Hambantota, the Candidate City for Commonwealth Games in 2018

HAMBANTOTA TO EMULATE IMPACT OF KUALA LUMPUR 1998

- SRI LANKA-MALAYSIA SYNERGIES ON THE AGENDA AS 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES VOTE APPROACHES -

08 November 2011 – Those leading Sri Lanka’s ‘life-changing’ Hambantota 2018 bid to host its first Commonwealth Games have drawn parallels with the ‘extraordinary sporting and economic change’ enjoyed by Malaysia in bidding for and hosting the 1998 Games.

With just three days until the vote to decide whether Hambantota or Australia’s Gold Coast is to host the Games in 2018, Sri Lanka has pointed to synergies with the homeland of HRH Prince Tunku Imran of Malaysia, incoming President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). The comments come from the sidelines of the CGF general assembly in St Kitts and Nevis, where a 60-strong Sri Lankan delegation will learn if the unified nation has been successful.

“It is fitting that we are in the Caribbean for what would be a life-changing decision for Sri Lanka,” said Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Hambantota 2018 Organising Committee Co-Chairman. “We look at Malaysia, which made its debut at the 1966 Games in Kingston, Jamaica. It took five medals home. And the country has taken medals in every Games it has attended since. But look behind the numbers and you see an extraordinary change as a result of hosting the Games in 1998.

“Prior to Kuala Lumpur (KL) 1998 Malaysia’s medal tally was 28, an average of four medals per Games. But on becoming the first Asian city to host the Games it took 35 medals including 10 golds. It maintained this momentum, averaging 33 medals per Games since; that’s a 725 percent improvement. It was the turning point for Malaysian sport. Given our synergies, what KL did for Malaysia in 1998 and beyond, a Hambantota Games will do for Sri Lanka in 2018 and beyond.”

Cabraal spoke of a remarkable opportunity to get young people throughout Sri Lanka energised in a wide range of sports. But it is not only the inspiration of – and investment in – grass-roots participation; the identification of talented athletes; elite performance; and a calendar of international sporting events in which he shares a vision with what was achieved in Malaysia.

Cabraal, also Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, made comparisons between the fast-growing economies of Malaysia in 1991 and Sri Lanka today – seven years prior to the 1998 and 2018 Games respectively. They include population figures of some 20 million; GDP of circa US$ 50 billion; GDP per capita at current prices of circa US$ 2,700; and GDP growth rates of circa nine percent.

Like Sri Lanka now, Malaysia was then embarking on raising its international profile. Then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the Games was an important part of this effort and would draw people to the country to witness the progress it had made. After winning the bid to host the 1998 Games, Malaysia experienced rapid economic development. It now has GDP of US$ 238 billion (2010 est.) and GDP per capita at current prices of circa US$ 8,000.

Sri Lanka shares that vision; bidding for and hosting the Games is a key strategic driver for sustainable development. Sri Lanka is seeking to double the country’s GDP per capita income to in excess of US$ 4,000 by 2015. Hambantota itself is to become one of five metro cities nationwide, strategic hubs for economic development, tourism growth and regeneration initiatives.

It is a comparison highlighted by the CGF Evaluation Commission, which concluded in its report: “The commitment of the (Sri Lankan) government is unequivocal and the vision to emulate Malaysia’s successful leveraging of the 1998 Commonwealth Games clearly differentiates the Sri Lankan proposition from more recent Games and provides an important benchmark.”

“The fact that there is a seven-year lag tells me that the CGF rightly wants people to get ready for the Games and provide the opportunity for new countries to emerge,” Cabraal added. “I believe strongly that the whole experience hinges not on being event-ready but on getting ready over seven years. There are enormous opportunities for young people to train, for businesses to grow, for venues to be constructed and for legacies to be planned. That’s what our bid is all about.”

The decision will be announced by outgoing CGF President Mike Fennell on the penultimate day of the CGF general assembly in St Kitts & Nevis this Friday 11 November at 18:00 local time. It will be his last official act as CGF President after 17 years in the role, before handing over to Prince Tunku Imran.

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