By Saroj Pathirana BBC Sinhala service

Sri Lanka's 160 strong delegation included Namal Rajapaksa, MP, provincial councillor Anarkali Akarsha, Muttiah Muralitharan and Aravinda de Silva among others

Ajith Nivard Cabraal, the co-chairman of Hambantota 2018 bid said Sri Lanka winning 27 votes out of 70 votes in the Caribbean island St Kitts on Friday evening was itself an achievement.

He also denied any link between the recent doping scandals, serious debts facing country’s cricket board and Gold Coast being granted the bid.

Mr Cabraal travelled to St Kitts together with a 160 strong delegation that included co-chairman Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Namal Rajapaksa, MP, provincial councillor Anarkali Akarsha, former national cricketers Muttiah Muralitharan and Aravinda de Silva among others.

The winning Gold Coast team was represented in St Kitts by 20 representatives, according to media reports.

Doping scandals

Speaking from BBC Sandeshaya hours after the bid was announced, the governor of the central bank said the “development of Hambantota will not be stopped” despite losing the bid to Australia’s Gold Coast.

When a country is trying to move forward, one should not pull the rug but should try to help them instead Ajith Nivard Cabraal, co-chiarman, Hambantota 2018 bid

The main argument of Sri Lanka's SLR 100 million bid has been the reported massive development drive witnessed in Malaysia after the country hosted CWG in 1998.

As Australia has hosted the CWG four times, Sri Lankan team has urged for an opportunity for “underdog countries” which has not staged the Games.

"The 21 Commonwealth Games that has been staged so far, 18 Games were hosted by onlly four countries,” Mr Cabraal told BBC Sandeshaya.

"This is not an issue unique to Sri Lanka. Other countries will also soon feel the validity of our argument,” he added.

He categorically rejected the series of doping controversies that led to international bans had any effect on the final result.

National cricketer Upul Tharanaga was banned for three months for taking banned substance during the recent World Cup. A group of national rugby players, weightlifter Chintana Vidanage are among those who were found guilty of taking drugs.

Cricket debt

Boxer Manju Wanniarachchi who lost Delhi Commonwealth Games gold medal earlier told BBC Sandeshaya that he was urged by the sports ministry not to appeal against the decision in support of Hambantota bid.

Sri Lanka has urged for an opportunity for “underdog countries” which has not hosted the Games

Minister Aluthgamage, who admitted that the ministry’s own medical unit has provided drugs to country’s sports personnel, categorically rejected boxer’s accusation.

“Tell me in which country sportsmen have not taken banned drugs?,” was the response by Mr Cabraal.

“Sportsmen in many countries have taken banned drugs but that doesn’t mean that the country or the government supported that.”

Sri Lanka’s estimated SLR 4.5 billion bid has come under scrutiny after it emerged that the country’s richest sporting body, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is facing a financial crisis as a result of serious debts after hosting the WC.

The sports minister earlier told the BBC that more than SLR 2.2 billion is yet to be paid to the Chinese firm that constructed Mahinda Rajapaksa stadium in Suriyawewa.

The opposition Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has said that Sri Lanka is the only country in the world that faced debts after hosting a WC.

Ajith Cabraal, however, denies any link with the two events.

“I feel that you are looking at everything with a negative attitude,” he told BBC Sinhala.

“Who can construct a brand new stadium without getting loans? Not only Sri Lanka even the richer countries such as the United States have managed to develop the country as a result of loans,” added Mr Cabraal, the co-chairman of Hambantota 2018 bid.

“When a country is trying to move forward, one should not pull the rug but should try to help them instead."