The Sri Lankan city is fighting it out with Australia's Gold Coast in what increasingly looks to be a very competitive two-horse race.

Hambantota currently has some of its key representatives, including bid committee leader and Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, here for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games Review.

They will hope the expertise of pmplegacy, the global sporting events consultancy, can steer them to victory over the Gold Coast when an announcement on the 2018 Games host city is made on November 11, 2011 in Basseterre in Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean.

Cabraal said: "The appointment of this advisory team reinforces how important the 2018 bid is to Sri Lanka.

"We are also in the final stages of appointing our 2018 BidCo senior executive team and bringing together the many local stakeholders to be involved in the bid process.

"I am delighted we have been able to appoint the pmplegacy team - they bring a wealth of relevant event bidding and planning experience.

"We have a unique and compelling story to tell and our bid will act as an important catalyst in the island's post conflict and tsunami reconstruction and in raising Sri Lanka's profile on the world stage."

pmplegacy is now set to lead a roster of international agencies on the Hambantota 2018 bid, including fellow Chime agencies Fast Track and Bell Pottinger, as well as a number of other specialist companies and advisers.

The international team will advise on all 15 themes in the 2018 Candidature File including legacy, finance, sport and venues, media and marketing, transport planning, sustainability, security and corporate identity in order to help Sri Lanka develop its bid to host the event.

pmplegacy has a long and distinguished 25-year track record of working with leading cities around the world on the evaluation, bidding, planning and delivery of major sporting events.

The company has worked on a wide range of major events while some of its high-profile clients include the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and most recently the England bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

Peter Mann, founder and chair of pmplegacy, said: "This appointment demonstrates Hambantota's commitment to submit a world class bid to the Commonwealth Games Federation and to showcase the island's natural beauty, charm and the passion for sport of its 20 million inhabitants.

"Sri Lanka is a big island with big aspirations and our job is to help turn these aspirations in to reality.

"Hambantota's strategic location will help to ensure that it becomes one of the most vibrant cities in Southern Asia with a sporting, educational and tourism hub at its heart.

"We look forward to working with the Organising Committee over the next 12 months to help create a successful bid for the 2018 Games."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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