Commonwealth inspectors impressed by Hambantota vision

Hambantota's bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games won plaudits on Thursday from an evaluation commission visiting the Sri Lankan coastal city.

Sri Lanka is aiming to host the Games for the first time and the commission's visit followed last week's trip to Australia's Gold Coast, the other candidate city.

"Overall, the proposal of staging the Commonwealth Games in Hambantota is an exciting one and, given the development of the relevant infrastructure, will provide a unique Games experience for the athletes and other Games client groups," commission leader Louise Martin said in a statement.

"We have been impressed with the vision for Sri Lanka and Hambantota and now have a clear view of where the hosting of the Commonwealth Games could fit within that vision."

The port city of Hambantota was ravaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Sri Lanka hopes to win the hosting rights of the Games to attract infrastructure investment to boost redevelopment.

The Commission will table its report on the two bid cities by Oct. 11, a month before the vote at the Commonwealth Games Federation's general assembly in St Kitts and Nevis.

The 2014 Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.