The 2026 Commonwealth Games are looking for a new home after Victoria’s Organising Committee announced that they will be unable to host the Games.
The Games were due to be hosted by Victoria, Australia in 2026 after Birmingham hosted the Games 2022.
In a statement the Organising Committee said: “We are confident that the vision for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games could be delivered – to the original scope and time frame – but the cost of doing so would significantly exceed the original estimates provided to the Government in conjunction with the bid.”
In response the Commonwealth Games Federation have issued a response stating their disappointment with the decision and that they will work to finding a solution.
The statement in full reads: “We were informed today that the Victorian Government has walked away from their agreement to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
“This is hugely disappointing for the Commonwealth Sport Movement, for athletes around the Commonwealth and the Organising Committee who are well advanced in their planning and preparation.
“The reasons given are financial. The numbers quoted to us today of $6 billion are 50% more than those advised to the Organising Committee board at its meeting in June.
“These figures are attributed to price escalation primarily due to the unique regional delivery model that Victoria chose for these Games, and in particular relate to village and venue builds and transport infrastructure.
“Since awarding Victoria the Games, the Government has made decisions to include more sports and an additional regional hub, and changed plans for venues, all of which have added considerable expense, often against the advice of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA).
“We are disappointed that we were only given eight hours’ notice and that no consideration was given to discussing the situation to jointly find solutions prior to this decision being reached by the Government.
“Up until this point, the Government had advised that sufficient funding was available to deliver the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.
“We are taking advice on the options available to us and remain committed to finding a solution for the Games in 2026 that is in the best interest of our athletes and the wider Commonwealth Sport Movement.”
The Commonwealth Games were first hosted in Hamilton, Canada back in 1930 with London, UK taking the 1934 version.
Australia were due to host its sixth Games in 2026 having hosted on the Gold Coast in 2018.
The Commonwealth Games Federation will now be looking for new hosts and with three years until the scheduled start the list will not be a long one.
THE HERDWICK NEWS 