The 2026 Commonwealth Games are in doubt after the Australian state of Victoria cancelled its plans to host due to budget blowouts. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) struggled to find a host before Victoria volunteered in April 2022.
But the premier said the projected cost had now tripled and become "well and truly too much" for the state to bear. CGF called the decision "hugely disappointing" and said it is "committed to finding a solution". Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto called the decision a massive humiliation for the state and hugely damaging for its reputation as a global events leader.
It was also announced that New Zealand authorities have said that they will not take on the games. The chief executive of Commonwealth Games Australia agreed, saying the cited cost blowout was a "gross exaggeration" and that it would try to find another Australian host for the 2026 games.
The Commonwealth Games have only ever been cancelled during World War Two, and most of the countries in the Commonwealth were once part of the British Empire. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said that Victoria was happy to help out when it was approached last year, but "not at any price".
Organisers had originally estimated the event - hosted across cities including Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat - would cost A$2.6bn (£1.4bn; $1.8bn) and the state government had billed it as a boost for the regions. But now the 12-day tournament was expected to cost more than A$6 billion, Mr Andrews said, adding that the new figure was more than twice the estimated economic benefit it would bring to Victoria.
Sports chiefs confirmed that over one-and-a-half million tickets were sold for the 11-days of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and thousands more turned out to support passing athletes on the streets. The Alexander Stadium had packed crowds for both the opening and closing ceremonies and for every day of competition, and the BBC revealed its coverage was streamed a record-breaking 57.1 million times during the event, six times the number of streams seen in previous years.
Leaders hailed the competition, the sixth held in the UK, for being an "absolute triumph on so many levels" and something the region would build on in the future. West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: "The Commonwealth Games has been an absolute triumph on so many levels – a stunning sporting spectacle, a wonderful celebration of culture and a moment of tremendous unity across our diverse communities.
“The spectacular closing ceremony shared our story, our values and our history with the world. Like so many others, I can honestly say I’ve never felt more proud to be a Brummie, so a huge thank you to everyone who made this happen." Paris 2024 Olympics organisers say they will learn from Birmingham's approach to hosting the Commonwealth Games as they attempt to dramatically reduce the event's environmental impact.
Birmingham 2022 was praised for setting a high standard and going further than previous major events, with Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir saying: "I think the Birmingham Games have been spectacular. Overall, it was an outstanding success.”
The 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games ended with Nigeria the top-performing African country in Birmingham following a record haul of 35 medals. Africa's most populous nation topped the continent's medal table for the first time since 1994, with South Africa second and Kenya third, with Kenyan middle-distance runner Conseslus Kipruto believes the event still produces competitive contests. "The Commonwealth Games is a big event” he said. “It's almost like an Olympic event because many countries come to compete.
We always come to compete as we were colonised by the British. We come to battle for these medals - it's always good to have a Commonwealth gold medal in your cabinet." Organisers have had great difficulty finding viable tournament hosts in recent years.
“The South African city of Durban was originally set to stage the 2022 games, but were stripped of hosting rights in 2017 after running into money troubles and missing key deadlines. Birmingham agreed to host nine months later.”
CGF said the estimate of A$6bn is double the figure they were advised of at a board meeting last month, and that the increase in costs were due to the unique regional delivery model that Victoria chose for the games. Mr Andrew said the government had considered all option, including moving the games to Melbourne, before informing CGF of their decision.
"I've made a lot of difficult calls, a lot of very difficult decisions in this job. This is not one of them," he told a press conference. "That is all cost and no benefit."
Victoria government will still complete the stadium upgrades it had promised ahead of the games, while using the money it is now saving on housing and tourism initiatives.
