2026 Commonwealth Games

2026 Commonwealth Games
The 2026 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games, is a proposed multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth. The 2026 Commonwealth Games would be the first to be held since the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III as Head of the Commonwealth on 8 September 2022.
The games are currently without a host. Victoria, Australia was initially announced as the host in April 2022, after two months of an exclusive dialogue process with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). However, on 18 July 2023 Victoria announced it had cancelled its plans to host the games, citing an escalation in its cost projections relative to initial estimations. The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan subsequently said he was "ready" to support a bid for London to replace Victoria as the host. Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has also stated that he is "willing to consider proposals" for Scotland to host at least some of the events at the Games.
Host selection
During the CGF General Assembly on 31 March 2017 in Gold Coast, after the troubled 2022 Commonwealth Games host city bid process, the executive board announced that it had planned to award both 2026 and 2030 Commonwealth Games simultaneously at the CGF General Assembly scheduled for Kigali, Rwanda in September 2019. A new model called CGF Partnerships (CGFP) was implemented which aimed to give stronger support to the associations and cities that show interests in hosting future Games, and enhance the overall value of the event. This is similar to the process used by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2017.
In 2015 the South African city of Durban originally won the rights to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but was stripped of this right in 2017 due to financial concerns. As a result, Birmingham moved up its planned Games from 2026 to 2022. This left the 2026 Games without a host and bids from Kuala Lumpur, Cardiff, Calgary, Edmonton and Adelaide were all withdrawn due to concerns over costs, with a hosting decision not made by the Commonwealth Games Federation between 2019 and 2022.
In January 2022 the Victorian State Government announced it was giving serious consideration to a late request from the CGF to host the Games. On 16 February 2022, Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews confirmed that the state was in exclusive negotiations with the CGF to host the Games. It was stated that if successful in hosting the Games a second time, a Victorian bid would aim to emphasise the state's regional centres—such as Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo—as opposed to being predominantly Melbourne-based, such as in 2006. Bendigo had previously hosted the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games. Acceptance of the bid would likely also be conditional upon agreement on ways to control costs, such as housing athletes and officials in hotels rather than a dedicated village. This bid was confirmed as successful on 12 April 2022.
On 18 July 2023, Andrews and Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan announced the state government intended to cancel the 2026 Victorian Games. Fifteen months after agreeing to host the Games, the Premier said the cost had escalated to an estimated 6–7 billion, double the estimated economic benefits for the state, and the government could not justify the expense. The state said it would terminate its host agreement with the Commonwealth Games Federation and seek a settlement of the contract. The withdrawal prompted a new search for a host for the 2026 Games.
Broadcasting
– Prime, Sky Television
See also
2023 Jeux de la Francophonie - initial host also backed out due to cost estimates
References
External links
Official website
Victoria 2026 – Victorian Government
Official Twitter handle
2026
Commonwealth Games
2026 in multi-sport events