2026 Commonwealth Games in limbo as Victoria state pulls out as host

Owing to a blowout in projected costs, Australia’s Victoria state has withdrawn as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday (July 18) said his government last year agreed to host the next edition of the multi-sports event but cannot afford to host the event which carries no benefits.

He said his government initially budgeted 2.6 billion Australian dollars (US$1.8 billion) to stage the Games in five regional cities but recent estimates put the potential cost as high as 7 billion Australian dollars ($4.8 billion). Andrews told a news conference in Melbourne that he has notified Commonwealth Games organisers of his government’s decision to pull out of the hosting contract.

“Today is not about finding fault with those cost estimates,” he said, declining to outline the reasons for the cost blowouts. “Frankly, AU$6-AU$7 billion for a 12-day sporting event, we are not doing that that does not represent value for money, that is all costs and no benefit.”

Also read: Women’s cricket to continue in Commonwealth Games 2026

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) issued a statement saying it was taking advice on its options. The CGF attributed the estimated cost escalation mainly to the regional, multi-city host model and the Victoria government’s decision to change plans for venues and include more sports.

“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,” the CGF statement said. The 2026 Games had been scheduled for March 17–29 in the regional centers of Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland, and Shepparton.

The state government had promoted the multi-city model as a game changer, with the five regional centers hosting 20 sports and nine fully-integrated Para sports. The government’s website had promoted Victoria 2026 as a showcase of what makes the people of our state tick: our unity, our diversity, our sense of community, our welcoming attitude and our love of sport.

Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips said the government’s decision was a comprehensive let down on a concept it had pitched to organisers. “The stated costs overrun, in our opinion, are a gross exaggeration and not reflective of the operational costs presented to the Victoria 2026 organising committee board as recently as June,” Phillips said in a statement.

“Beyond this, the Victorian Government willfully ignored recommendations to move events to purpose-built (venues) in Melbourne and in fact remained wedded to proceeding with expensive temporary venues in regional Victoria,” the statement added.

Also read: Handshake row: Players lose sportsmanship on Wimbledon court amid Ukraine war

It is the second time in as many editions there’s been issues with hosting the Commonwealth Games. Birmingham stepped in late to host the 2022 Games in England to replace Durban, South Africa.

Victoria state hosted the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The most recent edition held in Australia was on the Gold Coast, Queensland state, in 2018. The Gold Coast was part of the southeast Queensland bid that in 2021 was awarded rights to the 2032 Olympics.

Andrew Liveris, president of the Brisbane 2032 organising committee, responded to the Victorian government’s decision by saying that the Commonwealth Games and Olympics run on different business models in terms of event delivery, infrastructure usage and commercial revenue. The 2032 Olympics have federal, state and local government backing. Liveris said that the International Olympic Committee’s contribution to running costs and support in terms of best practice from prior Games helped give organisers solid grounding.