(L to R) Rachel Simon, Marketing and Projects Manager, Commonwealth Games Federation; Alphonso Bridgewater, President, St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee; Christine Walwyn, CEO, Olympic Steering Committee

Preparations are already underway for next year’s Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly, to be held from November 5 – 11, 2011, at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort. At that conference, the decision will be made whether to award the 2018 Commonwealth Games to a bidding city in either Australia or Sri Lanka.

The Commonwealth Games Federation is the organisation that is responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games, which is a world class, multi-sports event held once every four years.

“We want to get ready and prepared a good 18 months ahead of time to ensure that everything is set in place so that we can have a smoothly running General Assembly when it comes next year to St. Kitts,” said Christine Walwyn, head of the local Olympic Steering Committee, during a May 28 press conference.

St. Kitts won the right to host the General Assembly from an initial field of four, which included Barbados, Kenya, and Northern Ireland. The final selection was made in New Delhi, India, in November of 2009.

The Federation is not yet in a position to host the Commonwealth Games, said Alphonso Bridgewater, president of the St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee, “so the next thing which is of importance and impact in the Commonwealth Games family is the General Assembly. So, we bid for that and now we are hosting it.

“The Commonwealth Games General Assembly also allows us the opportunity to become involved as a family. So much so that the slogan will be built around the theme of ‘Family, Fellowship and Fun,’ because it will be a family affair.”

St. Kitts was successful in its bid because, according to Bridgewater, the Federation has amply demonstrated its ability to host high-profile international events, such as the Heads of Government conferences.

More than 300 delegates from 71 countries are expected to be in attendance at the General Assembly next year – arriving from the most populous country in the Commonwealth, India, to the least populated, Malta.

The event will serve to further a number of goals, including an aspiration to enhance the national linkage between sports and tourism. It is expected that approximately US$1.5 million will be generated over the time that delegates will be in St. Kitts, “and that is not a small undertaking for just seven days,” said Bridgewater.

Visiting both St. Kitts and Nevis will also provide visitors with an opportunity to network locally, and to establish links that might entice them to come back again for possible vacations, weddings, honeymoons, or other such enjoyable occasions.

“In the long run, it will positively impact the economy of the Federation,” posited Bridgewater.

Handling the preliminary event logistics is the bailiwick of Rachel Simon, Marketing and Projects Manager for the Commonwealth Games Federation, who traveled to St. Kitts from London, England, and was a participant in the press conference.

Her area of focus, working alongside the Steering Committee, will be to address such issues as making sure that adequate personnel are developed to take care of the ‘meet and greet’ services at the airport for visiting delegates, media space allocations, the conveyance of guests from and to the airport, and transportation throughout the event, in addition to resolving immigration issues, customs concerns, and visa accreditations.

Of the 71 Commonwealth countries that will send delegates, only those from seven need visas to enter the Federation: Cameroon, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Pakistan, and Samoa.

Registrations for the event are expected to start in March of 2011.

Second to the Commonwealth Games, the biggest event within the global association is the General Assembly. In 2011, Hambantota, Sri Lanka and Gold Coast, Australia are vying for the right to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The winning bid will be broadcast live at the conclusion of the St. Kitts gathering.

Every country represented in the General Assembly will have a vote to determine which city will emerge victorious.

To properly plan for the enormous logistical challenges, some of which have already been referred to, Walwyn indicated that the Steering Committee intends to meet at least once per month.

“Right now, preparations are ahead of schedule,” she said. “And we intend to keep them that way.”

Walwyn expects that at least 60 local volunteers will be relied upon to help out with the event. All sorts of planning needs will be addressed, including the organisation of a program being put together to entertain visiting non-delegates, inclusive of spouses and children.

During the next 18 months, constant contact will be maintained with the parent Commonwealth Games Federation, according to Bridgewater.

He also posited that the event would present an opportunity for local entrepreneurs on both islands to market their wares, from sellers of craft items to restaurateurs.

The first Commonwealth Games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada, where 11 countries sent 400 athletes to take part in six sports and 59 events. It has been conducted every four years since then, except in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II.

St. Kitts and Nevis joined the Commonwealth in 1983, ten years before its National Olympic Committee was recognised. The Federation’s first, and only, medal came in 2002 at Manchester, England, when sprinter Kim Collins won the Men's 100 Final.