Decision to bid for 2022 Commonwealth Games will depend on govt consent

Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) President Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar said the OCM are ready to submit a bid to host the games if the government gives its consent.

"I believe Malaysia are capable of hosting the Commonwealth Games once again as we have done it in 1998. With the facilities being built (and upgraded) for the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, we are certainly on the right track to become a good host for the Commonwealth Games," he told reporters after chairing an OCM Executive Board meeting at Wisma OCM.

"In the end, it is a question of the government's consent, as we will not go ahead to bid for the games without the government's consent," he added.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) on Monday had stripped the rights to stage the 2022 Commonwealth Games from Durban in South Africa following a series of missed deadlines and financial problems.

British daily, The Guardian, was reported as saying the city of Birmingham and Liverpool in England have expressed interest to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games to replace Durban.

The city of Queensland in Australia will host the upcoming 2018 Commonwealth Games from April 4-15.

On another note, Tunku Imran said the OCM board members had agreed to propose two major factors during the SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) Exco meeting slated to be held from March 21-22, here.

They are the establishment of the Ad-Hoc Arbitration Panel to decide any legal disputes arising during the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games and also the formation of a Broadcasting Commission to ensure the parties involved can share the take from the investment they have made as well as ensure better broadcasting.

"Singapore has set a high standard of broadcasting during the 2015 SEA Games and we have to be on par or better in production as I believe there are major players involved in the broadcasting industry, especially from the private companies in the country," he said.

Tunku Imran pointed out that each SEAGF member is allowed to nominate a candidate from their country to join the Ad-Hoc Arbitration Panel during the meeting but the chairman would certainly be a Malaysian since Kuala Lumpur will play host for the upcoming SEA Games in August.