Halifax shoots for Commonwealth Games with 17 sports

Halifax hopes to score points with Commonwealth Games voters and potential sponsors by making basketball a key sport in its bid.

The bid committee for the 2014 Games unveiled its list of 17 sports Friday, saying it reflects a balance of what many Commonwealth countries want and what spectators would pay to see.

Basketball would be a huge draw, committee CEO Scott Logan said.

"We know that here in Nova Scotia that we can fill arenas to watch that sport," he said. "It's a sport that will capture not just the interest of Canadians and Nova Scotians but also sponsors."

Halifax is competing against Glasgow, Scotland, and Abuja, Nigeria, to host the international sporting event in 2014.

Bid committee members have travelled to 33 Commonwealth countries so far to sell Halifax and ask which sports they'd like to see.

Paddling, a popular and well-established sport in Nova Scotia, wasn't on other countries' lists,so it was left off the bid team's list.

"When we talk to the other nations, except for three or four of them, canoeing doesn't even register," Logan said. "Not one nation had canoeing in our top 17."

Sailing was also left off the list, much to the disappointment of theNova Scotia Yachting Association. However, the group saidit would continue to support Halifax's bid.

Of the 17 sports, 10 are mandatory for any city that hosts the Commonwealth Games:

• Athletics
• Aquatics
• Lawn bowling
• Rugby sevens (men)
• Badminton
• Netball (women)
• Boxing (men)
• Field hockey
• Squash
• Weightlifting

The Halifax bid group chosethe other sevensports from an approved list:

• Basketball
• Cycling
• Gymnastics
• Shooting
• Table tennis
• Triathlon
• Wrestling

Although the triathlon would reportedly be held at Lake Banook in Dartmouth, Logan said he wouldn't confirm the location of any of the possible venues yet because negotiations are still underway.

The Commonwealth Games Federation will announce the host of the 2014 Games this November.