New Delhi edges Hamilton for 2010 Commonwealth Games WebPosted Fri Nov 14 00:23:35 2003
CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Hamilton's hopes of hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games were dashed Thursday when New Delhi defeated the southern Ontario city in a close vote. The announcement was made in Montego Bay, Jamaica. New Delhi, the Indian capital, won 46 votes to 22 for Hamilton. "I'm happy to announce that the host of the 2010 Commonwealth Games will be Delhi in India," Commonwealth Games Federation chair Michael Fennell announced to the delegates. The Games will travel to India for the first time ever and to Asia for the second time. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, held the event in 1998. With a population of more than 1.2 billion, India is the largest nation in the Commonwealth. "The people felt it was high time India got the Games," Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi told reporters. "It means a lot to us. We feel this will change the whole perception of the Commonwealth." The decision to award New Delhi with the Games did not go without controversy, however. Members of the Canadian contingent were upset that monetary offers may have made the difference in which city was awarded the Games. New Delhi officials made a last-minute offer of $7.2-million US -- $100,000 US ($129,000 Cdn) to each Commonwealth Games association of the 72 Commonwealth members -- that topped a sum the Hamilton group added to its last-day proposal. "We're disappointed, obviously," said Hamilton bid committee president Jagoda Pike. "In this type of competition, one wins and one loses and we knew that there was a good possibility it may not go our way. "I think the big surprise is the introduction of the cash to all of the voting countries at the last minute. That has really blurred the whole issue on whether they won on merit or if it was simply an issue of cash for votes. "If we knew that the card of haven't had the Games before is the one that won it for them, at least you would feel, `Well, I didn't get it but I understood what the issue was,"' said Pike. "I think at the last minute, to have introduced $100,000 per voting country makes the whole process feel dirty." Indian officials said they did not buy votes, but were just following Canada's lead. "No way," said Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi. "They already offered $5 million (Cdn). We have only bettered the $5 million." Hamilton's bid group said it had offered that amount as a scholarship training fund for athletes and coaches in needy countries. The Indian bid group said the money it was offering would be allocated for athlete training and it would be evenly distributed. Pike said Hamilton officials were told the Commonwealth Games Federation doesn't have rules preventing offers of cash. "The burning question at this point will become how the federation is going to deal with this," Pike said. "They certainly need to do something about this for future bidding processes." Hamilton began the bidding process as the front-runner, but New Delhi closed the gap significantly in recent weeks, so much so that it was seen as the favourite coming into Thursday's vote. Held every four years, the Commonwealth Games bring together over 5,000 athletes from the 72-member Commonwealth of Britain, as well as its overseas territories and former colonies. With a motto celebrating Humanity, Equality, Destiny, the Games are aimed at strengthening the Commonwealth nations through sports. The choice of New Delhi represents new frontier for the Commonwealth Games and it was an element Indian officials used in their presentation. The Indian delegation argued that wealthy countries host the Games too often and that "developing countries" deserve a chance to host if the Games are meant to be all-encompassing. Besides Malaysia, the only other developing country to host the Games was Jamaica in 1966. Canada last hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1994 in Victoria and many believed it was the nation's turn to host the event. The last two Games were held overseas -- in Kuala Lumpur (1998) and Manchester, England (2002) -- and the 2006 event will be hosted by Melbourne, Australia. But after Vancouver won the right to host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, there was some concern that having a second major international sporting event in the same year could hinder ticket sales and sponsorship. Both sides spent the past few days lobbying for positioning. Canada's contingent included Olympic gold medallist sprinter Donovan Bailey and Federal Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, a native of Hamilton. Copps returned to Toronto prior to Thursday's vote in order to attend the Liberal party's convention. The Indian delegation featured cricket star Sunil Gavaskar and several high-level politicians. On Thursday, each bid group gave a 30-minute presentation followed by a question-and-answer session. Hamilton's bid centred on its history -- among other things -- as a way to sell its bid. Hamilton was the site of the first-ever British Empire Games, the predecessor to the Commonwealth Games, in 1930. It's widely regarded that Bobby Robinson, a former Hamilton Spectator sports reporter, is the founder of the British Empire Games. Hamilton also advertised itself as a more sports-friendly location, noting it would hold the Games in July, when more athletes are available to compete. Instead, New Delhi will hold them in October. There is no word on whether Hamilton will enter a bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Halifax, which lost out to Hamilton as the Canadian bid city for 2010, could put forward another bid and there has been recent speculation that Toronto would also consider making a pitch in 2014. with files from Canadian Press ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
