Glasgow in two-horse race to host 2014 Commonwealth Games

Glasgow is one of just two cities left in the race to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games after Canadian city Halifax withdrew its bid.

The Scottish city is vying with the Nigerian city of Abuja to hold the event. Halifax pulled out when the province of Nova Scotia withdrew its support because of fears over the budget.

A review of the operating and capital costs for the Canadian city’s bid revealed the budget had reached nearly $1.7bn – almost $1bn more than expected.

Mike Hopper, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, says: “This is totally unexpected, but we will now go forward with two excellent bids from Glasgow and Abuja.

He says there was no possibility of another Canadian city picking up the baton to host the games because of Halifax’s “late” withdrawal.

The winning city will be announced in Sri Lanka on November 9.

Manchester was the last UK city to host the Commonwealth Games in 2002.