[Source: SportAccord Convention] SportAccord Convention is delighted to confirm the official signing ceremony took place today with Host City ‘Bangkok’ for the sixteenth edition of the Convention to be held from 15 – 20 April 2018.

The signing event was carried out at the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) building with Nis Hatt, Managing Director of SportAccord Convention, H.E. General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, and H.E. Mrs. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, the Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand.

“Hosting the SportAccord Convention in Bangkok enables us to reach out to all the International Sport Federations and those organisations involved in the business of sport to share our sports tourism vision as well as enabling delegates to experience all that Thailand has to offer. The Tourism and Sports Ministry is a key driver in helping to promote Bangkok and Thailand as a sports dream destination and sports hub in Asean, and these are some of the reasons why the SportAccord Convention is an important event for us as the Host City.” said Mrs Kobkarn.

With state-of-the-art venues and a city brimming with opportunities and cultural gems, Bangkok is host to many world-class events, and in 2016 served as the gateway for over 30 million tourists who visited Thailand.

Commenting on Bangkok becoming the next Host City, Nis Hatt said, “SportAccord Convention is delighted for the Convention to come to Bangkok, Thailand, and our host should be commended for

their dedication and passion in bringing the Convention here, which in turn will support both the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in their future development goals. Hatt went on to say:

“We are already making good progress with preparations for next year’s Convention and I am confident we will be able to deliver a memorable event in Bangkok for our delegates.”

The overarching theme for the sixteenth edition of the SportAccord Convention will focus on marketing and sponsorship with further details being revealed once registration opens in June. The Convention will also see new initiatives including a 3-day sports festival where all International Federations along with their National Federations will be invited to take part. In addition, the event is being promoted as a ‘family affair’, thus making Thailand the vacation destination for delegates and their families in 2018.

Bangkok was announced as the next Host City during the spectacular SAC2017 Opening Ceremony in Aarhus, Denmark, this year’s European Capital of Culture.

Hosting the FIFA World Cup in China would bring benefits for football internationally and at home, even if the national team still has a long way to go to become strong team, according to Oceans Sports & Entertainment vice president Norman Liu.

“China has a big market in the world, in terms of the population of football fans,” he told Host City in Beijing. “So China could be the right destination for FIFA to promote the football sports worldwide.”

Liu has been in China’s sports industry for years, including working in the marketing department of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Organising Committee (BOCOG).

“Also in China we have so many companies that want to get involved in football and sports marketing. So commercially, China could be a great choice for world football.”

China hosted the Women’s World Cup in 1991 and 2007. The country also has experience of hosting the biggest events in the world, from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing to the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing and the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.

At least 10 cities are required to host World Cup matches, with co-hosting within the scope of the bidding rules.

On 14 May, (South) Korean Football Association president Chung Mong-gyu told national press that he would support a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup with China and Japan. But at the FIFA Congress in Bahrain on 10 and 11 May, a rule was upheld that states continents must wait two editions before hosting the World Cup again. Asia has the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

So the soonest Asia could bid for the World Cup would be for 2034.

Earlier in the month Liu Xiaoming, China’s Ambassador to the UK, said hosting the World Cup is a “dream” for China beyond 2030.

Developing football in China

According to Norman Liu, hosting the FIFA World Cup would also help to develop the sport in China.

“Personally I saw there is a very big opportunity from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Before the event few people went to stadiums to watch their home side games. After that, so many sports fans went to stadiums to watch their local club.

“You could not imagine before the Olympic Games so many fans going to the stadium to cheer for the home club. After 2008, people would go to the stadium on match days, on the weekend and on weekdays. So, I think the mega event changed people’s behaviour to consume sports.

“But I think if China hosts the World Cup that could be very good opportunity to be developed further in China.”

Increased participation is another potential benefit and China is working to improve the standard of play in the country. The Chinese Football Association’s recently published 2020 action plan includes targets for developing football in China, such as for the men’s team to be in top 70 by 2020 – up from their current FIFA ranking of 81st – and for China to finish in top eight of 2019 Women’s World Cup.

However, the qualification of the national team is not a criteria for hosting.

“Although our national team’s performance still has a big space to improve, the Chinese society have the desire and interest to host a worldwide tournament in China,” said Liu.

