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2022 Commonwealth Games Bids

38K views 146 replies 37 participants last post by  dinkie 
#1 ·
Not sure how much interest there is in this as a topic, but for completeness' sake, and because it adds an interesting counterpoint to South Africa's Olympic aspirations, here's the latest news on the 2022 Commonwealth Games bidding process...

Durban and Edmonton are confirmed bidders for the 2022 Commonwealth Games

HRH Tunku Imran, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), has announced today that Edmonton, Canada and Durban, South Africa, have formally expressed their intent to bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The CGF will now work together with both Commonwealth Games Canada and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) as they look to develop their formal bids by the March 2015 deadline.

"This is an exciting development for the Games movement, one that reinforces the Games position on the world's sporting stage," said Imran

"The future outlook for the Commonwealth Games is extremely positive.

"Last week we saw the final visit of the Federation's Coordination Commission to Glasgow in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and it highlighted the excellent progress being made there.

"Glasgow will be followed by a great Games on the Gold Coast in 2018 and now we have the prospect of these being followed by what I'm sure will be an outstanding Games in either Canada or South Africa in 2022."

Following the formal bid deadline on March 2015, final consideration will be made by CGF members at a General Assembly in Auckland, New Zealand on September 2, 2015.

There had been concern previously that no city would come forward to bid for the Games with no expressions of interest being formally proposed before today.

SASOC President Gideon Sam had hinted at a potential South African bid but it wasn't until the nation received the support of its Government last week that they moved forward with their plans to officially declare their intent to bid....

...Edmonton has hosted the Commonwealth Games once before, in 1978, with Canada having played host to the Games on four previous occasions – twice in its current format as the Commonwealth Games.

"Canada is the birthplace of the Commonwealth Games, with the British Empire Games held in Hamilton in 1930," said Andrew Pipe, President of Commonwealth Games Canada.

"We welcome the opportunity to bring the Commonwealth's best summer athletes back to Canada in 2022.

"Congratulations to Edmonton for this exciting initiative; we look forward to working with the city on the bid's next steps."

In an official statement by the City of Edmonton, the city has said that it will now continue its discussions with the Province of Alberta and other stakeholders including national and provincial sporting organisations....

...Following London 2012, there had been speculation that London would launch a bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games however a spokesperson from Commonwealth Games England today said that no English city had come forward to express an interest in hosting the event.

"Commonwealth Games England has not received any expressions of interest from English Cities to host the 2022 Games, but welcomes the expressions of interest from the two exciting Cities of Durban and Edmonton announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation today," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Hambantoto, Sri Lanka, who bid unsuccessfully to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games, had been another city rumoured to be considering a bid however Hemasiri Fernando, chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, confirmed to insidethegames that they had decided against another bid.
More @ http://www.insidethegames.biz/commo...irmed-bidders-for-the-2022-commonwealth-games
 
#5 ·
It'll be exactly like Rio 2012 (for Durban). They will be proposing many venues still under construction for their 2022 Commonwealth Games (if they win) and they have that event yet to be hosted (come Olympic bid time).

So simply, it's untested grounds, even if they could claim to have the Olympic sized stadium ready, unlike the case for Rio's 2012 bid.

Too much concurrent building. Will the Olympic Village be the same as the Commonwealth one (expanded)? Then we have the 2 year rush to get Olympic venues done in time.


Expect Hambantota to pull a last minute bid, perhaps even Abuja, if Nigeria and the government is stable again...
 
#8 ·
A commonwealth games would be good preparation for an Olympics and help prevent last minute panics.

However, I doubt Durban has a chance. The Olympics want capital cities or major world cities*. Birmingham and Manchester were both told to get lost, it was London or nothing for the UK.


* or ones hosting the HQs of major global soft drink brands.
 
#9 ·
However, I doubt Durban has a chance. The Olympics want capital cities or major world cities*. Birmingham and Manchester were both told to get lost, it was London or nothing for the UK.
Durban is more to South Africa than Birmingham and Manchester are combined to the UK. There are basically two cities that can host an Olympics in SA and Durban is one of them.


* or ones hosting the HQs of major global soft drink brands.
And the busiest airport in the world, and the biggest city in the iconic (and huge) US South.
 
