2026 Commonwealth Games: Who could host the event?

Alberta has withdrawn its support for the 2030 Commonwealth Games while the Australian state of Victoria pulled out of hosting the 2026 Games
The 2026 Commonwealth Games needs a new host after Victoria dropped out
Zac Goodwin/PA Wire

Alberta has ceased to support the bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games due to costs. The announcement comes weeks after Victoria, an Australian state, decided not to host the 2026 Games.

Joseph Schow, the tourism minister for Alberta, said that financial constraints were to blame.

The declaration came after Hamilton, Ontario, which hosted the first Games in 1930, dropped its bid, and Victoria withdrew as the host city for 2026 due to anticipated cost overruns, dealing a blow to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

To investigate the viability of hosting the Games, the city of Edmonton and the province of Alberta each contributed $1 million (£787 thousand).

Therefore, the location of the 2026 Commonwealth Games is still unknown.

However, London “stands ready” to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which would cost central government an estimated £500 million, according to representatives of City Hall.

The other Australian states and New Zealand have already revealed that they are not prepared to host the multisport event. And Downing Street has said, while it hoped a solution could be found for the event, the idea of the UK stepping in to host was “getting slightly ahead of ourselves”.

But which Commonwealth nations would be up to taking the Games on? Here is what we know.

Who could host the 2026 Commonwealth Games?

The islands of Trinidad and Tobago are preparing to host the Commonwealth Youth Games between August 4 and August 11, which will welcome more than a thousand athletes aged between 14 and 18.

So, given the islands’ existing investment in the Commonwealth Games, they could be interested in hosting the 2026 event too.

Alternatively, London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, is among a handful of city leaders who have expressed a desire to host the games in 2026. Due in major part to the capital’s sporting infrastructure, London organisers’ estimate of event costs of £500 million is significantly less than those provided by other potential host cities.

A representative for Mr Khan said London “stands ready to support if required” but added that the Government would ultimately decide whether to submit a bid.

According to a source with knowledge of the UK government's thinking, Westminster’s preference is for Australia to take on the responsibility.

After the news broke about Victoria changing its mind, the chief executive of Commonwealth Games Australia said the costs it was citing were a “gross exaggeration” and that the body would work to find another Australian host for the sporting event.

The event could also be picked up by one of the other countries that had attempted to take on the host duty.

The Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association, Rajeev Mehta, had said India would be willing to hold the 2026 Games.

Similarly, the First Minister of Selangor in Malaysia had said that the capital, Shah Alam, was a possible site. Malaysia hosted the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Sri Lanka was also reported to be preparing a bid in November 2020 for the 2026 Games, with hopes of holding the sporting tournaments in the coastal town of Hambantota.

The Canadian city of Victoria was also interested in playing host. It hosted the 1994 Games and had put a bid in for the 2022 Games.

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