Liverpool has officially launched its bid to host the Commonwealth Games with former English Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick leading the English city’s campaign team.

The 62-year-old Liverpudlian Barwick – who is chair of the Rugby Football League (RFL), Super League Europe Ltd, the National League and a member of the FA Council – will spearhead ‘Team Liverpool’ and the city’s drive to secure the event in 2026, or 2022 should the UK host the Commonwealth Games following Durban’s recent withdrawal.

Team Liverpool will feature a group of sports business experts with an unparalleled track record in successfully bidding for major sporting events, including the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and the FIFA World Cup.

Barwick said: “Having worked in and around sport most of my adult life, the chance to lead the work for my home city of Liverpool to host the Commonwealth Games is a huge privilege.

“I am delighted to be involved in this project and clear that Liverpool, with such an illustrious sports history, will make the perfect host city for the Commonwealth Games.

“I have already spent some time with the team and am very impressed with their enthusiasm and expertise.”

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson added: “I am delighted that Brian Barwick has accepted my invitation to chair the city’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games. He brings a wealth of experience both as a leader of some of the biggest sports organisations in the country and a successful career at the highest level in TV sport.

“Brian’s appointment, alongside a number of other highly respected advisors, sends out a powerful message that we are deadly serious about bidding for the games. We already have a first-class reputation in putting on major events during and since our time as European Capital of Culture in 2008.  

“I firmly believe we have the passion, belief and the ability to win and deliver a Commonwealth Games that can make the whole country and the Commonwealth proud.

“The Commonwealth Games has the potential to be a game changer in further driving forward the city’s regeneration and renaissance, reflecting our growing confidence and attracting jobs, investment and profile that money simply can’t buy, putting us on the world map.

“The team of advisers now working with us is world class and over the coming months our priority is to put in place a compelling bid that will resonate with the Government, Commonwealth Games England and, ultimately, the Commonwealth Games Federation. These are exciting times for our city.”

Although it was originally one of the primary candidates to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Canadian city of Edmonton has yet to decide if it will launch a new bid.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has again opened up the bidding process after Durban was stripped of the event and its CEO David Grevemberg revealed that prospective host cities have until April 28 to submit interest in replacing Durban.

Edmonton withdrew from the first bid process in 2015 to leave Durban as the sole candidate to go forward to CGF General Assembly for the 2022 games.

But speaking exclusively with Host City, Doug McLean, director of marketing at Edmonton Tourism, said no decision had yet been made if a new 2022 campaign will be launched.

McLean said: “We’re aware of what’s going on and looking at a lot of different situations, Commonwealth Games and others, but there’s nothing by any means confirmed that we would consider a bid at this point.

"We are certainly aware of the other cities and we will keep abreast of what’s happening.”

Following the decision to strip Durban of the 2022 games, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has revealed that it wants to name a replacement host city by the end of this year.

After being awarded the 2022 games in September 2015, it was decided in March this year that the South African city would not meet key criteria set out in the CGF bidding process.

Since that decision was made as many as nine candidate cities had expressed “some informal interest” after the CGF again opened up the bidding process.

Speaking to a select group of journalists at SportAccord Convention, CGF CEO David Grevemberg said that prospective host cities have until April 28 to submit interest in replacing Durban. Once that deadline has passed the CGF will begin evaluating each bid book.

“Nine cities have expressed some informal interest,” said Grevemberg. “We are now looking to make that process more formal.

“We have put out a clear call for interests by April 28. Then we will evaluate those submissions and go through a process. We are purposely agile because we need to move this as fast and furious as possible but we also need to have a timeline.

“Let’s see how many cities come forward. We don’t want cities to waste money through a laborious bid process. We want to be very streamlined in this approach and leverage as much value as we can for the new prospective hosts and federations.”

English cities Birmingham, Liverpool, London and Manchester have reportedly expressed interest in 2022 as well as speculation that Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur and cities in Canada could pose rival bids. Even a number of Australian cities could target 2022 despite the Gold Coast winning the rights to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Despite this, Grevemberg says that every bid will be assessed. He added: “There are no bids off the table right now, but we have to look at what’s the best interests for the movement, what are our real options and we just need to go through the process right now.

“I don’t want to be too speculative on any particular cities or decision because we have enough agility. The notion of extraordinary circumstances requires extraordinary process. We will continue to be vigilant and sticking to our principles on this process.

“We don’t take the expressions of interests for granted at all and we recognise we need to evaluate a partner and not just be an auditor in the process.”

Next year Glasgow will once again take centre stage and make history when it hosts the inaugural 2018 European Championships in partnership with Berlin.

The opportunity to host this exciting multi-sport event for the first time is a direct legacy of Scotland hosting the XX Commonwealth Games and The 2014 Ryder Cup.

We knew heading into these two landmark events that we had a unique opportunity to establish Scotland as the perfect stage for events. The planning, delivery and ultimately successes of 2014 gave us the springboard to establish Scotland as a world leading international events destination.

