were of Hambantota’s bid, as many as 87% of the sample was fully or somewhat supportive, with 63% being fully supportive. In the Hambantota District almost all (99%) were supportive and 86% were fully supportive of the bid.
A likely reason for this unprecedented popular backing for the Hambantota games is the strong interest that Sri Lankans have in sports. Nine out of 10 (92%) said they were interested in sports, with 43% saying they were very interested.
Many of those surveyed felt that the games would result in Sri Lanka being highly regarded by people from across the world. It was also felt that the games would bring in tourism opportunities for the country as well as being a channel for Sri Lanka to showcase its sporting talent.
Over 90% also felt that Sri Lanka would be able to provide adequate security for the games and a similar number felt that the games would be a platform for Sri Lanka to benefit from tourism and for Hambantota to be a destination for hosting global sporting events.

FT>LK (http://www.ft.lk/2011/06/27/people-backing-hambantota%E2%80%99s-2018-cwg-bid-%E2%80%93-nielsen-survey/)

Looks like Huambantota's big cricket stadium has enough space for an athletics track. The field has a diameter of around 200 metres. How can a new athletics stadium be constructed?

http://www.hambantota2018.com/images/gallery/image/lag/evaluation_committee_visit/48.jpg
http://www.hambantota2018.com/images/gallery/image/lag/evaluation_committee_visit/42.jpg
http://www.hambantota2018.com/images/gallery/image/lag/evaluation_committee_visit/41.jpg
http://dailymirror.lk/images/DSC_0173-main-600-1.jpg
:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

The new building that have come up seems unbelievable and hope more well structured and planned developments will take place in the South at least and any other areas. I am sure Colombo is doing a makeover and it would be more livable for all.

More recreational space should be put in place within these establishments as ppl are getting more lethargic.

These new building in addition to the planning looks wonderful.

But will they maintain these standards?
SL's climatic conditions means things simply get dirtier easier (compared to other parts of the world) so will their be strict guildines that are enfored making sure these places are kept as clean as they are now? How long till the Admin complex we can see above gets covered in dark and looks dirty on the outside and probably ends up dirty and "stale" on the inside as is the fate which befalls many structures/buildings in SL due to poor maintainence and a seemingly "not bothered" attitude by everyone.

When you look at the improvements to the Galle road in Colombo, the only reason its being done is because “someone” is forcing them to do it (that someone being GR). But is there really a drive and motivation amongst the inhabitants to keep things that way, do they want their the city to be nice and clean (which is beneficial to them)? This is the difference between other “world class” cities and Colombo –the people who inhabit it. There are plenty of people who want things to be a disaster for cheap politics which is shame. Simply put the priorities of the people are just not right.

SYDNEY, November 12, 2011 (AFP) - Australia was celebrating Saturday as the Commonwealth Games Federation picked Queensland's Gold Coast to host the 2018 Games over Sri Lanka's Hambantota.

"See you in Gold Coast in 2018!!!" the federation said on Twitter, following a vote of its general assembly in the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis.
The 70 nations and territories in attendance voted 43 to 27 for the Australian bid.

The decision came after last year's Games in New Delhi, supposed to showcase India's status as an emerging global power, instead descended into a welter of embarrassing scandals.

"My sincere congratulations to Gold Coast -- theirs was a fantastic bid and they are a very, very worthy winner," federation president Michael Fennell said.

Coastal Hambantota was badly affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and had brought in cricket legend Muttiah Muralitharan to boost its campaign message that hosting the Games would have helped regenerate Sri Lanka.


Fennell said he hoped Hambantota would consider bidding again in the future.
"Hambantota was also a very strong bid, and we have a duty to take the Games to new places, but the bid needs to be the right thing for the Commonwealth Games movement at the right time," he said.

Gold Coast, a sub-tropical tourist hotspot that is home to more than 500,000 people, promised to provide a stark contrast to last year's host.

The 2010 Delhi Games proved troubled, with the sporting headlines overshadowed by venue delays, shoddy construction, corruption allegations and budget overruns that saw the cost of the event triple to US$6 billion.

Australia said hosting the Commonwealth Games for the fifth time, becoming the only nation to ever do so, would allow it to showcase its ability to host major international sporting events.

"This morning's victory was a fantastic result for the Gold Coast, Queensland and Australia," Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan and Sport Minister Mark Arbib said in a joint statement.

"It will provide a big boost to tourism and jobs on the Gold Coast, both in the lead up to the Games and during the event."

Gold Coast is in the southeast of Queensland, a state which is still rebuilding after devastating floods almost a year ago swamped tens of thousands of homes and shut down the state capital Brisbane.

"Queensland we did it!!," state Premier Anna Bligh tweeted from St Kitts. "We got back up again & we won the 2018 Commonwealth Games."

Australia has a long association with the Commonwealth Games, hosting the event four times -- in Sydney (1938), Perth (1962), Brisbane (1982) and Melbourne (2006).

The country's biggest city Sydney held the 2000 Olympics and the nation hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2003.

The national government said it would be looking forward to home advantage and a repeat of the country's most successful Games performance, when Australian participants won a record 221 medals in Melbourne.

"The Games attract thousands of athletes from around the Commonwealth, as well as tens of thousands of fans and a global television audience of well over one billion people," Swan and Arbib said in the statement.

"So hosting the Commonwealth games will be a great opportunity to showcase to a huge global audience all that the Gold Coast has to offer."

The Games bring together athletes from 71 Commonwealth countries and the 2014 event is to be held in Glasgow in Scotland.

Gold Coast, one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, experiences some 287 days of sunshine each year and boasts 70 kilometres of beaches.


..................

I am shattered guys :ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno:

Well thank goodness for that. The country does not need to be saddled with gigantic debt.

It could ahave gone either way,. We could have gone in debt or China would have helped us with the arrangement and the entire world would have been impressed by us. I never liked the idea of hosting Common Wealth in Hambantota anyway. If it was Colombo, definitely we would have won. (sighhh).

Let people comment on this thread for couple of days, then its time to close this thread :(

Why did Hambantota need two large stadiums (one cricket ground and one new athletics stadium) especially for their Commonwealth Games bid? Surely they could have hosted ceremonies and athletics in the cricket ground (the cricket ground has a wide enough diameter to fit an athletics track) and constructed a temporary archery field and constructed a smaller rectangular stadium for Rugby 7s. And I also think that the velodrome should still have been built regardless of the bid because that was planned as a permanent venue if Hambantota had won the bid.