Work on the planning and construction of an eight-lane track inside Moses Mabhida Stadium will begin soon - Durban is wasting no time in preparing to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. On Wednesday, it was named Africa's first Commonwealth Games host, and eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo has emphasised that work on getting the city ready has to start right away."The work begins now; the preparations must start now. We must not wait. We must not lose a single day, a single hour or even a single minute," he said at King Shaka International Airport on Friday, just minutes after landing from Auckland, New Zealand, where the announcement was made.The eight-lane track at the stadium - which will host the opening ceremony, track and field events and Sevens rugby - is one of the first tasks."At this stage we have not mapped out which facilities need to come when. But with the stadium we know we need an athletics track to be installed. We will do it this financial year so that we know exactly what is needed," said eThekwini municipal manager Sibusiso Sithole.A technical committee, similar to one that was set up for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, will analyse the contract between the city and the Commonwealth Games Federation, establish obligations and look at time frames. After this, a full plan, with budget implications, will be drawn up.story_article_left1City and bid committee officials are adamant that the huge construction projects that were part of hosting the 2010 World Cup are not needed. Instead, most of the 17 sporting events will take place at facilities that are already in place.The games are estimated to cost about R6.4-billion. This is significantly less than the reported R10-billion they cost Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014, and the R12-billion Manchester and Melbourne paid in 2002 and 2006. The Durban 2022 bill is not even comparable to the controversy-ridden Delhi games in 2010, which cost the Indian government about R55-billion.Faizal Dawjee, the bid committee spokesman, said the budget had been kept low because most of the infrastructure - typically the biggest expense to hosting events of this nature - was in place.Facilities to be built include the Mabhida track and a hockey pitch at the Queensmead complex.The Olympic-size Rachel Finlayson pool and the squash courts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal will be upgraded. Two temporary structures - an all-glass squash court and a wheelchair basketball court - will be built."The vast majority of the sporting codes, about 80%, will be held within a 2.5km radius of Moses Mabhida Stadium, making it easy for access to different events for fans and spectators," said Dawjee.For several years, Durban has been developing the Kings Park Sports Precinct, which includes two stadiums, two golf courses, a swimming complex and facilities for cycling and road running.The national government is expected to pay about R1-billion towards the event, with the KwaZulu-Natal and eThekwini governments coming up with R500-million each.The balance will come from "sponsors, lottery [and] games revenue generation platforms, such as ticket and hospitality sales and media rights".Esethu Hasane, spokesman for the national Department of Sports and Recreation, said: "The department accepts that hosting the games will be costly as no mega-event comes with a cheap price tag. The economy is not doing well [but] it has been proved that tourism and infrastructure spending are good for the economy. International visitors are expected to contribute up to R12-billion in direct expenditure."savidesm@sundaytimes.co.za..