The facilities and expertise gained from both of these events, along with the events Scotland has hosted since, will now play a crucial role in the successful delivery of next year’s event.  Six of the seven sports - Aquatics, Cycling, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing, and Triathlon – will be in Glasgow and Scotland while Berlin will host the Athletics.

The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome at Emirates Arena, The SSE Hydro, Tollcross International Swimming Centre and Cathkin Braes Mountain Bike Trails are just some of the venues to make a return, while a new World Championship and Olympic standard BMX track will be built in the city, providing future opportunities for major events as well as grassroots development for the sport. A few of the sports will head out of city. Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool will host the Diving and the Open Water Swim will take place at the picturesque Loch Lomond, while Rowing and Triathlon will take place in Strathclyde Country Park.

For spectators and athletes alike, the Glasgow 2018 European Championships will create a new highlight on the international sporting calendar. It creates the opportunity for us to reach beyond the dedicated fans of the individual sports and to connect to a much broader audience, just as we saw through the legacy of the XX Commonwealth Games. It is a chance for sports to use Glasgow 2018 as a shop window to connect with people beyond the event and with some of our biggest participation sports taking part, it again allows us to inspire more people to take part in sport, get involved in coaching and establish more teams and places within sports clubs.

The success of and the legacies from the XX Commonwealth Games and The 2014 Ryder Cup have been the catalysts for Scotland’s winning bids to stage internationally significant events in recent times. They set the bar by which Scottish events are judged. Glasgow 2018 will build on this and help create a legacy going into the two major events taking place in 2019.

As the sporting capital of Scotland, Glasgow will again play host to some of the world’s best athletes’ as it hosts the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships, while at Gleneagles – which will also host the golf event for Glasgow 2018 -  the magic of The 2014 Ryder Cup will be recreated when it welcomes the women’s equivalent, The 2019 Solheim Cup.

Just like the XX Commonwealth Games and The 2014 Ryder Cup, the images from the 2018 Glasgow European Championships will define Scotland and it is the far-reaching legacies of these occasions that will continue to define Scotland’s event industry.

Coupled with our stunning natural environment, outstanding build facilities, rich culture and heritage and passionate people, Scotland’s capability, credibility, capacity and confidence to deliver innovative and pioneering events will see us maintain our position amongst global elite event destinations.

At EventScotland we are proud of our role in bringing the legacy to life by identifying, developing and utilising Scotland’s unique selling points to bring the world’s best events to our shores.

After steering Glasgow 2014 through its highly successful Commonwealth Games, David Grevemberg is relishing his fresh challenge: running the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

“Like Commonwealth athletes we celebrate our successes and get straight back to the training field pushing every day towards new and ambitious goals. The pace is fast with the focus over the coming months on key milestones for three future Games,” the former wrestler told HOST CITY.

“First up on the starting block in real terms is the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa which is in September and is such an important launch pad for the next generation of Commonwealth sporting stars.

“There's the Gold Coast 2018 team focusing on their core planning phase, then there's the bidding process for the 2022 Commonwealth Games which is in full swing.”

City stories: 2022 bids

The evaluation process for 2022 is being led by Louise Martin. HOST CITY asked Grevemberg to identify the most important contributions that the candidates for 2022, Durban and Edmonton, could bring to the Games.

"One of the most important things they can each bring to the CGF evaluation process – as well, of course, of demonstrating the technical capabilities – is that real sense of where the Commonwealth Games sits within the past, present and future stories of their city, how the Games fits within the aspirations of their citizens and communities and what further opportunities being a Host City could help them unlock.

“We're really fortunate to have in both Durban and Edmonton such incredibly dynamic yet different great Commonwealth cities with their own rich stories, distinct aspirations and goals.” 

The official Candidate City bid lodgement for the 2022 Commonwealth Games takes place in March next year with the formal announcement of the Host City of the XXII Commonwealth Games made at the CGF General Assembly in Auckland next September. 

“I'm really looking forward to hearing the visions and ambitions that are coming forward," said Grevemberg.

Youth appeal: Gold Coast

As for what the Gold Coast 2018 is doing to build the Commonwealth Games brand further, Grevemberg said: "The Gold Coast team is at an exciting stage in their journey and it's thrilling to see the next Commonwealth Games taking shape. Gold Coast 2018 will have its own distinct identity, create its own dynamic place in Commonwealth history and will connect new individuals and communities through the positive power of sport.”

Grevemberg is anticipates the Gold Coast having a particularly big impact on youth around the world. "Through sport we have a great opportunity to play an empowering part in realising the potential of young people.

“With 60 per cent of the Commonwealth's two billion citizens under the age of 30, this is our opportunity to impact positively on the next generation of Commonwealth citizens and leaders and I'm confident that the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will deliver a world-class stage on which the elite athletes of the Commonwealth can inspire and engage across nations, territories and communities."

Why bid for the Games?

Taking to the helm of a federation that owns the rights to one of the world’s biggest event properties at a time when some cities are shying away from hosting mega events, Grevemberg is keen to stress the benefits of bidding for the Games. 

