 |
Louise
Martins, seen in 2015, "travelled to South Africa earlier this week for
further high level meetings and we continue to make every effort to engage with
the Durban 2022 delivery partners," a games spokesman said in a statement
on Saturday
|
The Commonwealth Games
Federation (CGF) president visited South Africa for talks with officials as
government hinted that the country may not be able to host the 2022 games due
to financial constraints.
AFP
report continues:
Louise
Martins "travelled to South Africa earlier this week for further high
level meetings and we continue to make every effort to engage with the Durban
2022 delivery partners," a games spokesman said in a statement on
Saturday.
South
Africa successfully bid for the games after the Canadian city of Edmonton
pulled out, but it has been unable to reach agreement with the CGF over paying
for the tournament.
Sports
minister Fikile Mbalula on Tuesday revealed that host city Durban may not be
able to hold the event due to financial pressures.
"It
does not look like we will find each other," said Mbalula. "We have
given it our best shot, but we cannot live beyond our means."
The
games spokesman said a review team appointed by the CGF "is in the final stages
of evaluating the submissions received from South Africa to determine whether
Durban's proposals for hosting the Games are consistent with their original Bid
Commitments."
"A
recommendation will be referred to the CGF Executive Board on 11 and 12 March."
Both
the 1995 rugby World Cup and the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa are
seen as milestones in the country's efforts to promote national unity since the
apartheid era.
The
Commonwealth Games in Durban, on the east coast, would be the first to be held
in Africa.
The
Games -- which were awarded to Durban in 2015 -- had been earmarked to start on
July 18, the birthday of Nelson Mandela.
According to authorities, a budget of 6.4 billion rand (US$492 million, €465 million) has already been set aside for the Games, in a country battling high unemployment and poor growth.
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