The delegates, drawn from the federation’s African and Asian associations, will visit several venues and facilities around the City as part of the evaluation process.
“These visits by the CGA (Commonwealth Games Associations) are absolutely critical for the bid process as they determine whether Durban is awarded the right to host the Games in 2022 or not, Tubby Reddy, the CEO of the Durban Bid Committee, said.
Tomorrow’s visit by the federation’s delegates is a follow up to April’s visit by the CGF’s Evaluation Commission – which held meetings with eThekwini local government leaders and other local partners.
eThekwini, which in recent months successfully hosted high profile events such as the BRICS summit, will fork out about R6 billion in preparation costs for the games.
However, the bid committee, which in March travelled to the Commonwealth Games Federation’s Headquarters in London to officially lodge the City’s bid documents, said the City’s investment would be a drop in the ocean compared to the economic spinoffs which the municipality stands to reap for hosting the games.
According to the committee’s calculations, the games would boost eThekwini’s economy to the tune of R25 billion.
