2030 Commonwealth Games?

[king10]

I know copps is going to need a good chunk of capital repairs in the near future. In particular the roof is reaching the end of its useful life. Won't be cheap to do.

Mac has their own plans to replace their pool with an olympic size venue.

Im sure the City and Mac would love provincial and federal funds for those two venues.

Just not sure the cost of hosting the games is worth it.

Perhaps a Hamilton Halton Niagara group bid? Heck throw kitchener waterloo in as well. If toronto is included it wont be a true golden horsehoe bid.

Again, if they cost some astronomical cost its not worth it. The commonwealth games are slighlty smaller than the pan ams. 5000 athletes vs 6000 and 260 events vs 360 events.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Yeah, I just don't see the rationale.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

I think we can do it on a budget, under a billion. Maybe the most $750-800 million.

The majority of the cost will likely be a new Aquatics Centre, upgrading THF and sprucing up Copps. Can keep the budget tight if we let Milton host the velodrome event and rowing and kayaking to St. Catharines.

I'd be on board with that approach too. On a limited budget it may work (though where we'd host track and field athletics is a big question... a mostly temporary facility would have to be built)

Have to wonder about the appetite for senior level government investment though -- it won't have been that long since the province spent large on the Pan Ams, but the federal cupboard might be particularly bare if Calgary wins a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics and much ends up being spent on World Cup stadium upgrades should the joint North American bid win for the same year.

[SteelTown]

Lately international sporting events have been trying to cut the cost, for example LA for 2024 Olympics. All major sporting events since Rio have been trying to cut the cost of sporting events since many cities have backed away from bidding.

I think we can use the 2015 Pan Am Games to our advantage to try and keep the cost down, this alone would probably help our bid. Plus bringing the event back to the birthplace would be an excellent chance for Hamilton to modernize the Commonwealth Games, look at dropping some sports like netball, lawn bowls and tenpin bowling. Perhaps introduce soccer as a sport.

[drpgq]

From @joeycoleman

Council vote (not final, they vote again next Weds) on preparing bid for 2030 Commonwealth Games
Y: 2,7,8,9,10,12
N: 1,3,4,5,11,13,15 #yhmcc

[SteelTown]

The Mayor wasn't at council so that's another Yea vote.

[ScreamingViking]

Bet this gets put over until the next council, even if they do direct staff to look at the pros and cons. Right now too many of the wafflers will worry about appearances to the more conservative "fix my potholes and limit my tax increase and I'm happy" voters.

[drpgq]

I think we have a decent shot to get the games based on 100 year sentimentality if we go after them. Having Trudeau in power helps federally. I'm kind of skeptical of the value, although getting money for a world class aquatics center I would be on board with. Hopefully existing sites like the velodrome in Milton would cut costs.

[SteelTown]

And remember this is just for city council to let city staff to investigate if Hamilton should actually bid for the 2030 Games, as the founder of the Games we should at least investigate the benefits or weakness of a possible centenary Games bid.

[SteelTown]

Hamilton council closes door on Commonwealth Games bid
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/7...lth-games-bid/

City council has refused to even study the possibility of hosting the 100th anniversary Commonwealth Games in 2030 despite the encouragement of Canadian games officials.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger made a last-ditch plea for council support Wednesday to seek information about possible costs and benefits of hosting the centennial games, which were born in Hamilton as the British Empire Games in 1930.

"Make an informed decision," he said, later adding council may ultimately decide its contribution to a $1-billion games is "too rich for our blood." But to do so without the facts, he said, would be "truly unfortunate."

A growing number of councillors decided Wednesday, however, that they already knew enough to say no.

"We need to focus on back-to-basics needs," said Coun. Sam Merulla, who argued taxpayers have already spent enough on sports infrastructure — particularly $145 million for a new Pan Am soccer and football stadium.

He argued there was a "collective sigh of relief" when a smaller number of councillors voted to recommend killing the bid study last week. An unscientific Spectator website poll showed about 70 per cent of 1,500-plus votes opposed doing the study.

Coun. Tom Jackson said he was feeling "games anxiety" following the challenges — and ongoing litigation — linked to the city's Pan Am Games experience, not to mention two past failed bids for the Commonwealth Games.

He recalled the disappointment and surprise experienced by council members who eagerly supported Hamilton bids in 2010 and 2014 only to lose out.

Ironically, Canadian Commonwealth Games organization officials have encouraged Hamilton to bid for 2030 because of the city's historic role as the birthplace of the event 100 years prior. CEO Brian MacPherson previously told The Spectator there is a "natural feeling" among international games organizers that centennial events "should go to the birthplace."

Other city leaders in Canada have indicated they are reluctant to express interest in a 2030 bid because the expectation is Hamilton had the inside track.

Some councillors said it was the wrong time to talk about possible large-scale expenditures given the city's commitment to a $1-billion, multi-year LRT project, redevelopment of the west harbour and efforts to cut into a $3-billion infrastructure backlog.

City staff said Wednesday there is a theoretical possibility that a new, post-election council could revisit a bid study in 2019 or later.

