CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

THE Commonwealth Games Federation yesterday approved 14 individual and three team sports for the 2002 Games in Manchester, but the list did not include cricket, despite its success in Kuala Lumpur last year.

Jane Price, speaking for the Manchester Games, confirmed discussions with cricket and snooker were taking place and both sports could yet be in the programme.

She said: ``Manchester will have three more individual sports than Kuala Lumpur and table tennis and triathlon are additions. The team sports will be rugby, men's and women's hockey and netball, but cricket was never included in our original proposal.''

She said the Manchester Games would be the biggest ever, involving 5,250 athletes, coaches and officials. For the first time, the main programme would include eight events for disabled athletes.

Despite giving assurances over the staging of the Games, the Manchester organisers remained silent over negotiations on sponsorship deals crucial to the funding of the £90 million event.

The Games committee said they were close to finalising negotiations with Manchester City over their leasing of the 44,000-seat stadium now under construction. The only sponsorship announced for the event so far is a £2 million deal with Manchester Airport.

Mike Fennell, the Commonwealth Games Federation chairman, said: ``It is clear that the structure of organisation and management arrangements are well in place.''