Manchester joins Liverpool and Birmingham in making 2022 Commonwealth Games pitch
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 15/03/17 12:13pm
Manchester has joined Birmingham and Liverpool in making its pitch to replace Durban as the host of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) stripped Durban of the right to stage the Games on Monday, only 18 months after the city was awarded them but one month after South Africa's sports minister admitted the country could not afford them.
Having already expressed an interest in the 2026 event, Birmingham and Liverpool wasted little time in saying they would be delighted to take it on four years early, and now Manchester has said it is interested in reprising its hosting of the 2002 Games.
In a statement, a Manchester City Council spokesman said: "It is disappointing that South Africa and Durban have been unable to organise the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
"Manchester has always considered itself part of the Commonwealth Games family and we worked incredibly closely with the Commonwealth Games Federation to deliver a memorable 2002 Games here in the city.
"If we were invited to help we would be pleased to work with the Commonwealth Games Federation and the government to ensure the delivery of a successful 2022 Games in England which could make a significant contribution to the growth of the northern powerhouse as well as supporting the Commonwealth sporting family."
With a bid from England considered by many to be the safest bet for 2022, a decision on which city is likely to be the best candidate rests with Commonwealth Games England (CGE).
Its chief executive Paul Blanchard said on Tuesday it was too early to make that call now and it was waiting to hear CGF's plans for choosing a replacement host. Normally CGE would choose a preferred bidder to present to CGF, which would then be ratified and put forward to a vote by the federation's members.
CGF executive vice-president Kereyn Smith has said it could be "a matter of months" before a decision is taken on how to re-allocate the 2022 Games, but many close observers believe the normal bidding process will be cut short to give the new hosts as much time as possible to prepare.
Manchester was the last English host of the Commonwealth Games in 2002, while Glasgow hosted the event in 2014, when 5,000 athletes from 71 countries took part.
Australia's Gold Coast is doing the honours in 2018 and it has been suggested in Australia that the Queensland city could stage them again in 2022, although the local authorities have rejected this idea.
Melbourne is perhaps a more likely Australian alternative to the English trio, as it staged the Games in 2006, while Canada's Edmonton was Durban's last rival in the 2015 bidding contest before pulling out with its own financial concerns.
One idea is that Edmonton may propose a joint bid with 1988 Winter Olympics host Calgary, and it is also possible the English cities may suggest a joint bid of some sort.
