Media Release - 19th April 2005

The Jersey Association's Secretary, Alan Cross, has recently returned from the Commonwealth Games Federation's General Assembly held in Melbourne , the host city for the next Games which is to be officially opened on 15 th March 2006 . Delegates from 69 of the 71 Commonwealth Countries attended the Assembly and they were paraded in the middle of the Internationally renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground during the half time break of a Australian Rules Footie Match between local rivals Geelong and Melbourne.

Alan Cross is delighted to report that preparations are going extremely well for the 2006 Games and it promises to be even better than the Manchester 2002 Games which, in its turn, set new standards for future Games.

While officials from Delhi announced at the General Assembly the date of the 2008 Youth Games (1st to 7th October 2008) and the six sports to be included in those Games i.e. athletics, badminton, boxing, shooting, tennis, and weight lifting, the Isle of Man was approved as the venue for the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games. This was received particularly well by the delegates from the smaller Commonwealth Countries that will never be able to host a major Games programme. It is planned that the total number of competitors at these Games will continue to be capped at 1000 and that the event will be rotated around the six regions of the Commonwealth.

hile the members of the Delhi Games Organising Committee addressed the Assembly with an update on their preparations for their Games in 2010, Interest is already being shown by Country Associations in hosting the major event in 2014 and although it is believed that Cape Town will officially declare their intent to bid for those Games, the City of Glasgow marked their intent with a reception in the Sofitel Hotel at which delegates were piped in true Scottish fashion into the terrace restaurant for a buffet meal.