'H'tota could host one of the best Commonwealth Games'

Shirajiv SIRIMANE in St. Kitts

The Sri Lankan business community is upbeat that given the opportunity Hambantota could host one of the best ever Commonwealth Games in 2018.

Royal Ceramics Managing Director Nimal Perera who has specially flown into witness the awarding of the bid to either Gold Coast or Hambantota on Friday here at Hotel Marriott said that the Sri Lankan private sector is very vibrant and they have the financial resources along with the government to host an event of this magnitude.

He said that the hosting of the Games in Hambantota would need a total budget of around Rs. 5 billion.

"Out of this four billion Rupees would be for infrastructure such as roads, stadiums, conference halls and hostels which would be used for business projects after the ending of the games," he said. "What the Commonwealth Games did to Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and New Delhi would be repeated if the island gets the opportunity to host the 2018 Games," he said.

MP Namal Rajapaksa said that little known Hambantota is being already marketed as a sporting destination and the efforts for the Games bid would do wonders for investment and tourism in the Deep South. "The building of the Shangri-La Hotel in Hambantota proves this," he said.

"The legacy that would be left behind from Commonwealth Games would be tremendous," he added.

He also assured that all hostels and other sportsvenues would be put into use in the future and several investors have already shown interest in them. "Nothing would go to waste," he added.

He said that the infrastructure that would fall into place by hosting of the Games would make Hambantota one of the most developed cities in the world. Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that whether Sri Lanka wins the bid or not the country is a winner. "The government spent only around Rs. 100 million for this bid event and the publicity the country received from all over the world is worth it. He said that the world did not know in which continent Hambantota was and today everybody knows where the tentative host city is.

The Finance Director Anura Fernado another businessman who has flown into St. Kitts said that the fact that Sri Lanka came to bid for an event of this magnitude would also build investor confidence for the country. It would bring in multiple economic benefits, he said. Rank Holdings Chairman Ravi Wijeratne was of the opinion that the hosting of the Commonwealth Games would add value to Sri Lanka as a destination for both tourism and for investment as well.

Jehan Amaratunge from MTD Walkers said that the hosting of the Commonwealth Games would usher in economic prosperity to the region and the benefits would trickle down from the labourer upwards and enhance their quality of living.