SRI LANKA: Voting takes place on Friday to decide if Abuja or Glasgow will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Record ID: 574852

  • Title: SRI LANKA: Voting takes place on Friday to decide if Abuja or Glasgow will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games
  • Date: 9th November 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES FEDERATION MICHAEL FENNEL SAYING: "I want to publicly say that we are extremely gratified that we have had two such excellent bids for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and it just shows you that the Commonwealth Games are extremely strong, on a very strong footing just not only now but for the future." JOURNALISTS
  • Embargoed: 24th November 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Sri Lanka
  • Country: Sri Lanka
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA76GT9NMNL6SY2U77KVWKEUIS6
  • Story Text: The Vice-President of Nigeria and the First Minister of Scotland are both in Colombo, Sri Lanka to lobby on behalf of their cities' bids to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
    On Thursday (November 8) General Goodluck Jonathan spoke on behalf of Abuja and Alex Salmond spoke in support of the city of Glasgow; the only candidate cities.
    The general assembly of the Commonwealth Games federation will gather in Colombo on Friday (November 9) to vote between the two cities during the evening.
    Michael Fennel, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, told reporters: "We are extremely gratified that we have had two such excellent bids for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and it just shows you that the Commonwealth Games are extremely strong, on a very strong footing just not only now but for the future."
    Glasgow's bid states that 70 percent of the facilties for the Games are already in place and there will be great emphasis on the athletes' village.
    The bid says the village would be especially built on the banks of the River Clyde and would be twice the size of the athletes' village in Melbourne, site of the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
    Abuja's bid states that the city is only 30 years old and is still expanding outwards as its population increases. The bid points out that the city successfully hosted the eighth All Africa Games in 2003, and 75 percent of facilities for the Games are already built or in the planning stage.
    Accommodation and new facilities are due to be built in residential areas, or future residential areas. The bid says the new facilities will be well placed, as the city expands, to serve as sports centres for the local community after the Games have ended.
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