The five-person Commonwealth Games Federation (CGE) Evaluation Commission, chaired by Scotland's Louise Martin, conducted their official inspection of the Gold Coast, Hambantota's only rivals for the 2018 event, last week and praised the Australian city in their plans to stage the competition with a lot of the infrastructure already in place there.

In contrast, questions have been raised about whether Hambantota will realistically be able to get the coastal city, which was devastated by a tsunami in 2004, ready for a potential 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, which opened in February 2011 and staged two matches during the ICC 2011 World Cup, is the only proposed 2018 Commonwealth Games venue to have been built.

The lack of facilities currently in place in Hambantota is also the reason why the Commission will stay here in the Sri Lankan capital for a series of virtual presentations with only a one day visit to Hambantota but Cabraal has moved to dismiss fears that the Games won't be ready for 2018.

"We have a number of projects already in place that will ensure we will be ready to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games and deliver it on time," Cabraal told insidethegames.

"We have a major new seaport being developed and a major new airport that is being built in Hambantota and all of our sporting venues will be ready by 2016, when we host the South Asian Games, so we will definitely be ready for 2018.

"That is the promise we have given to the Commonwealth Games Federation.

"We will also have an overall legacy in place with future use for the whole city so we will be very competitive in this race for the 2018 Commonwealth Games."

Cabraal confessed that the Gold Coast do have an advantage as Australia have the experience of hosting the Commonwealth Games, most recently in Melbourne in 2006, but claimed that Sri Lanka will be ready to host the competition for the first time.

"The Gold Coast and Australia has a huge advantage because they have already hosted the Commonwealth Games four times," he said.

"If they host it again in 2018, it will be the fifth time that they have hosted the Games in a span of 80 years.

"So they are event ready.

"I can only tell you that we are getting ready."

The Commission is charged with the responsibility to produce a technical report that examines whether a city is able to stage the Games set against Games requirements.

It will be crucial for the 71 Commonwealth nations and territories that meet at the CGF General Assembly in St Kitts and Nevis on November 11 to decide whether the athletes of the Commonwealth head to the Gold Coast or Hambantota in 2018.

"We do not come down with a specific recommendation as to who should be awarded the Games as that is not our job," said Martin.

"It is the 71 nations and territories that make up the Federation that will decide which city is awarded the 2018 Games.

"The Gold Coast impressed us with what they have on offer, and we are confident that Hambantota has also put together a very comprehensive bid.

"There is no doubt that both bid committees are highly motivated to be successful in securing the right to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games."

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