Northern Ireland could host future Commonwealth Games with right investment in facilities & More Trending News – UP Jobs News

Northern Ireland should aspire to host the Commonwealth Games in the ‘long-term future’ if there is ‘significant investment in facility infrastructure’ due to the changing nature of how the multi-sports event is delivered, according to Team NI’s new Chef de Mission Alison Moffitt-Robinson.

he fascinating comments from Moffitt-Robinson in a Belfast Telegraph interview come just days before the 2022 Commonwealth Games get under way in Birmingham with the opening ceremony taking place on Thursday.

Starting out as the British Empire Games in 1930, the Commonwealth Games have been hosted by England and Scotland on multiple occasions and Wales in 1958, but never Northern Ireland with a lack of suitable sporting facilities and finance required for such a huge event the major stumbling blocks.

It is expected the Birmingham Games will cost around £778 million with the majority paid for by government.

Four years ago Northern Ireland lost the opportunity to stage the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games after it failed to guarantee funding with the NI Executive at Stormont collapsing before ministers had agreed a financial package.

The thought of Northern Ireland hosting the Commonwealth Games has always been viewed as a pipe dream but Moffitt-Robinson, Team NI’s first female Chef de Mission, says ‘never say never’ pointing to the switch in dynamics for the 2022 Games with one city not hosting every sport, such as cycling being in London and others taking place across the West Midlands region as well as in Birmingham.

Asked if Northern Ireland could ever host the Commonwealth Games, Moffitt-Robinson stated: “We are way off at the minute, but if we are talking about something for the long term future it is something potentially as a nation we could aspire to, but the investment would need to be significant in the facility infrastructure.

“It would be a wonderful thing to be able to do. The Games are now starting to change the structure with how they are being delivered and Birmingham will be the first Games where they have multiple venues rather than a central village where all the athletes had to be based which logistically made it impossible for a lot of nations to host.

“In this Games and the Victoria Games, which have been identified for 2026, we are now seeing multiple bases and multiple venues and that certainly makes it much more possible for smaller nations to be able to cater and deliver, so never say never.”

Speaking in an interview to promote National Lottery funding for sports stars, Moffitt-Robinson added: “We would certainly need to look at the facilities and infrastructure. They would certainly have to be enhanced, but I don’t want to get into the political side of the investments.

“A velodrome, for instance, would be one that we would be lacking currently. We do have a 50-metre pool and we do have tracks and most of the other facilities and with National Lottery investment going forward who knows what will be possible?

“Obviously the Games have minimum requirements and I know there has been chat about facility developments at both the existing track facilities and what they would look like.

“It would be amazing to have them literally on the doorstep and in the province and not just on the mainland as our home Games option.”

Out of the total cost of £778m, it has been reported that the city council in Birmingham and local partners will contribute around £184m.

The funding has either built new world class sporting facilities or rejuvenated existing sporting facilities including the multi-million pound transformation of Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium where the athletics and opening and closing ceremonies will take place at this year’s Games.

Northern Ireland has fine athletics facilities at the Mary Peters Track in Belfast and the NI Centenary Stadium in Antrim, but the work at the Alexander Stadium has turned it into a 30,000 capacity arena for the Games.

Northern Ireland has no sporting stadium of that size at present though when Casement Park is finally built the capacity will be 34,500.

Ulster GAA have declared that they are open to discussions about the ground being used as part of a UK/Ireland bid for the Euro 2028 finals in order for football matches in the tournament to be staged in Northern Ireland.

Some might suggest adding an athletics track to the new long awaited Casement Park stadium, when it is being constructed, might be an option to aid a potential Commonwealth Games bid in the future!

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