GAMES IN CHCH

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31441, 7 August 1967, Page 10

GAMES IN CHCH

No Chance In 1970

There was no possibility of Christchurch staging the 1970 Commonwealth Games, the Mayor (Sir George Manning) said last evening. He was commenting on a report in the London “Observer” that Edinburgh would certainly lose the 1970 Commonwealth Games to Christchurch unless its organising committee can convince the Games Federation within the next 10 weeks that it is ready, willing and financially able to stage the Games. Edinburgh had quite failed to appreciate the size and expense of the job, the newspaper said. Sir George Manning said: “The report indicates that Christchurch will have to be financially capable of organising the Games in 1974, seeing that Edinburgh is having heavy weather.” Edinbihgh's trouble indicated the amount at money and preparation needed to stage the Games, he said.

“When we were in Jamaica the Edinburgh delegation stated that they could meet the requirements,” the chairman of the Commonwealth Games Promotion (Canterbury), Mr A. L Cottrell said last evening. Mr Cottrell Mid that an application for the Games could not be made until the strict requirements of the British Commonwealth Games Federation had been met

“Edinburgh and Christchurch had both been able to assure the federation that they could meet the rules.”