T&TOC shelves plans to bid for Commonwealth Games

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) has confirmed it no longer plans to bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
It was announced last year that T&T would make a bid to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) for the 2018 Games but TTOC president Larry Romany now says this month’s abandoned Caribbean Games delivered a huge blow to those plans.

The inaugural Caribbean Games, which was scheduled for July 12-19, was expected to be a “litmus test” as to the readiness of T&T to lodge an official Commonwealth bid.
Trinidad and Tobago withdrew in mid-June as Caribbean Games hosts due to concerns surrounding the Swine Flu pandemic and that decision also killed any hopes T&T’s bid for the 2018 Games.

“As valid and legitimate as the reason for withdrawing may have been, the international and regional fall out from T&T’s failure to deliver the Games is negative. There is no credible way we could have progressed a (Commonwealth Games) bid,” Romany said in a TTOC pres release.

“It simply would not get the required local, Caribbean and international support. It would have been an exercise in futility, ego and irresponsibility,” Romany added.
The next Commonwealth Games are slated for Delhi, India next year and the 2014 Games will be staged in Glasgow, Scotland.