Bids for the 2022 Commonwealth Games

The 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games will be held in 2022, where all 71 member territories from the Commonwealth of Nations are expected to be competed. The host for the games was announced on 2 September 2015, at a General Assembly in Auckland, New Zealand .

Bids

Two cities had made confirmed bids for the games; Durban, South Africa and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Edmonton withdrew its bid in February 2015, leaving Durban as the only bid to go forward to CGF General Assembly in September 2015.[1]

Active bids

The coastal South African city had previously considered bidding for the 2020 or 2024 Summer Olympics. If Durban were to host the games, it would be the first Commonwealth Games held on the African continent. South Africa's second largest city, Cape Town bid for the 2004 Summer Olympics, but lost out to Athens.[2] Durban is home to major professional rugby union, cricket and two association football teams - AmaZulu F.C. and Golden Arrows. The city has previously played host to matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the 1996 & 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, the 1995 Rugby World Cup, as well as the 2003 Cricket World Cup. The Kings Park Sporting Precinct will be part of the bid. In addition Durban also hosted the 123rd IOC Session.

Withdrawn bids

Edmonton skyline
Edmonton is Canada's fifth-largest city and the second-largest city in the Province of Alberta. It is home to a number of professional sports associations (most notably the Edmonton Eskimos (Canadian) football team and Edmonton Oilers ice hockey team, winners of five Stanley Cups). The 1978 Commonwealth Games, the 1983 Summer Universiade and the 2001 World Championships in Athletics were all held in Edmonton, and the city has also hosted some matches of the 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup, the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup,the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[3][4] There are also plans to build a new Velodrome to replace the aging Argyll Velodrome.
On February 11, 2015, Edmonton announced it was withdrawing to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, citing financial reasons and a global fall in oil prices. The bid team will instead focus on the 2026 event.[1][5]

Previously proposed bids

Asia

Hambantota bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games but lost to Gold Coast. Following their defeat Ajith Nivard who served as co-chairman of the bid suggested that Hambantota could bid again. Despite Hambantota's failure to secure the 2018 games, the city is moving ahead with the construction of most of the venues that would be needed.[6]
Singapore's Director of the Sports Division in its Ministry of Community Development, Koh Peng Keng, said that Singapore could potentially host the Commonwealth Games. Singapore hosted the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and the 2009 Asian Youth Games.[7] Singapore also hosted various other Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), AFF, and AFC competitions.

Europe

Cardiff was previously interested in bidding for the 2022 games, with some events to be held in Newport and Swansea, however Cardiff City Council announced they are instead in discussions for a bid for the 2026 games.[8][9][10]
The Birmingham Post reported in 2009 that Birmingham was considering a bid for the 2022 or 2026 Commonwealth Games, but in September 2013 the city council ceased pursuing to host the games, citing a lack of funds to do so.[11][12]
Bristol
Bristol Mayor candidate Marvin Rees pledged to bid for either the 2022 or 2026 Games if elected in the Bristol mayoral election, 2012. Bristol's two professional football sides Bristol City and Bristol Rovers backed the proposal, with both sides proposed stadiums (Bristol City Stadium and UWE Stadium) expected to be part of the bid. Bristol Rugby have also endorsed the bid.[13] However Rees lost the election to independent George Ferguson, who had no plans to bid for the Commonwealth Games.
London
The BBC reported on 18 March 2013 that London is considering a bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, on the back of its hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics. However, in October later that year there were doubts over whether the bid would continue to go ahead. Mayor of London Boris Johnson expressed concerns that the city would not be able to afford the estimated £1 billion budget.[14]

Oceania

After the major earthquakes in September 2010 and February 2011, the rebuilt city was planning to bid for the 2022 edition to introduce the city to the world. The idea was floated by businessman Humphry Rolleston during draft central city plan hearings, and the mayor, Bob Parker, took up the idea.[15] Christchurch previously hosted the Commonwealth Games (then British Commonwealth Games) in 1974.[16] Christchurch's, and any bid from the Oceania Region, was later put in doubt with the awarding of the 2018 games to Gold Coast, Australia.[17][18]