“Personally, I think hosting the World Cup will help China to develop football in China. Chinese fans never gave up hopes on their national team performing more and more in international tournaments and we hope our national team can be better than before, to be a qualified host.”

In the meantime, there is still a possibility China can qualify for Russia 2018. “It’s a small chance.”

After the film La La Land won six Oscars, seven Golden Globes and five BAFTAs you would have thought that Los Angeles is getting bored in 2017 celebrating the success of its city and famous residents.

Don’t believe that for one Hollywood minute. That’s because the US city is still in the running for perhaps the year’s biggest prize of all – the hosting rights to the 2024 Olympic Games.

The race to host the 2024 Games is down to two candidate cities and in September the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Lima, Peru, will decide whether it’s LA or Paris that gets the nomination.

With the 130^th IOC session fast approaching, the LA and Paris bid committees have been busy putting together the final touches of their showreel in order to garner votes for the 2024 election.

One major showcase for both bids was the 2017 SportAccord Convention (SAC) in Aarhus, Denmark in April.

Vive la difference

The French capital put forward its bid of being ‘the right city, with the right vision at the right moment’. It also promised international federations and the Olympic movement that it would host the “most spectacular Games ever”.

The Paris presentation revealed that 95% of venues were already existing or temporary and the city’s ultra-compact plan would ensure that 85% of venues will be within 30 minutes of the athletes’ village.

Strong stuff from the “City of Light”, which is hoping to mark 100 years since it last hosted the Olympics in 1924.

And during LA’s 15 minutes in the spotlight at SAC, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti told delegates: “It’s important we draw a distinction in our vision, because although many believe the two bids in this race are quite similar… they are, in fact, very different.”

Privately-financed bid

With the heart of the film industry within its boundaries, it comes as no surprise that the Californians presented a strong narrative. When Host City asked LA 2024 Candidature Committee chairman Casey Wasserman if the entertainment industry could be drawn on for a potential LA 2024 Games, he replied: “We are very proud of our storytelling community, that’s what Hollywood is all about. When people want to speak to the world they come to LA. We think our ability of leverage that and bring that to the Olympic Games will be tremendous.”

While LA will bring some razzmatazz to the Olympic Games, the city’s bid has another very big USP regarding the bid’s funding.

“We are a privately-financed bid,” Angela Ruggiero, chief strategy officer for the LA 2024 Candidature Committee, former ice hockey star and IOC executive board member told Host City.

“That’s very different from a government-financed project where you are sort of at the whim of the government. We’ve made that one of our key focal points as a bid is to have the lowest-risk approach with the most sound budget.”

LA will require federal support for security matters, but the operations and management overlay is financed through the individual projects. “That’s a distinguishing factor between the two bids and we wanted to highlight that because we do things differently in regards to hosting events,” added Ruggiero.

“We don’t have sports ministers for example. The way that we promote sport is through the private sector. Budgets can’t be slashed, therefore it’s a different kind of model.”

For venues, LA has adopted a low-risk approach of utlising the city’s extensive existing sports assets. This tactic has helped grow public support in the Olympic bid to 88%.

One asset, for example, is the LA Memorial Coliseum, which is planned to host the medal ceremonies and track-and-field events in 2024. On May 3 it was announced that the University of Southern California had secured approval from the Coliseum Commission to proceed with its $270 million privately funded upgrade of the LA Memorial Coliseum.

The elephant in the room at SAC

With two very strong and well-supported bids, one major city is going to miss out when the IOC makes its big decision in September. Or will it?

The IOC Session in Lima could in fact name the host city for both 2024 and 2028 – meaning both Paris and LA win the right to host a summer games. A working group composed of the IOC’s four vice presidents is currently evaluating this possibility.

Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC vice-president, told a select group of journalists at SAC: “Basically what we are doing is not talking about 2024, internally we are thinking of how we can be more flexible to have a selection system that better suits our interests and the interests of the Olympic movement. The ideas that we might have for 2024 and 2028 are serious ones, but there is a process and both cities know what the process is.”

Paris’ committee has said it only wants to host in 2024 while LA chairman Wasserman was also straight with his answer. He told Host City: “We are bidding for 2024. There should be no confusion about that. I applaud the IOC for their thinking because it’s strategic and timely, but it’s also hypothetical. We’re bidding for 2024. Hypotheticals are not interesting.”

