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2022 Commonwealth Games


runningrings

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Wasn't Toronto gonna host 1942 or 46?.

With Olympic dreams, why bother. But Victoria does show you how ' lite' you can go, although we might not want to see that again.

No Montreal was up host 42. 46 was never decided I believe.

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Birmingham has ended its interest in hosting the Commonwealth Games – with the city council admitting it simply did not have the cash.


The authority had been considering a bid for either the 2022 or 2026 events since Alexander Stadium was upgraded in 2009.


But now council leaders have ditched the idea on cost grounds with services and jobs being slashed amid huge funding cuts.


The Labour-run authority’s deputy leader, Coun Ian Ward, said it was the right decision – despite the impressive sporting legacy left to the 2002 host, Manchester.


“It is not something we can seriously consider in the current environment,” he said.


“It would be good and we have all seen the benefits that came to Manchester after 2002.


“They got the City of Manchester Stadium, a new aquatics centre and became the home of British cycling.


“But that bid was made in very different economic climate.”


Coun Ward said the council would instead focus on community sports hubs in different parts of the city.


And a council spokesman said there were no plans to spend more cash on Alexander Stadium to make a Commonwealth bid viable.


Next year’s Commonwealth Games will be staged in Glasgow at a cost confirmed by the Scottish Parliament as £300 million.


London, fresh from staging last year’s Olympics, has also emerged as a potential 2022 Commonwealth Games host.


Birmingham’s former leisure boss, ex-Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Mullaney, first championed a Commonwealth Games bid in 2009, but told the Mail he had since changed his mind.


He claimed the Games were becoming increasingly irrelevant with many teams not sending their best athletes.


Mr Mullaney said they were not shown in France, Germany, China or America – nations with which Birmingham was forging trading links.


“You cannot justify such huge spending when facilities like Moseley Road Baths are facing closure,” he added.



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Interesting angle here...That parallel mind thought of the CWG irrelevence still prevails.

Birmingham clearly has a point though. This was a city that had Olympic ambitions.

Prehaps encouraging the return of Hong Kong as a team, as well as making America take up its open membership even just to attend the games?

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I think if the US was to compete in any capacity it could compete with individual states with former British links - Hawaii and Virginia for instance. They could send amateur athletes from these places. But I wouldn't support the US joining - not at least at this late stage.

I agree with Hong Kong though , I don't understand why they didn't compete after 1997, there was no reason for them not to.

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I guess the chinese want to keep it chinese. OTOH, Macau is a regular team and was the first - and a great - host city of the Lusophony Games back in 2006.

But HK still competes separately at the Olympics.

I see no reason why HK couldn't have continued to compete in the Games beyond 1997 - even if as "Chinese Hong Kong".

Thinking about it, with 1997 behind them, they would have made a fantastic host for 1998.

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Thinking about it, with 1997 behind them, they would have made a fantastic host for 1998.

I always thought it was a missed opportunity by giving Hongkers one last hurrah in the Commonwealth by hosting. Then again, I don't suppose the Chinese would have been happy at such a major marking of its HK's British birth.

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Would've been great to see Hong Kong back as a team, another would be Ireland but with the century of independence and the bloody struggle for it approaching, unlikely at the moment.

The discussion of the 'New England' states only allowed to attend is a no go, even Pres Hoover turned that option down. Its all or nothing, though I do like the idea of amature only...but then what is that these days...Awesome track and field battle though, imagine...

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I still think it's funny that Edmonton wants to bid. As much as I love a multi-sport games, and despite the fact we hosted eons ago, Edmonton simply can NOT afford a games like this when council won't even vote to fund critical public infrastructure, and with crumbling roads, bridges, schools and the like, the fact that this is even being considered is lunacy. I'm as socially progressive as anyone, but with our elections being held in the fall, I think that some Fiscal Conservatives on our council won't be a bad thing at all.

I think this would be a good chance for Durban, see if they're really up to the test for 2024 or 2028.

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Cannot see Durban going for Commonwealth if Olympics is on their and the countries planning horizon for the 2020s

I guess what posters here are saying that IF Durban went for a CWGs before the Olympics, and it happened before the vote for an Olympics wherein Durban was running, it would give Durban a complete, unimpeachable LOCK on the Olympic dream. But if Durban submits a solid bid with all the i's dotted and "t's" crossed, it may not be necessary. If there are too many venues, be prepared to spread out those arenas which can shipped to other RSA or neighboring cities.

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Saving resources, avoiding hosting fatigue and boosting their next summer olympics card. Canada had/will have its good share of sporting events with Vancouver, Toronto and the Women's World Cup. Different from the PanAms, a Commonweath Games isn't the best rehersal for the olympics, as the CWG program is considerably different from the olympic one.

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Good point...this would only be of concern if SA was hosting?...but then they could host them anytime.

We got two years before the CGF hanger onners pile into Auckland to find out.

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Singapore. Their climate is perfect year-round, or so I've heard.

The big thing with the Commies is that they don't care when they're held. The 5 from 02-18 are held in July-August, March, October, July-August, & April. They can basically be held whenever it suits the host nation.

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Honestly...I think SA would be better off going for the CWGs than the OGs. It is an easier win and would only ultimately strengthen a future Olympic bid. I know...I know...I know...I was only a casual observer and a tourist, but I did visit South Africa last year, and I honestly don't think they are ready for the Olympics. Lovely country. But big issues! And don't bring up FIFA in 2010. They very often prove themselves to be reckless and irresponsible. (Qatar 2022? REALLY?) And they often seem to just want to show the IOC up on geography. The IOC, however, knows they need to be more prudent. When rich and powerful countries spend fortunes on the Olympics - Montreal's 30 year debt, Greece's financial collapse, Beijing's 8 billion, rumours of Sochi's 50 billion price tag and Rio's cost overruns as examples - and still have challenges, is it wise to burden a country and a continent with enormous problems with such a trivial thing as the Olympics? No. It is actually immoral to do that. So...let the 2024, 2028, 2032 Olympics go to rich places and when the Africans can afford it, then they can host. Or...the IOC has to cut the Games down to 1970s levels. And we know that ain't happenin' anytime soon!

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/\/\ Or, just don't expect and don't build grandiose monuments. The centerpiece Olympic stadium is already there. The only other big investments are:

- the Village (part of which could be turned into university classrooms and dorms),

- a natatorium;

- maybe two 12,000-seat arenas (basketball, gymnastics).

- a velodrome shouldn't cost as much because all that good African wood is already there.

- Boxing, if it's still there...is usually an 8,000-seater.

Going by the list on worldstadiums, http://www.worldstadiums.com/africa/countries/south_africa.shtml Durban has 7 other stadia/arenas --with seating capacities from the 25,000 Kingsmead Cricket Grounds to the 6,500 Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium for football.

There is the enclosed ICC Durban Arena (10,000) which could host indoor volleyball or gymnastics)

Everything else is temporary and can fits in the Convention Center.

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Durban has some great infrastructure in place, especially the area around the stadium which is almost begging to be an Olympic Park.

Durban could also take the Beijing approach and build an arena for each of the several universities within the city.

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