Halifax bid for 2014 commonwealth games Has been scrapped!

This was posted on the CTV website

[url]http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070308/halifax_games_070308/20070308?hub=Canada[/url]

Canadian Press

HALIFAX, N.S. -- The Nova Scotia government and the city of Halifax are scrapping their bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The province and the city pulled the plug on the project amid increasing criticism about the growing cost of the Games and the lack of transparency in the bid process.

Last month, some city councillors said they would withdraw their support if the final estimated price tag exceeded the initial estimate of $785 million.

In a release today, the two levels of government said the bid budget, with inflation factored in, was close to $1.7 billion.

Halifax beat Hamilton, Ottawa and suburban Toronto's York Region in December 2005 to become Canada's candidate to host the Games.

Secrecy surrounding the Halifax bid led to speculation that the final cost would be much higher than anticipated.

That prompted the head of the bid committee, CEO Scott Logan, to admit he had been too cautious about disclosing information.

Halifax was competing against Glasgow, Scotland, and Abuja, Nigeria, for the Olympic-style sports spectacle.

Final bids are supposed to be filed with the Commonwealth Games Federation in London, England, by May 9.

The winner will be announced in November.

This may be all she wrote for the possibility of Halifax getting a CFL team in the next few Years.

It's too bad. I always wanted to see Atlantic Canada represented in the CFL.

Yup, you can kiss expansion to Halifax good bye for a while.

Next:

Quebec City?

i feel sick! halifax wasted everyones time.

hamilton coulda gotten the games and replaced that decaying heap they call IWS.

they are so stupid, they can't just make adjustments? i'm sure theres alot of things they coulda done without for these games to lower the cost.

QUEBEC-CITY!!!

Unfortunate, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Long live the CFL!!

i don't know why the 3 levels of governments, along with major corporate partners can't just pay for a stadium in halifax without having to bring in CG?....it woulda be cheaper than the whole CG funding anyways.

put a track in there, but make it so seats can cover the track during footbal games.

i wouldnt count out CFL expansion, but it certainly makes it harder. Halifax needs a stadium regardless, but it will have to come out from a combined private source and maybe the provincial government. too bad, they've been getting some bad press over the last little while. common glasgow!

Just building a 30,000+ seat stadium would be much cheaper.

I agree, this is a sad day for Canadian Sport fans and a real kick in the teeth for the other cities that bid for Canada’s rep to hopst the games.

I do though disagree about Hamilton. Steeltown has proven this week by their abismal support for the Brier that they are not ready to host major sports events.

I agree. Not only does this bid kill expansion to the maritimes (maybe for good), but it also hurt Hamilton who would have built a great stadium.

This bid was weak form the start. Never saw even a conceptual drawing for ANY venue.

Curling is a niche sport. Clearly that niche doesn’t exist here in Hamilton.

That was a marvellous tactfully expressed comment, andkon,
quite unlike the unecessary remark you responded to. Bravo!

Wasn’t meant to be tactfull, it was meant to be truthfull. Hamilton should be ashamed of their lack of support for the Brier. If you aren’t going to support an event, don’t bid to host it. The same can be said about Halifax, if you aren’t going to carry through, don’t waste the other cities bidding for the right to host the games time and money.

You are right CFL, Hamilton should be ashamed. As for curling be a niche, yup just like the CFL is a niche sport. Heck the program “Little Mosque” has more viewers than the CFL and I am sure that more people participate in organized curling than play organized football in this country and certainly more people around the world curl than play Canadian football.

little mosque gets more than 350,000 viewers each week????

So, a question for the Maritime residents.......

Is there any people, or movements, or ideas, about someone with deep pockets wanting to build a stadium and perhaps plan for a team say in 2012 + without the Commonwelath games now? Is Halifax offically dead now?

They average more than a million a week… Its in the top 30

http://www.bbm.ca/en/nat02262007.pdf

cfleskfan, I called your remark ‘unecessary’

andkon’s remark was more than just tactful,
calling curling a niche sport was bang on.

It’s like soccer, gymnastics or swimming,
sports which may catch our attention
once every four years with the Olympics

but then they revert to a niche interest
which I, and apparently many others
around this neck of the woods, don’t share.

If they are such a niche sport why bid for them? There are lots of other places that have managed to have full stands for the Brier! Its this Central Canada attitude that just because something is not “big” there it is somehow a fringe thing that drives so many people crazy. BUt then again maybe its just you as I doubt that even in central Canada that most people would think that soccer is a niche sport… perhaps you could give me an example of a sport that you think is not niche?

Back to the original point - that Halifax is out of the commonwealth games running - this is the worst CFL-related news (and arguably the worst sporting news) I've heard since the Renegades were suspended. :frowning:

halifax is selfish, it knew it didnt have the funds to host the games, but wanted the spotlight when they won the national bid over other cities, halifax and hamilton are the worst sporting towns in canada, hamilton hypes up a curling tournament that nobody attended, nobody watches ahl games, and the only reason they go to ticats games is to get stoned, drunk, and fight.