The Next Canadian Commonwealth Games Bid

[Rafa]

You're over exaggerating the bid requirements for venues. Budgets swell regardless because candidature files are simply poor estimates.

Your enthusiasm though is admirable.

[Dan_Winters]

You're over exaggerating the bid requirements for venues. Budgets swell regardless because candidature files are simply poor estimates.

Your enthusiasm though is admirable.

How do you mean? Do you mean that 15,000 - 20,000 is too small for the athletics stadium? I don't think it is - given that York University is planning a 10,000 seater athletics stadium for the 2015 Pan am Games.

It's true that budgets nearly ALWAYS swell with most events (good example London 2012), but the point is that would the budget have swelled to such huge extent with the Halifax 2014 bid if smaller venues were needed in the first place? Nova Scotia couldn't afford to add another CAN $1 billion onto the intial $785 million estimate, but perhaps they could have afforded to add on another say 250 - 300 million.

[TJAY]

Not that I have any serious commitment to my selection (or the CGs as a whole) but it would be interesting to see Montreal get the games in 2026. All those more French than the French Quebecoise having to put up with a relic of the British Empire might make a few locals gag on their poutine. And of course it'd look nice on the list of "Former Olympic Cities That Are Now Better Off Going For a CGs Than Another SOGs" list right alongside Melbourne...

Seriously though, is there any real popular interest in a bid for CGs from 2022 onwards in Canada as a whole or in any one specific city? Forget the local business or political lobbyists looking for a few loons, what about the folks sipping their Molsons as they watch Canadians win gold in Delhi?

Montreal was in fact going to host the 1942 games but they got cancelled because of the world war. Now that it has hosted the 1976 Olympics, I don't see the point in lowering the city's standards by hosting a second rate games. However, it would help the city in many ways....

And I think Canadians still have interest in the games so public interest should not be a problem.

[TJAY]

Ottawa? Maybe, who knows. Check out this article titled: "Councillor Candidate Corry Burke Proposes Ottawa Bids to Host the 2022 Commonwealth Games."

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4583664.htm

Of course hosting a sporting event means things get built and regeneration, so it's good for a city..

However, to me Ottawa 2022 dosen't make sense. From a financial perspective it certainly doesn't make sense.

The province of Ontario is already building several facilities for the 2015 Pan Am Games - eg. athletes village, aquatics centre, velodrome and new soccer stadium in Hamilton (if the Ticats and City council can resolve their dispute, that is), with a budget of C$2.4 billion, so why would the government of Ontario want to then for 2022 build yet another set of venues - aquatics centre, velodrome, athletics stadium etc in Ottawa??

Remember - a bid for the 2022 CWG will need to be submitted by 2013 or 2104, when Toronto/ Hamilton will be in the midst of preparing for the 2015 Pan Am Games, during that period I don't see an Ottawa 2022 bid getting much support form the provincial government who will be busy preparing for 2015.

The federal and provincial governments of Canada agreed to fund only 2 major sporting events from 2008-2018 which is why there isnt a bid from Canada for the 2018 CG's. Vancouver got the 2010 Winter Games and Toronto now has the 2015 Pan Am Games. After 2018 I think the government will be willing to fund sporting events again so Ottawa 2022 is possible and 7 years is quite a break in my opinion but I do see your point about the provincial government not being willing to prepare for another games while already preparing for the Pan Am's so that could be the reason for another Canadian city going ahead with a bid for 2022. I personally want Calgary to put forth a bid and they would also most likely win.