Nigeria has invited to its capital Abuja all the 18 African members of the Commonwealth Games Association, to enable them have a first hand look at the facilities for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which the city is bidding to host, Nigerian news agency PANAPRESS reported on Tuesday.
"We are using the opportunity presented by the ongoing ninth All-Africa Games being hosted by Algeria to reach out to our African brothers in a bid to support our bidding process," said Olabanji Oladapo, Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).
"They are to provide convenient dates when they could come to Abuja. We are ready for their visit," added Oladapo, who is also a member of the bid committee.
He said the delegations from South America, Asia and Europe had already visited the glistening capital city to look at the facilities on offer for the games.
"The Oceania will be also expected to visit. During their visits, they would be provided briefs as well as taken round the facilities and through the comprehensive plans for the staging of the games.
"This is meant to offer them the opportunity of really decide where to cast their votes on 9 November in Sri Lanka during the General Assembly of the CGA," the NOC official explained.
Abuja and Glasgow of Scotland are the two cities bidding to host the four-yearly games.
The Commonwealth Games is a multinational, multi-sport event. Held every four years, it involves the elite athletes of the Commonwealth of Nations. There are currently 53 members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and 71 teams participate in the Games.
Africa has never hosted the games in its 75-year history, hence Nigeria has submitted the "African bid," said the report.
In 2003, Abuja had successfully held the eighth All-Africa Games, a regional multi-sports event held every four years, one year before the Olympic Games.
Source: Xinhua
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