Concerns over lack of hosting interest

On 22 January 2014, The BBC reported that the organisers of the Commonwealth Games were concerned about the future of the event, after no member country had expressed serious interest in hosting the 2022 edition with only two months to go before the March 2014 deadline for applicant cities. The high cost of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with reports of between £500 million and £1 billion, damage to the reputation of the competition following the 2010 Games and disputes between the Commonwealth Games Federation board and member states' sporting federations were all said to be factors in why no serious hosting intentions were being made.[19][20] Cardiff, who were pursuing a bid for the 2026 games, said it would be "unlikely" for them to bring their bid forward to 2022.[21] An emergency general meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur on 24 January to try and resolve these issues and ensure the future of the games.

On 31 January 2014 Gideon Sam, vice-president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, was quoted in The Namibian stating intentions of holding the 2022 games in Africa following meetings in Kuala Lumpur: “We decided that 2022 will be Africa’s time. Africa makes up a huge number of Commonwealth countries and we now appeal to African leaders to be brave, to club together and to come forward so that we can host the Commonwealth Games" "“We cannot continue doing what we did in the past, when we voted with Asia, Oceania or the Americas and not for ourselves. The time has come to show the world that there are no lions roaming the streets or naked people walking around"[22]

References

  1. 1 2 "Edmonton withdraws bid for 2022 Commonwealth Games | euronews, world news". Euronews.com. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  2. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150714192532/http://gamesbids.com/eng/commonwealth_games_bids/1216135725.html. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ↑ Mackay, Duncan (2012-02-05). "Exclusive: Canada planning to bid for 2022 Commonwealth Games". Insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  4. ↑ "Tuesday Talk - Edmonton Eyes 2022 Commonwealth Games". Aroundtherings.com. 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  5. ↑ "BBC Sport - Commonwealth Games 2022: Edmonton withdraws bid". Bbc.co.uk. 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  6. ↑ Mackay, Duncan (2011-11-12). "Hambantota may bid again for Commonwealth Games after Gold Coast defeat". Insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  7. ↑ Goddard, Emily (2012-03-17). "Exclusive: Singapore could bid for 2022 Commonwealth Games". Insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  8. ↑ Law, Peter (15 February 2013). "Cardiff to bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games, say council bosses". Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "Exclusive: Cardiff will not alter plans to bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games because of London, they claim". Insidethegames.biz. 2013-03-19. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  10. ↑ "Cardiff unlikely to bring Commonwealth Games bid forward - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  11. ↑ "Birmingham Post politics news plus reports council and Government issues affecting Birmingham, the Black Country and the West Midlands". Birminghampost.net. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  12. ↑ Birmingham Mail (12 September 2013). "Birmingham City Council pulls out of race to host Commonwealth Games".
  13. ↑ "Labour's mayoral candidate Marvin Rees pledges Commonwealth bid]". ThisIsBristol.co.uk.
  14. ↑ "London 'unlikely' to make 2022 Commonwealth Games bid". BBC News. 24 October 2013.
  15. ↑ "2022 Games bid idea floated". The Press. 26 October 2011. p. A2. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Christchurch mayor pushes for 2022 Commonwealth Games". New Zealand Herald. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  17. ↑ "Christchurch wants to use 2022 Commonwealth Games to help rebuild city devastated by earthquake | Commonwealth Games 2022". insidethegames.biz. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  18. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150102221219/http://gamesbids.com/eng/commonwealth_games_bids/1216136172.html. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ BBC.co.uk (22 January 2014). "Commonwealth Games: Lack on interest in hosting future Games". Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  20. ↑ New Zealand Herald (24 January 2014). "Who wants to host a Commonwealth Games?". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  21. ↑ BBC.co.uk (22 January 2014). "Cardiff unlikely to bring Commonwealth Games bid forward". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  22. ↑ Carin Pretorius. "Queen's Baton Relay passes through Windhoek". The Namibian. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
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