Costs and hitches kill Durban’s Games bid
The Commonwealth Games Federation says the city failed to meet the promises contained in its bid and the search for a replacement host was on
Durban was stripped of the right to stage the 2022 Commonwealth Games on Monday after a trail of missed deadlines and financial problems, which highlight the burdens facing host cities of major sporting events. The Commonwealth Games Federation said the city had failed to meet the promises contained in its bid and the search for a replacement host was on. Africa has never hosted the Games, which take place every four years and bring together athletes from the 52 members of the Commonwealth. The writing had been on the wall for several weeks after Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said the projected costs were more than the flagging economy could afford and talks to cut the budget had stalled. The news that Durban had been stripped of the right to host the Games was met with mixed reactions. It was the only city to launch a formal bid to host the Games after Canada’s Edmonton withdrew in 2015. SA would have spent R8bn on the event, according to the organisers. It was expecting revenue o...
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