Commonwealth Games to cost more than R6bn

03 March 2015 - 02:00 By David Isaacson
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The cost of the 2022 Commonwealth Games will total a tad more than R6-billion, the CEO of the Durban 2022 bid committee, Tubby Reddy, said after the bid was submitted in London yesterday afternoon.

That includes R1.5-billion to build the athletes' village, which will be funded by the Department of Human Settlements, and "a little more than R1-billion" for the preparation of the South African team.

"If you take those figures out of the overall mix, then you're looking at about R3.5-billion to deliver the Games. That's upgrading the venues and everything," Reddy said in a telephone interview.

According to an economic impact study by Ernst & Young, hosting the Games will boost GDP by R11-billion.

Reddy said team preparation costs would be borne by Sport and Recreation SA, the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, the Lotto and corporates.

This budget, which will also go to youths likely to compete in 2022, exceeds the preparation funding previously given to the country's top Olympic athletes.

"We need to identify athletes now," said Reddy.

Olympic swimming champion Cameron van der Burgh and long-jumper Khotso Mokoena, a silver medallist at the 2008 Games, accompanied the bid committee to London.

Durban is the only candidate after Edmonton in Canada withdrew, citing financial concerns.

According to the bid book, a total of 32 venues will be used for the Games, which includes sporting, training, administrative and media centres.

The proposed schedule of events changes the tradition of getting swimming under way before athletics - the track and field would start on July 19 and the gala on July 24.

The 2022 Games, from July 19 to July 30, would also be one day longer than previous Games, with 12 days of competition, excluding the opening ceremony on July 18.

One of the two possible swimming venues would be an open-air temporary structure at the Rachel Finlayson tidal pool.

The biggest venues will be the Moses Mabhida Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics competition, and Kings Park rugby Stadium, where the sevens will be played. Both have a proposed capacity of 54000.

After that are 5000-seaters for the swimming and hockey, with the marathon route getting stands to hold 5200 people.

Yesterday's presentation was purely ceremonial, with no questions posed by the Commonwealth Games Federation.

An evaluation commission from the federation will head out in late April to interrogate the bid.

"They will come in with their expertise and engage with our experts and interrogate what we are saying - is it feasible? Is it deliverable? Are we just fabricating? Those kinds of things," Reddy said.

SEE: Ernst & Young's economic impact report

 

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