Next on the agenda for the IOC and the LA and Paris committees is the 2024 candidate briefing for IOC members and Summer Olympic IFs in July.

Once that’s complete it will be back to the drawing board for both cities to put the finishing touches to their candidature bids.

Will LA’s bid script see that big Hollywood ending? We will wait and see in September.

The Commonwealth Games Federation has received expressions of interest in hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games from Australia, Canada, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.

The bidding process for 2022 was reopened after Durban was unable to fulfil financial obligations. Durban had been awarded the Games when it became the sole bidder after Edmonton pulled out.

But with four countries having expressed interest by the 28 April deadline, the CGF is now set to have a strong pool of cities bidding for the major multi-sport event.

“We are delighted with the level of initial interest expressed by nations across the Commonwealth and look forward to working with all parties as plans develop for a Games to be proud of in 2022,” David Grevemberg CBE, CEO of the CGF said in a statement.

“This is the first step in a collaborative process that will see a clear and detailed set of criteria applied to any Games hosting ambitions. The process has been streamlined to be as agile as possible given the time available and to minimise costs for potential hosts, whilst maintaining the transformative ambitions of the Commonwealth Sports Movement.

“An expert CGF Review Team will work with each country in the evaluation of proposals of potential host cities. This will include a rigorous on-the-ground feasibility assessment and dialogue regarding hosting capacity and capability, resourcing and legacy ambitions, before a recommendation is made to the CGF Executive Board for final review and decision. Based on the number of interested parties it is not expected that the process will finally conclude until early Autumn.”

It has not been specified at this stage in the process which cities are proposed to host the Games. Cities connected with possible bids include Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham in England; Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide in Australia; and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Victoria, Edmonton and Toronto.

The CGF has not ruled out the possibility of cities sharing hosting duties.

Ben Avison (BA): It has been said that cities are becoming less interested in hosting major multi-sports events than smaller championships. Do you think that’s true of your events? How keen do you think cities are on hosting your own events?

Jeongkang Seo (JS): Smarter cities carefully assess the return on investment and may find it not very attractive to host mega events which require huge investment if there is no matching benefit. Taekwondo is a relatively cost-effective sport which does not require any huge investment but is capable of bringing competitive values and leaving strong legacy, so we are finding more cities showing interests in hosting our events based on our measurable value proposition.

Shiny Fang (SF): In our case cities are quite keen – it’s all about the anticipation and expectation of the cities. Before they bid for competitions they want to know what would happen and what are the opportunities. We have many cities bidding for our competitions, but we try to divide different levels of competition. When we choose cities, the world championships go to bigger cities and smaller events go to some smaller cities which are more suitable hosts in terms of infrastructure and facilities.

BA: The World Taekwondo Championships this year is in Muju, the home of taekwondo. How important is it to take your sport to new regions as well?

JS: Hosting events is a very effective way of developing a sport in a country or a region. It creates new national heroes who inspire spectators and TV audiences to take up the sport. Five medals were taken by African nations at the Rio 2016 Games and taekwondo is now increasingly popular there. So, it is undeniable that it is stable to go to the region where taekwondo is already developed and popular, but equally it is critical to find the less-developed place for the purpose of sport development.

BA: People talk a lot about the importance of readiness for events – we hear examples of cities that are only just ready in time and in the worst case scenario it become apparent they are not going to be ready. How important is this for you and how does it impact your choice of host city?

SF: In our discussions, we always talk about the working relationship and how closely the city and federation can work together to host the event. Even though we are aspiring to the highest standards you still have to rely on local partnerships; sometimes they will wait until the last moment and they will say they are ready when actually they are still not ready. It’s a constant struggle but it’s not impossible to find solutions.

Good project planning is essential for anyone, including the IOC, the IFs and not only in sport but in industry. Therefore when we choose a working partner it’s important to examine how precise they can be and how confident you can be in your expectations of the plan together.

JS: If a city has clear objectives and has willingness to collaborate with the right holders as partner, I think it will be able to prepare events quickly and to a high standard. We are also providing the host cities with support program called STEP (Support taekwondo event program) to ensure the host cities clearly understand operational requirements for hosting our event in every stage in the lead up to actual organization. So, I would say that close collaboration and partnership are more important than readiness.

BA: You mentioned the importance of partnerships there – how important is the alignment between city and national governments?

