Let the Games begin

Durban will spend an estimated R6.4-billion on hosting the Commonwealth Games.

Durban will spend an estimated R6.4-billion on hosting the Commonwealth Games.

Published Aug 28, 2015

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In September, South Africa will know whether they will be hosting two grand sporting events. The announcement of the host city for the Commonwealth Games will be made on September 2 at 7am, and will be carried live on just about every local television station.

Sascoc have churned out releases about the Games on a regular basis. In them they tell of how the Congress of the Commonwealth Games Federation will vote on whether to award the 2022 games to Durban and that “the Bid Team remains confident of a positive outcome”. Well, yes, you would think so. Durban is the only city that is still in the running. There is no other competitor. If Durban can’t win a one-horse race, then they should be taken out back and put out of their misery.

What will be printed on the voting documents for the people of the Congress on September 2: “Please place a tick next to the box of your preference to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games – (a) Durban; or (b) no one. Without Durban, there will be no 2022 Games. Edmonton did not want them. They cost too much. Durban will spend an estimated R6.4-billion on hosting the games. They then estimate this will result in a R25-billion economic impact, some of that coming from British tourists spending pounds. That sounds like a stretch, but a stretch of a future outcome is hard to prove and sits well on the ears of government.

Yesterday came the news that the Commonwealth Games could be preceded in South Africa by a bigger and much more popular international event – the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Japan, the hosts, have been given until the end of September to provide a “revised detailed host venue proposal” after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe put a stop to plans for a R26-billion national stadium for the 2020 Olympics because he believed it was extravagant. Abe may be the first politician to put pocket before pride, a brave and good decision.

Should Japan lose the rights, then the Australians indicated yesterday they might bid for 2019, but Bill Pulver, the ARU CEO, admitted they would be behind South Africa in the queue. Saru announced earlier this year they will bid for the 2023 World Cup after losing out on 2015 and 2019. Australia might play a tactically smart move by backing South Africa should Japan fall away, and thus hope to win the 2023 tournament.

“I hope sincerely that Japan doesn’t fall over and I doubt if they will fall over,” said Pulver. “Obviously, our Southern hemisphere friends in South Africa are desperate for a second World Cup given that would even it out. So we’d have to work out whether we’d just get in behind them and support them. To be honest, I suspect we would.” - The Star

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