Hamilton 2026, the bid committee for the Canadian city’s tilt at hosting the Commonwealth Games, has engaged experienced media executive Scott Moore to aid its efforts in capturing the multi-sport event.
Louis Frapporti, chair of Hamilton 2026, said Moore will support Hamilton Ontario’s bid, volunteering his efforts as part of the team to help bring the event to its birthplace, where the first-ever Commonwealth Games were hosted in 1930.
Moore is currently chief executive and partner in the Canadian division of Uninterrupted, the athlete empowerment platform founded by NBA basketball star LeBron James. He joined the company in April 2019 after a year as managing partner of investment firm Playmaker Capital.
In October 2018, Moore departed as president of Sportsnet and NHL properties at Canadian telco Rogers, after eight years at the helm. Moore was a key figure behind Rogers’ 12-season deal for exclusive National Hockey League rights in Canada.
He had presided over Sportsnet’s coverage of the league and its subsequent sublicensing deals with public-service broadcaster the CBC, where he was executive director of sports from March 2007 to December 2010.
He is a veteran of 12 Olympic Games, two Commonwealth Games and two Asian Games, having worked for Canadian and US networks, as well as the International Olympic Committee and local organising committees.
Moore said: “I’m excited about the positive impact that an event of this stature can have on a community, from creating much needed infrastructure such as affordable housing and community facilities, to accelerating economic growth and jobs.
“Hamilton has a unique opportunity to obtain the Games without an expensive bid process, and is leveraging private sector investment. This significantly increases the community benefit and dividend.”
Hamilton 2026, a not for profit entity led by community leaders, is working with the support of Commonwealth Sport Canada and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). Earlier this month, the CGF gave Hamilton a September deadline to secure the necessary government backing to bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The CGF has been working with the city and Commonwealth Sport Canada since August 2019 to explore pivoting the city’s bid for the 2030 event to 2026.
Frapporti said: “We intend to leverage (Moore’s) experience in delivering on the Commonwealth sporting movement’s commitment to use sport to bring about transformational change, particularly in the areas of diversity and inclusiveness, economic revitalisation and sustainable development, skills training and employment and tourism and hospitality.”