(ATR) Liverpool and Birmingham may move up their hosting aspirations of the Commonwealth Games following the failure of Durban, South Africa to develop its project for the 2022 edition of the event.
The Commonwealth Games Federation confirms it stripped Durban of its hosting rights on Monday after analyzing documentation provided by local organizers..
"It is with disappointment that the detailed review has concluded that there is a significant departure from the undertakings provided in Durban’s bid and as a result a number of key obligations and commitments in areas such as governance, venues, funding and risk management/assurance have not been met under the revised proposition," the CGF said in a statement.
British cities Liverpool and Birmingham are each bidding to host the 2026 edition of the event but are expected to move their bids up four years as a result of Durban's drop-out.
A Liverpool city council member says the city is willing and ready to step in as hosts of the 2022 games while Birmingham will complete a feasibility study for its 2026 bid in April. The feasibility study would likely be able to be applied to an attempt to step in as hosts of the 2022 edition
CGF president Louise Martin says the federation is now "actively exploring alternative options".
The organization of the 2022 edition of the event has been suspect for the better part of two years as the bid struggled to transform into a legitimate local organizing committee. The failure to establish an LOC and delayed payments to the CGF have left the federation with no other option but to strip South Africa of the hosting rights.
The Commonwealth Games will now have to wait several more years before making its debut in Africa. South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee president Gideon Sam lamented the loss.
"This is a huge disappointment for us and for the whole African continent," the CGF vice president told Reuters. "But without the necessary government guarantees, we couldn’t move on."
"Everybody was very excited to see the Commonwealth Games staged in Durban, which was very well equipped to host the event, but once the economics started to play a role, it became difficult," he added.
"We had hoped to make this a Games for all of Africa, and so this is a very sad day for the whole continent."
Martin says despite the mishap, the Commonwealth Games will one day be held in Africa.
"The CGF will continue to have an open dialogue with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the Republic of South Africa and remains committed to realizing the shared ambitions of a future Commonwealth Games in Africa," the CGF president said in a statement.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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