The Australian state of Victoria withdraws from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games
The Australian state of Victoria has pulled out of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to a huge increase in the expected cost of hosting the multi-sport event.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday his government agreed last year to host the next edition of the quadrennial event “but not at any price”.
He said his government had initially budgeted 2.6 billion Australian dollars ($2.39 billion) to host the Games in five regional cities, but recent estimates put the potential cost at 7 billion Australian dollars ($6.3 billion). billion).
Andrews told a press conference that he had informed Commonwealth Games organizers of his government’s decision to withdraw from the hosting contract.
The Commonwealth Games Federation issued a statement saying the decision was “hugely disappointing” for the organization and the athletes and that it is seeking advice on its options for resolving the event in 2026.
The CGF said the estimated cost escalation was mainly due to the multi-city regional host model and the Victorian government’s decision to change plans for venues to include more sports.
“We are disappointed that we were given only eight hours’ notice and that no attention was paid to discussing the situation to jointly find solutions before this decision is taken by the government,” the CGF statement said.
The state government had promoted the multi-city model as a game changer, with the five regional centers hosting 20 sports and nine fully integrated Para sports.
The government’s website had previously promoted Victoria 2026 as a showcase of “what drives the people of our state: our unity, our diversity, our sense of community, our welcoming attitude and our love of sport.”
Birmingham stepped in to host the 2022 Games in England to replace South Africa’s Durban.
The state of Victoria hosted the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The last edition of the Games to be held in Australia was in 2018 on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The Gold Coast is part of the southeastern part of Queensland that will host events during the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
