The Sri Lankan city's only rivals, the Gold Coast, meanwhile, used a 10-year schoolgirl as the spearhead of their campaign.

Each city were able to give 20 minutes presentations at the official ceremony at the Le Meridien hotel in the Malaysian capital which was attended by senior officials from the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), including vice-president Prince Tunku Imran and chief executive Mike Hooper.

The event was considered important enough by Anna Bligh to miss her first day in Parliament since becoming Queensland Premier nearly four years ago.

But the star of the Gold Coast's presentation was schoolgirl Eve Lutze who starred in the campaign's DVD and then helped hand over the bid book, along with Bligh and Ron Clarke, one of the greatest runners in history who is now the Mayor of the Gold Coast. 

"Eve has got Gold Coast written all over her - she embodies the youthful energy, freshness and enthusiasm of the Gold Coast," said Bligh.

Bligh also revealed that if successful the Gold Coast Games would be held from April 4 to April 15, 2018.

"The weather would be perfect for athletes and spectators alike, and these dates would include two weekends and coincide with school holidays," she said in a statement.

In addition to the 10 core sports, the Premier said the 2018 Games would also include triathlon, cycling, gymnastics, wrestling, shooting, table tennis and basketball.


Bligh (pictured above with Lutze and Clarke) said submitting the bid was an important milestone for the Gold Coast's efforts.

"The Games will elaborate our sense of pride for the country we live in and evoke a shared passion that will leave a long-term social and cultural legacy for the city," she said.

But the Gold Coast's presentation was eclipsed by Hambantota, who started off the campaign as rank outsiders but whose bid is increasingly beginning to gain creditability.

The energy and vibrancy of their presentation captivated the audience before they finished on a clever finale by having a Sri Lankan singer, who was carried into the room on a palanquin followed by a group of dancers dressed up as elephants, opening up a giant shell to produce the bid book.

In contrast to the Gold Coast bid, who claim that 80 per cent of their facilities are already in place, Hambantota are promising to create a new park to stage the Games, which have never been held in Sri Lanka before. 

"Given the opportunity to host the Games will make such a difference to Commonwealth sport, to its athletes and to the young people in Sri Lanka, South Asia and around the Commonwealth who aspire to excite and thrill us with their performances in 2018," said Ajith Nivard Cabraal, the chairman of Hambantota 2018 and the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, who was accompanied by the country's Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage (pictured below) and Nalin Attygalle, the chief executive of the bid.


"We are not adapting existing facilities but creating brand new state of the art venues, built around the Athletes' Village that puts athletes at its heart.

"We have already started work on our wonderful new host venue, the adjacent international airport and new road system. 

"And we are on time and on budget to complete in 2016 so we can host CGA (Commonwealth Games Association) training camps in the 18 months before the Games."

A draw conducted during the lodgement ceremony determined that Hambantota would be the first city to present to the CGF Assembly in St Kitts and Nevis on November 11 when the final decision on the winning city will be made.

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