By Greg Hazley
Sri Lanka has tapped Bell Pottinger and other units of its parent Chime Communications to lead the South Asian nation's bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Sri Lanka is facing off against Queensland, Australia, to host the Games, which include 71 teams from various current and former member countries of the British Empire, from England and Australia to Swaziland and Namibia.
The country hired Bell Pottinger earlier this year to burnish its image in the wake of last year's violent crackdown on the Tamil Tigers rebel group. It has worked with Qorvis Communications in the U.S.
The Chime team tapped for the Commonwealth bid includes its newly acquired sports marketing division pmplegacy, which is handling England's 2018 World Cup pitch, as well as its Fast Track sports events unit and Populous, a sports "environment" designer and producer.
Sri Lankan Central Bank Governor Aiith Cabraal, who heads the country's organizing committee, said in a statement that the appointment "reinforces how important the 2018 bid is to Sri Lanka."
Sri Lanka is planning to pitch its coastal city of Hambantota for the Games.
"We have a unique and compelling story to tell and our bid will act as an important catalyst in the island's post conflict and tsunami reconstruction and in raising Sri Lanka's profile on the world stage," said Cabraal.
The country also said it hired PwC to advise on the bid.
An announcement on the winning country is slated to come in November 2011.
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