“Each Commonwealth Games is itself a great opportunity for cities and communities across the Commonwealth to see for themselves the potential that being a Host City can bring.

He cites Glasgow 2014 as an example. “Prospective host cities can look at Glasgow 2014 and see the potential for social impact hosting a Commonwealth Games can bring, as well as the opportunities a Games offers cities and nations to engage positively with the broader Commonwealth and beyond.

 “The Commonwealth Games played a core part in delivering on city and national ambitions for jobs and health, showcasing international excellence in complex event delivery as well as creating a world-class celebration of which the people of Glasgow and Scotland could really feel part of and feel incredibly proud.

“In achieving their goals and delivering the Games, the Glasgow 2014 Games Partners also thought carefully and creatively about infrastructural investment, making deliberate decisions to invest in improving permanent sporting facilities that are both world-class and community-relevant. 

“The decision, for example, to overlay a temporary athletics field of play in Hampden Park, Scotland's national football stadium instead of building a new athletics stadium demonstrated really well how using smart technological solutions could assist in creating sustainable and cost-effective alternatives to building new venues.

"Glasgow 2014 was a turning point for the Commonwealth sports movement. The Games in Glasgow demonstrated what can be achieved when people are united through passion, partnership and common purpose.”

HOST CITY: Bid to Win

During his transition from CEO of Glasgow 2014 to the Commonwealth Games Federation, Grevemberg enjoyed the opportunity to speak at HOST CITY Bid to Win conference.

“Sharing the experiences and ambitions of others is always insightful and energising. Sport creates so many powerful opportunities for innovation, collaboration and partnerships and gatherings such as this play a valuable part in sparking ideas and motivating ambition.

“Partnerships will be a core focus for the CGF and our job now is to harness all of that potential and use it to take Commonwealth sport to a new level.”

Edmonton announced on Monday that it would not proceed with its bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, citing the negative impact of the dramatic fall in oil prices worldwide.

The Commonwealth Games Federation expressed disappointment in the news but is confident that Durban, the only other city bidding for the 2022 Games, can host what would be Africa’s first Commonwealth Games.

Edmonton will instead focus on the 2026 Games.

Alberta’s economy is heavily reliant on oil exports. The fall in oil prices is having a significant economic impact on the province.

Since the Edmonton 2022 bid was launched, Alberta’s fiscal programme has fallen from a CA$500m surplus to a CA$7bn deficit.

“In light of this, we determined that we could not in good conscience put forth our bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games,” said Bid Chairman Reg Milley.

“We strongly believe in the values of the Commonwealth Games and all that they stand for. Which is why this has not been an easy decision for us, as our team has been working tirelessly these last months to put together an extraordinary bid.

“But we believe that at this time it would not be right to move forward with our bid when cuts are being made in our communities to programmes like in education and health.”

Edmonton’s withdrawal has echoes of the 2006 bidding process, which saw sole bidder Melbourne being awarded the Commonwealth Games after Wellington pulled out due to cost concerns.

"We are obviously disappointed to hear Edmonton will not be part of the host city bidding process for the 2022 Commonwealth Games,” said David Grevemberg, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

“We now look forward enthusiastically to working with the Durban 2022 Bid team and their partners through the evaluation process so, together as a Commonwealth sporting movement, we can realise the ambitions of delivering Africa's first Commonwealth Games.

“I'm confident that there will be a great 2022 Commonwealth Games to follow on from the fantastic experience of Glasgow and the dynamic Games currently shaping up in the Gold Coast for 2018.

“We will continue to engage with CGAs, cities, communities and citizens to ensure the 2022 Commonwealth Games can create a world-class sporting stage for elite athletes of the Commonwealth as well as make a positive and lasting contribution to the legacy ambitions of a proud African Commonwealth city and its people."

Edmonton’s bid was seen as a very strong contender and had the 2022 Games in its sights.

However, it was notable that the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, and not Edmonton, chose to exhibit at HOST CITY Bid to Win in October 2014, which included David Grevemberg as one of its VIP speakers.

“We are of course very saddened by this decision, but we know that this is the right one for the future of our city, province and country,” said bid CEO Simon Farbrother said.

“The Commonwealth Games have strong roots in Canada and we plan to be able to come back for the 2026 Games should the economic status allow. Of course, we are committed to supporting all sport events coming to our wonderful city and especially look forward to welcoming the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer.”

David Grevemberg said “The Edmonton bid team, in collaboration with their partners, has worked hard to lay the foundations of a great bid and we will work closely with them as they focus all efforts on bringing the Commonwealth Games back to Canada - where the Commonwealth Games first began – in 2026.”

Durban has also been linked to a potential bid for the Olympic Games in 2024, along with other South African cities.

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee was planning on waiting until the outcome of the Commonwealth Games host city election, on 2 September 2015, before announcing whether it would bid for the 2024 Olympic Games before the IOC’s bid submission deadline of 15 September.

 With Durban the sole bidder, the host city election for the 2022 Games now seems a foregone conclusion.