SF: I think it’s super important. Especially when bigger sized competitions and the national federations have limited resources. It is a significant commitment from the federations, so they need to have the support of the local authority government or central government. It is very important. Our new bidding procedure enables us to award a competition to a city instead of a national federation – of course they will be involved in any case but mainly on the technical side. At the end of the day a competition is not only a competition, it’s an event, so you need effort and input from all sides.

JS: Strong and sustainable partnership among themselves will ensure smooth preparations and everlasting legacies. For example, the City of Manchester built such a strong relationship with the national taekwondo organization, matching their long-term strategies. The city helped build the national training center and the national federation is teaching self-respect and self-discipline to young kids in the city. Also partnering with UK sport, they presented three events in three years, a plan that perfectly matched our long term strategy as well. We are encouraging this know-how with other potential cities at our annual Partnership Workshop program.

BA: In an age where events are mainly experienced remotely via TV and digital, does it make a difference where an event is hosted?

SF: I would say yes, because you have a better atmosphere inside a competition than outside that can seriously affect the whole production. If you want to show the best images that sum up the drama and excitement of your competition, you have show how excited people are on site watching.

JS: These days, there are several different ways to consume sports, so it is of course important to produce high quality production and utilise social media to effectively deliver the footage to the audience at home but it is equally important to create great atmosphere onsite as it improves the experience for those watching from their homes. Spectators have a vital role to play in contributing to the success of the event, transmitting vivid impression of the sport from venue.

BA: Is it possible to evaluate all factors in a bidding procedure – for example the venues, broadcast infrastructure and local culture? How do you select your cities bearing all these things in mind?

JS: Hosting an event is a partnership between an IF and a city and it should be a collaborative process. Both parties have to benefit from the partnership and as an IF we must not be too prescriptive. We ask questions in the bid file where they need to answer: What’s the purpose of bidding? What’s the legacy you want to leave? What’s your capacity for producing all these requirements? By answering the questions the bidders already have in their mind if the event is suitable for them or not and at the same time we are able to evaluate the capacities and suitability of the cities who want to organize our events.

BA: Another approach might be to have a range of events that are suitable for different types of cities. In the case of the UIPM I know you have the Laser-Run that be held in different venues…

SF: Sure. In certain competitions you always have set criteria. Within those criteria you can always enlarge the number of spectators, so you can award the event based on the final bidders. The criteria are clear; you always have to have a basic host standard which you cannot compromise.

For IFs, to be very practical, we are looking for cities to have the ability to host the competition – that’s goal number one. Only when you have a place where you know things will happen according to your requirements are you safe. We are not in a bad situation for bidding cities but the commercial valuation of our sport is not simple. For sponsorship and partnerships it’s not easy for any sport.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has admitted the Olympic Games bidding process is an issue that “cannot be ignored”, despite the strong support of broadcasters, sponsors and rights holders.

After the withdrawal of Budapest, Hamburg and Rome, just two candidate cities – Los Angeles and Paris – are left in the race to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. And now Stockholm has announced it will not bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Bach said the Olympic Games are being used for political aims in some countries.

“What we have seen is a change in the decision-making procedures in different countries – particularly in Europe but also elsewhere,” he told delegates at the General Assembly of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) in Uruguay.

“I do not need to go into detail about how the Olympic Games is used for political purposes by groups in some countries.

"We have to understand that our candidature procedure is giving arguments for this as it is too expensive and too complicated. “

Budapest and Hamburg both withdrew from bidding for 2024 after holding referendums.

Similarly, the 2022 Winter Games bidding procedure was reduced to two contenders – Beijing and Almaty – after the withdrawal of the European cities of Stockholm, Lviv, Krakow and Oslo.

And shortly after Bach’s comments, it emerged that Stockholm is now withdrawing from bidding for the 2026 Games due to a lack of cross-party support and clarity around finances.

Stockholm Mayor Karin Wanngard said in a statement: "We Social Democrats have always thought that the Olympic Games are important for Stockholm's growth and development… Unfortunately, we are alone to have this position about the Olympic Games."

Speaking in Uruguay, Bach said “The good old times are over with regard to candidature procedure.

“Today hardly any Mayor or political authority can go to their population and say, ‘Let’s try again, and maybe we will win’ after spending millions on an unsuccessful bid.

