900 Million For Commonwealth Games

The Chronicle Herald is reporting that we may have up to $900 Million to spend on the Commonwealth Games if we get them. The estimated costs are $785 million which means that at the end of it all it will likely go well past $1 billion. While I am a huge supporter of big events and spending lots, this seems like a whole lot of money. The Federal Government’s pledged nearly $400 million and corporate sponsors would likely pitch in another $145 million, but even with all of those contributions, Haligonians and Nova Scotians will be left with a healthy tab.

Montreal just finished paying for their Olympics this year. Through histroy, no matter how much optimism and good budgeting happens, a large event like this breaking even is a rare occurence. The big bonus is that we’d be left with a 25 000 seat stadium. Following that would, in all likelyhood be a CFL team. Again though, although a CFL team could be a booster to the local economy, there’s no guarantee. It hasn’t exactly been panning out that well for Ottawa over the last while…

I think it’s great that we’re considered to be a good place to host an event such as the Commonwealth Games, but the risks in this venture are growing every day. Not to mention that without a proper public transit system, the city will move at a snail’s pace for the duration of the games.

All that being said, I am a pessimist and the bid organisers as well as the selection committee seem very optimistic about what we can acheive. We’ll just have to wait until we find out who wins the bid to host the 2014 games and take it from there. Besides, by then I may have moved on to some other city

FAST TRACK STRIKE GOLD FOR 2010 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Fast Track, the broadcast rights, sponsorship and event marketing agency, was appointed to represent the International Broadcast Rights by the Organising Committee of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Announcing the appointment in Delhi, Mr Suresh Kalmadi MP, Chairman of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, said, “Following a very open and highly competitive tender process we have appointed Fast Track because of their long and very successful track record of delivering revenue and distribution targets for many Commonwealth Games.”

Fast Track’s Edward Leask said, “We are extremely honoured to have been appointed by the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee and we look forward to building on the huge success that we were able to achieve for the Organising Committee of the 2006 Games in Melbourne.”

Fast Track and its predecessor API – both owned by former Olympians Alan Pascoe MBE and Edward Leask – have had an involvement with every Commonwealth Games since 1990. The most recent being the Melbourne 2006 Games for which Fast Track delivered record levels of rights income and broadcast distribution not only within the 71 Commonwealth nations and territories but from such non-Commonwealth countries as the United States of America, the Middle East and across much of Europe.