sport1, on Aug 31 2006, 12:37 PM, said:
I just wanted to add some reality to this discussion regarding the readiness of Halifax to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. This discussion always gets tainted with many incorrect facts so I would like to add my perspective.
The region would greatly benefit from a proper athletics and aquatics complex. Nova Scotia has started to produce a series of national team performers in athletics but they unanimously point to the lack of any quality facilities in Nova Scotia as being the biggest barrier to their continued development and the emergence of more national team athletes from our region. Both of these facilities have been discussed extensively over the past 5 years and the Games provides a perfect opportunity to have them built.
As far as Jim's $400 million dollar stadium, I believe he needs is facts examined regarding the cost of a facility required for the Games. A world class facility would certainly be in place for the Games but it would be made practical for the region following the Games.
Concerning rowing, there is no true course in Nova Scotia and international events have never been held in Dartmouth. It is only a 1000 meter course!
The federal government from Prime Minister Harper to his key ministers have all made public commitments to financially support the Halifax bid. To say otherwise is just wrong. The dollar figure on that support is not known but i have not seen the federal dollar commitment from Scotland or Nigeria at this point either. I expect all of these will come over the next 6 months.
The sport lottery that was just announced has provided the city with an early glimpse of the potential impact that the Games will have on our community. There is considerable evidence of increasing public support and solid government support for the bid. I think it is going to be a very close race between all three cities.
So Sport what public opinion poll points to growing public support for the commownealth games in Halifax? Seems to me until a survey comes to the light of day from the committee or another source we are really looking at these snake oil salesmen having no concrete public opinion polls with numbers that have not increased from the decrease of the last poll conducted for the Halifax Herald. If the committee had that positive news we would have it writen on the two spans across halifax harbour LOL. As to key ministers so far we have seen Micheal Chong and and Peter Mackay Who dont have the check writing authority and are basically paying lip service to pro commonwealth games lobbists in halifax. Harper has not made a statement on the commonwealth games. Jim Flattery has made the statement that if the provinces want increased programs for their people they should increase the provincial taxes. Bev Oda the boss of micheal chong has been silent. By this time in the 2003 process Sheilla Copps had the concrete numbers for hamilton detailed in a press release.
Now as to the cost of a main stadium please do the research and find out what a 35,000 seat stadium is costing these days . A 40,000 seat baseball park in washington DC is costing 600 US dollars.The national stadium complex in abuja nigeria cost 600 million US in 2003 dollars or over 800 million canadian at the time. Of course the National Stadium in Abuja has the arena Velodrome, aquatic centre and media centre all within that complex so I would grant that stadium cost 300 million for the main stadium part . That stadium however was built before the demand of steel took of because of the need to fuel chinas industrial machine. The new Wembley Stadium was subject to 100 million pounds of costover runs due in large part to worldwide demand in steel. A new arena for the new jersey devils, in newark new jersey, is costing 350 million for 18,000 seats of capacity. The internet site Field of Schemes details what sports palaces are costing these days.
Like most Pro Sport festival people in the HRM you ignore what is going on the world with sports facility costs and Say "Oh it will be so much different in Halifax "
Yes to either be neive,stupid or ignorant of what is happening the world seems like great leadership for halifax and the province of nova scotia.
Sorry you dont have control on the worldwide market for steel, concrete or labour which accounts for situations like the 2004 summer games in athens ballooning to 8 billion dollars US Or the cost overruns in vancouver to the tune of 110 million dollars canadian . Yes Stephen Harper showed his willingness to open up the treasury to the european sport festival MOB only granting Half of what was requested
The commonwealth games if awarded to halifax cost nearly 2 billion if not exceed it .
The simple math is there no stadium , no velodrome , no aquatic centre and no field house on the ground right now. Huge costs for operation and security. The recipe is there to bankrupt the province and the city that are in debt to the tunes of 12 billion and 280 million respectfully.
As to these high performance athletes we are producing here How are we doing it with the void of not having the facilities you want everyone else to pay for? Nancy Garapick was cheated out of a gold medal by the doped up east germans in montreal and yet she did her training in the centenial pool. Seems to me the arguement of the need for facilities to produce elite athletes is moot by hers and others who have followed from the atlantic region without the 400 million dollar stadiums or 60 million dollar aquatic centres.
If you are so convinced that these facilites create elite athletes then tell me how many elite athletes came because of the hosting of the commownealth games in victoria that are from vancouver island? How about the Edmonton commonwealth games of 1978 . Or lets try montreal 1976.
The only place that a sports festival has born fruit of world classed winning atheltes in canada is the Calgary with the winter olympics in 1988. The reason for that is The games made a profit allowing then maintance of the facilities and the paying of world classed coaching around a unique set of facilites in the world . A summer sports venue is the same in ever single place on earth yet kenya seem to have the monopoly on distance runners without such facilities. The carribean nations seem to have the monopoly on the 100 meters and other short distance speed events.
Yes all the fuzzy logic arguements to why we are paying for a commonwealth games stadium when we all know the real purpose is to get a facility for the CFL to have a corporate welfare bum Pro sports franchise in halifax is the real thrust of this efford. The facilities will be the domain of either the CFL club or the elite aquatic athletes that are leaving Halifax in droves LOL. Not the oyuth of the city for recreation purposes like Pro games people are trying to sell to the public. And Just Who are these new Nancy Garapicks in the region???? and what US college have they chosen to attend on swimming scholarships with what really counts in the pool. world classed coaching and sports science departments. Athletes in Atlantic Canada dont leave the region because of lack of facilities they leave to be coached by the best they cant find here.
jim jones.
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