Eisenberger expressed hope that the debate "would rise again."

[SteelTown]

Should Hamilton bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games?
A past council rejected the idea of making a play for the international event even though the original British Empire Games started in Hamilton in 1930.

NEWS 05:40 PM by Matthew Van Dongen The Hamilton Spectator
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9...wealth-games-/

Amateur sport boosters will try to convince a new crop of Hamilton councillors to bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games less than two years after local politicians rejected the idea.

City council refused in 2017 to even study the notion of hosting the international games despite encouragement from Canadian organizers who noted the first event — then called the British Empire Games — was hosted in Hamilton in 1930 on the site of what is now Tim Hortons Field.

Now, a sports coalition dubbed "Hamilton 100" will resurrect the anniversary games pitch to a newly elected council with five new political faces in the hopes of getting a better reception.

"Hamilton is to the Commonwealth Games as Athens is to the Olympics," says an introductory letter to council signed by P.J. Mercanti, CEO of convention centre operator Carmen's Group. "This potential once-in-forever project could transform the city and provide a lasting legacy that the community would enjoy for generations."

By comparison, a modern-day games would likely be a $1-billion-plus, multi-government undertaking attracting 6,000-plus athletes to the city to compete in up to 17 sports like swimming, cycling, and track and field.

Mercanti's letter notes McMaster University, Sport Hamilton and private businesses have jumped on the Hamilton 100 bandwagon and plan to "explore the self-financing" of a Games bid. "Our community coalition feels very confident in our ability to impressively bid — and win — the 2030 Commonwealth Games," he wrote.

Mercanti is also part of a consortium that has expressed interest in redeveloping aging city-owned venues like the hockey arena and convention centre into a downtown commercial and entertainment "precinct." Mercanti has said in the past a prospective redevelopment could tie in to a 2030 games bid.

It remains to be seen if a majority of city councillors are willing to get in the game.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger has said in the past he would like to explore hosting the anniversary games.

But other longtime councillors like Sam Merulla and Tom Jackson admitted to "games fatigue" following a tumultuous 2015 Pan Am Games.

That event helped Hamilton build a new $145-million football and soccer stadium with provincial cash — but not before late construction and ongoing repair issues spawned a lawsuit between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the consortium that built that stadium, and two levels of government that was only recently settled.

The search for a Pan Am stadium site also spurred the infamous purchase and razing of several Barton-Tiffany neighbourhood homes and businesses for no reason, after the Tiger-Cats announced the site was not suitable.

The city has also experienced Commonwealth disappointment via failed bids in 2010 and 2014.

Ironically, council nixed a study of another bid in 2017 despite encouraging hints from Canadian Commonwealth Games officials. CEO Brian MacPherson told The Spectator there was a "natural feeling" among international games organizers that centennial events "should go to the birthplace."

Games boosters are expected to address councillors at a meeting March 20.

[ChildishGavino]

Though it'd be a big job (I mean, which pool would they even use) I think we all can agree it'd be quite fitting to host the centennial commonwealth games. Besides, all that international attention wouldn't hurt, eh?

[thistleclub]

As the article suggests, a core part of the bid’s appeal for council would be in securing senior government funding to replace/upgrade aging sports infrastructure (presumably a replacement for Copps, which would otherwise be financially implausible for the municipality to bankroll). One worry, I imagine, would be that it has the potential to turn into a reboot of the Pan Am experience, which was similarly motivated. There may also be resistance because while the stadium was able to tap into the Future Fund to cover the Ciy’s share of capital costs, this would fall to taxpayers as the FF has been recently depleted.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Pass.

[Hawrylyshyn]

Are large, international games ever actually successful? Seems that host cities always lose a lot of money..

[ChildishGavino]

Perhaps we should wait until the Grey Cup arrives to see if hosting a major sporting event is worth it.

[thistleclub]

Seems that host cities always lose a lot of money..

Recent Commonwealth Games, without adjusting for inflation…

2018: $1.2B CAD hosting cost, $2.1B CAD economic impact
2014: $1.0B CAD hosting cost, $1.3B CAD economic impact
2010: $5.5B CAD hosting cost, $6.6B CAD economic impact
2006: $1.1B CAD hosting cost, $1.5B CAD economic impact

[Hawrylyshyn]

Oh wow, glad I was wrong

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by Hawrylyshyn

Oh wow, glad I was wrong

There's nuance to both halves of the equation: Costs are shared and benefits dispersed.

It can also go pear-shaped, as was the case in Manchester 2002.

[SteelTown]

They should at the very least study the idea. Last time they killed even the suggestion to study the proposal/idea.

Over the years the cost of the games has exploded, thanks to Beijing and Sochi. However, there is a movement to control the cost and scale down the event. It would be nice for Hamilton as the founder of the Commonwealth Games to show the world how to properly host the games without going too lavish on the cost.

I can see the three major costly items would be Copps, upgrading Tim Hortons Field (maybe even a partial roof), and building an Aquatics Centre. Milton has a velodrome so that can help with the cost and Niagara region has everything needed for rowing and other water related events.