KEY POINTS:
Christchurch, host of the 1974 Commonwealth Games, is considering bidding to host the Games a second time in 2018.
Representatives of a potential Christchurch bid will meet New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) members and the events division of Sport and Recreation New Zealand (Sparc) in Wellington on Thursday.
Headed by Christchurch businessman Neil Blanchfield the group will be updated on what is required by the London-based Commonwealth Games Federation to lodge an official bid.
The 2018 Games are expected to be awarded in 2011.
NZOC secretary-general Barry Maister admitted it would be challenging for New Zealand to host the Games a third time -- Auckland hosted in 1990 -- unless there was significant backing from the government.
"I don't want to knock anyone's enthusiasm and I'd love to see the Games in New Zealand, but it's a big ask," he told The Press newspaper.
"The cost of bidding alone is large, and India (2010) has raised the bar in terms of subsidies to athletes.
"You could argue that's part of getting the Games, but it's set a bar and I'm sure the ones in 2014 won't be able to match it. The NZOC's view is we would love to have a Comm Games and we'll support anyone who wants to put their hand up."
A feasibility study on New Zealand again hosting the Games was done last year by Sir Ron Scott, the chairman of the 1974 Games organising committee. That study concluded the Games were out of New Zealand's reach, but Maister said Sparc, which commissioned the study, wanted more information.
- NZPA