“Maybe it will change back in five or 10 years, but it is not possible today.”

Bach stressed that, despite the apparent lack of enthusiasm from host cities for hosting the games, the Olympic Games remains commercially secure with long term agreements with sponsors and broadcasters in place.

"We have contracts on the TV side until 2032 and we have TOP sponsors on board until 2028 and there are more in the pipeline."

He also said relationships with rights holders was stronger than ever.

Such is the level of concern about the prospects for future Olympic bids that a working group comprising four IOC vice presidents is currently assessing the possibility of awarding the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympic Games simultaneously to Los Angeles and Paris.

The host city election for 2024 – and potentially 2028 – takes place in Lima in September.

The UK Government has asked cities interested in hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games to develop and submit plans for staging the event, with multi-city proposals to be considered.

It says applications will be assessed in a “fair and transparent competition process”, with factors to be assessed including: “the economic benefits the Games could deliver to the UK – and to the host city or cities – through international trade, investment and tourism opportunities, and how potential host cities could benefit as well as the necessary infrastructure and major event delivery experience that potential host cities have.”

Applications from individual cities will also be assessed to ensure they offer “value for money”. Liverpool has already announced a bid for the Games. 

This bid coordination by the UK government is a new approach. For previous Commonwealth Games, bids from British cities have been led from within England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and their Commonwealth Games Associations.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport says it will “work with interested cities and the relevant Commonwealth Games Associations on a detailed assessment of whether Britain can step in to host the event in 2022”.

“Hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022 could give us an opportunity to step up and show the very best of Global Britain as an outward-looking nation that is confident on the world stage. So it’s only right that we look into the potential for hosting one of the world’s biggest sporting events on home soil,” said Culture Secretary Karen Bradley.

“Britain has a wealth of expertise in staging major sports events, inspiring people to get involved in sport and helping to grow our economy. The British people embrace these events and always give a warm welcome to the world. I would urge cities to consider if they have the desire and capability to stage the Games in 2022 as they could bring benefits not just to their city but across the country.”

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) reopened the bidding procedure after confirming that Durban would no longer be hosting the Games. The CGF has invited cities to express interest by 28 April and has said it hopes to determine a new host city in 2017.

UK Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has written to the CGF to confirm the UK’s interest as a potential host in 2022.

“The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games showed the appetite and enthusiasm that the British people have for supporting major sporting events,” she said.

“Now that the Commonwealth Games Federation need to find a new host for 2022, we want to hear from cities interested in repeating the triumphs of London, Glasgow and Manchester before it in 2002. We will then weigh up whether the UK should step in to host, looking at the opportunities to promote Global Britain and deliver a lasting legacy at good value for taxpayers.”

The UK government statement said it will decide whether or not to put in a formal bid by the end of the year.

Interested cities who require further information should email: CG2022@culture.gov.uk

[Source: OCA] The Olympic Council of Asia and Alisports of China has announced a strategic partnership to bring the electronic sports video game phenomenon to the official sports programme of the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

eSports, which is enjoyed by millions of youngsters around Asia and the world, has already been added to the OCA’s 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, this September as a demonstration sport.

It will also feature in next year’s 18th Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, again as a demonstration sport. By the time of the 19th Asian Games in 2022, however, eSports will become an official medal sport – reflecting the rapid development and popularity of this new form of sports participation among the youth.

Alisports, which was established in 2015 as the Alibaba Sports Group by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, will work closely with the OCA to develop the marketing of eSports.

The OCA President, HE Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, said: “The Olympic Council of Asia has constantly been committed to the heritage, development and improvement of Asian sports, and we are extremely pleased about the strategic partnership with Alisports. 

“We look forward to further collaboration with Alisports in regards to digital sports concepts along with sporting events. We are sure that the extensive organising capabilities of Alisports, and their experience in e-sports, will assist the OCA in developing all sports.”

Alisports founder and CEO Mr. Zhang Dazhong said: “I would like to thank the Olympic Council of Asia for their faith in Alisports. Together we will work on providing the sponsors of the Asian Games with more opportunities and maximising the market value, so that the OCA enjoys optimum benefits and advantages.”

eSports to be contested at the 5th AIMAG this September include FIFA 2017, MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) and RTA (Real Time Attack) gaming types.

[Source: OCA]

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.”