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The Australian state of Victoria withdrew as hosts of the 2026 edition of the Commonwealth Games after citing a steep rise in projected expenditure to host the Games. Since 1930, Australia has hosted five of the 22 editions. Victoria 2026 was supposed to be the third CWG event they hosted since 2006.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews, while announcing the decision at a news conference, said that their estimates had risen to about Aus $7 billion (nearly $5 billion) to host the Games from the original estimate of Aus $2.6 billion.
“When the CGF approached us last year to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games… we were happy to help out. But not at any price and only if there was lasting benefit for Victorian communities and the whole state. I cannot stand here and say that I have any confidence that even that Aus $7 billion would adequately and appropriately fund these Games. I think it could be more than that. Aus $7 billion is well and truly too much for a 12-day sporting event,” Andrews said.
With just over three years left, Victoria’s pullout leaves the Commonwealth Games Federation with a mountain to climb. The rest of the five states in Australia have already ruled out stepping into the spot vacated by Victoria.
It must be noted that Victoria had volunteered to host the 2026 edition only in April 2022. Birmingham, which was tipped to host the 2026 Games, had chosen to replace Durban as the host of the 2022 edition. Birmingham’s elevation to hosts for CWG 2022 had happened in December 2017 after the original choice, Durban, was stripped of the rights to stage the event for a failure to fulfill financial obligations.
While Birmingham had just under five years to plan for the 2022 edition, the host city of the 2026 Games will have about three years.
In a statement posted on their website soon after the pullout announcement by the organisers, the CGF lamented the fact that they were given a notice of just eight hours, and that the hosts were not interested in “discussing the situation to jointly find solutions”.
“This is hugely disappointing… 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,” said the CGF. “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 CGF and Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA).”
