The President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, HRH Tunku Imran, announced today that Durban (South Africa) and Edmonton (Canada) have formally advised their intention to bid for the XXII Commonwealth Games in 2022.
The CGF will now work closely with Commonwealth Games Canada and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and their local Games planning partners as they look to develop their formal bid proposals.
These are due to be lodged in March 2015 with formal consideration by the CGF’s members taking place at the Federation’s General Assembly in Auckland, New Zealand in September 2015.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games have already been allocated to the Gold Coast, Australia.
Imran said: “This is an exciting development for the Games movement, one that reinforces the Games position on the world’s sporting stage.
“The future outlook for the Commonwealth Games is extremely positive. Last week we saw the final visit of the Federation’s Coordination Commission to Glasgow in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and it highlighted the excellent progress being made there. Glasgow will be followed by a great Games on the Gold Coast in 2018 and now we have the prospect of these being followed by what I’m sure will be an outstanding Games in either Canada or South Africa in 2022.”
Gideon Sam, President of SASCOC said: “These are exciting times for South African sport. Over the years we have shown our ability to stage the biggest sporting events, with Rugby and Cricket World Cups being an example, plus of course the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“We’ve done exhaustive background work and are now of the opinion the country is ready for a major multi-code sports event and we are proud to announce our intention to bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. It’s a huge step forward in our history – and that of the African continent.”
Dr. Andrew Pipe, President of Commonwealth Games Canada said: “Canada is the birthplace of the Commonwealth Games, with the British Empire Games held in Hamilton in 1930. We welcome the opportunity to bring the Commonwealth’s best summer athletes back to Canada in 2022. Congratulations to Edmonton for this exciting initiative; we look forward to working with the city on the bid’s next steps.”
