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Sri Lanka in good position for Commonwealth Games: Evaluation Commission
Sri Lanka is in a good position to hold the 2018 Commonwealth Games as the government has guaranteed to develop the southern city of Hambantota to host the event, said the evaluation commission from the Commonwealth Games secretariat.
The development in process and the guarantees provided by the government certainly gives us the comfort that the construction program will be over in 2016 which is almost two years ahead of the games, so I do not believe that there will be any issues, said Mike Hooper, chief executive of Commonwealth Games Federation.
The Evaluation Commission arrived in the island to evaluate plans and to visit Hambanthota, the city bidding against Australia to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
When a city is being built as a venue the infrastructure has to make sure that the athletes can deliver the best, whichever country they come from, said Louise Martin, chairperson of the Evaluation Commission of the Commonwealth Games Federation
From what we have seen so far this is going to be a unique and exiting concept. I take my hat off to Sri Lanka because this has never been done before and looks as if it is going to be very good and will give everything the athletes need, she said.
She added that the commission will over the next four days visit all proposed venues.
A technical report will be issued on both Sri Lankan and Australian bids by October.
The Commonwealth member nations will vote on November 11 to decide which of the two cities will host the Games
Sri Lankas effort to host the Games has attracted some fire from critics who have questioned the volume of money being spent on it.
The funding will be partly by the private sector and partly by the government, said Ajith Nivard Cabraal, co chairman of Hambantota 2018 Organizing Committee.
The government will take the initial steps as far as the stadiums are concerned for which the Ministry of Sports will commit funds. The hotels as well as other infrastructure development will be taken up by the private sector.
We are also constructing two new hospitals which have been planned withstanding the receipt of the bid or otherwise. We are also developing the interior roads for the cricket stadium and other stadiums that are being built.
A recent nationwide poll conducted by the Nielsen Company received 63 percent backing, while the people in the immediate area had backed it 86 percent.
The survey was conducted among 2,600 males and females aged 14 to 70 in March and April this year.
A statement released by the bid committee said that many of those surveyed felt that the games would result in Sri Lanka being highly regarded by people from across the world.
"It was also felt that the games would bring in tourism opportunities for the country as well as being a channel for Sri Lanka to showcase its sporting talent," it said.
Lanka Business Report
Sri Lanka is in a good position to hold the 2018 Commonwealth Games as the government has guaranteed to develop the southern city of Hambantota to host the event, said the evaluation commission from the Commonwealth Games secretariat.
The development in process and the guarantees provided by the government certainly gives us the comfort that the construction program will be over in 2016 which is almost two years ahead of the games, so I do not believe that there will be any issues, said Mike Hooper, chief executive of Commonwealth Games Federation.
The Evaluation Commission arrived in the island to evaluate plans and to visit Hambanthota, the city bidding against Australia to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
When a city is being built as a venue the infrastructure has to make sure that the athletes can deliver the best, whichever country they come from, said Louise Martin, chairperson of the Evaluation Commission of the Commonwealth Games Federation
From what we have seen so far this is going to be a unique and exiting concept. I take my hat off to Sri Lanka because this has never been done before and looks as if it is going to be very good and will give everything the athletes need, she said.
She added that the commission will over the next four days visit all proposed venues.
A technical report will be issued on both Sri Lankan and Australian bids by October.
The Commonwealth member nations will vote on November 11 to decide which of the two cities will host the Games
Sri Lankas effort to host the Games has attracted some fire from critics who have questioned the volume of money being spent on it.
The funding will be partly by the private sector and partly by the government, said Ajith Nivard Cabraal, co chairman of Hambantota 2018 Organizing Committee.
The government will take the initial steps as far as the stadiums are concerned for which the Ministry of Sports will commit funds. The hotels as well as other infrastructure development will be taken up by the private sector.
We are also constructing two new hospitals which have been planned withstanding the receipt of the bid or otherwise. We are also developing the interior roads for the cricket stadium and other stadiums that are being built.
A recent nationwide poll conducted by the Nielsen Company received 63 percent backing, while the people in the immediate area had backed it 86 percent.
The survey was conducted among 2,600 males and females aged 14 to 70 in March and April this year.
A statement released by the bid committee said that many of those surveyed felt that the games would result in Sri Lanka being highly regarded by people from across the world.
"It was also felt that the games would bring in tourism opportunities for the country as well as being a channel for Sri Lanka to showcase its sporting talent," it said.
Lanka Business Report