#13 ·
Only two candidate cities for the 2022 Commonwealth Games: Edmonton and Durban. I would be fine with either city being awarded the Games, but if I really had to choose, I would pick Durban.
 
#34 ·
What really annoys me is that South Africa are always able to play the first in Africa Card. The World Cup, the Commonwealth games, the Olympic Games. If they are supposed to go to Africa, let's face it it will always be South Africa since they have the biggest international appeal. At least if some of the other African countries were given a chance to host these big events it wouldn't seem like such a fake label, but with South Africa being able to get all these events by using the label the 'first in Africa' all the time it's becoming ridiculous. The FIFA World Cup bid for 2010 was a sham, as soon as Sepp Blatter decided it was going to Africa, we all knew it was going to South Africa and not any of the other African nations. Why even bother with the bidding process.
 
#19 ·
^^ Still wrong. If the CGF were really desperate for an African Games, they would have gone with Abuja, the first African Games offered to them.

They obviously didn't because Delhi was already behind schedule, despite being roughly the same level as Abuja's bid at the time of their bid (i.e having most infrastructure in place and the key experience of that Afro-Asian Games India hosted which supposedly gave Delhi an edge over Hamilton, Canada).

I suppose Durban could do the same, but Edmonton is still the safer bid, and it's been a while since it's been in Canada.
 
#20 ·
Where did I say that they're "desperate" for an African Games? They would be stupid to hand it out to the first city on the continent that raises its hand.

Your mistake is comparing Abuja's infrastructure and hosting experience with that of Durban's. As I previously stated, the two are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Edmonton might be a "safe" host, but Durban certainly wouldn't be perceived as a risky move. South Africa, and by extension Durban, has proven time and again that it is more than capable of rising to the challenge of hosting large international sporting events. This is something that Nigeria cannot yet claim.

So I think it's more than reasonable to say that the CGF would be keen to hand host the first African Games and do so in a city that has proven itself capable of hosting large sporting events in the past.

It's never been in Africa, let's host it in a tried and proven city > It's been a while since it's been in Edmonton, let's host it in a tried and proven city.
 
#22 ·
Well you could say that the IOC wasn't desperate for a South American Olympic Games, because Buenos Aires wasn't chosen for the 2004 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Rio still got the Games in 2016 because of the 'First South American Olympics'. Also, you cannot compare Durban and Abuja as many have mentioned. South Africa is the strongest African Candidate for a Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, even Morocco is a stronger Candidate then Nigeria IMO.
 
#30 ·
No one has said it will be given on a plate to Durban. What you however have done is stretch all sorts of others things to make this a complex discussion, which it need not be.

Frankly, if Durbans bid is decent it will get it over Edmonton period. Hosting in Durban will carry alot more clout for the COG's than Edmonton - not to disrespect that city.

And comparing Durban and Abuja, is like comparing Singapore and Hat Yai for an Asian context. A totally pointless comparison. Abuja doesnt even compare to a Lagos for clout.
 
#31 ·
In short, today Durban is one of the strongest contenders for the Olympics, on Paris level basically. Edmonton, on the other hand, can't even consider to bid for it. I like the Canadian city, but Durban is far ahead.
 
#40 ·
I thinks it's safely Durban's - its a city on the move in a big way - look for the "Barcelona Effect" - this will rev up the slowly declining interests in the Commonwealth Games, as will the Gold Coast version too.
A bit of sun, sea and T&A brought into the equasion - lets sex it up with beach volleyball and fan parks on the beach. Something Glasgow abd certainly Edmonton cant do thats for sure!


Durban by Steve Rosset, on Flickr

Durban Beachfront - South Africa by South African Tourism, on Flickr

Moses Mabhida Stadium - Durban South Africa (2) by Craig Pitchers, on Flickr

Durban Harbour, South Africa by Africa Dave, on Flickr
 
#41 ·
Sounds like this would be far more important to land for Durban than Edmonton. Canada may be the birth place of the Commonwealth Games, but they're completely off the radar here. The last 2 editions weren't even televised.
 
#43 ·
Not for Toronto, Commonwealth is too beneath them. :)

Actually they are hosting the PanAm games and have built a few sporting facilities for it.
 
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