On the Scene in St. Kitts - 2018 Commonwealth Games Up for Grabs

(ATR) Leaders of Commonwealth Games Associations and National Olympic Committees the world over tell Around the Rings the 2018 bids from Hambantota and Gold Coast could not be more different.

It's up to voters representing the Commonwealth Games Federation's 71 member nations – and almost a third of the world's population – to choose between the two.

That decision tops the agenda for this week's CGF General Assembly in St. Kitts, a tiny Caribbean island at least temporarily taken over by the delegations of Sri Lanka and Australia.

Also on tap are updates from organizers of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as well as the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa, a final report from Delhi 2010, a review of the sports program, elections to the Executive Board and regular annual meetings of the six CGF regions.

Risk Versus Reward

On the one hand is Hambantota, virgin territory for the Commonwealth Games but nothing new when considering Sri Lanka's proximity to India.

On the other is Gold Coast, a regional tourism hub already rife with transport infrastructure and sports facilities in a country claiming four past Games.

Like many CGA and NOC heads, Steve Stoute of Barbados accepted the invitations of both candidate cities to visit in the lead-up to the 2018 vote.

"Gold Coast has an excellent bid certainly from an environmental perspective, and most of the facilities are in place," he tells ATR.

"Hambantota is a virtual bid and if successful would probably be the most compact Games ever."

Scott Stevenson, director of sport for Commonwealth Games Canada, echoes Stoute's assessment of the campaign now coming to a close.

"Gold Coast is in a country that has hosted many Games before with many facilities already well established," he says.

"Sri Lanka hasn’t had near the same Games-hosting experience, so therefore there’s a lot more development required."

The CGF's own five-member inspection team arrived at similar findings following four-day trips to both Australia and Sri Lanka.

"The Gold Coast presents a high level of existing infrastructure," reads the Evaluation Commission's official report.

"Conversely, Hambantota provides the opportunity to develop a largely ‘greenfield’ site."

The report also labels a Games in the Gold Coast as "low" risk versus a Games in Hambantota as "medium to high" risk.

Whether delegates will consider the reward promised by Hambantota to outweigh that risk remains to be seen.

If so, Sri Lanka will soon be celebrating. If not, the Games are going to Gold Coast.

The world will find out Friday following final presentations throughout the afternoon.

Despite some countries arriving in St. Kitts with their minds already made up, just as many seem to be delaying the choice for as long as possible.

Conal Heatley, CEO of Commonwealth Games Council for Northern Ireland, tells ATR his will be among the latter.

"As it gets closer to the vote, more information is being presented," he says.

"The Council will leave its decision until the last minute when they have those facts."

Ballots will be cast at the close of business on Friday with a formal announcement of the 2018 Commonwealth Games host to follow at 6 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time.

End of an Era

While the election of a 2018 host city is surely the headline out of St. Kitts, the retirement of longtime CGF president Michael Fennell is far more than a footnote.

After overseeing Games in Kuala Lumpur, Manchester, Melbourne and Delhi during his 17 years at the helm, he decided not to stand for reelection this week in St. Kitts.

"Sometime last year, we looked at other people who had aspirations of leading the organization, and we felt that was perhaps a good time to retire," he tells ATR.

"There were a lot of people who encouraged me to stay on, but at the same time I think it’s important to know when to depart and to leave it to other people to carry on into the future."

In this case, it's Prince Tunku Imran of Malaysia taking the reigns from his good friend Fennell, who will soldier on in his role as president of the Jamaica Olympic Association.

Seen in St. Kitts

Not everyone is sporting the signature yellow golf shirts of Gold Coast, the daily rotation of Hambantota wear or even the insignia of the CGF.

Triathlon is in town pitching the addition of its mixed relay event to the CWG program following its recent inclusion at the 2014 Asian Games. A spokeswoman for the International Triathlon Union tells ATR "this would be a significant step forward" as the ITU sets its sights on the Rio 2016 Olympics.

This week also marks the first major appearance for new Glasgow 2014 CEO David Grevemberg, who took over from John Scott following his June resignation. Grevemberg will present to a CGAs workshop on Thursday and then to the General Assembly at large on Friday.

Stay tuned to ATR throughout the week for continuing coverage from St. Kitts, including in-depth previews of both Hambantota and Gold Coast as well as on-the-scene reaction following Friday's vote.

Written and reported in St. Kitts by Matthew Grayson.

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