Every four years, the Commonwealth nations come together to celebrate the Commonwealth Games.
In 2022, the UK hosted the highly anticipated event in Birmingham, with King Charles opening the Games as the then Prince of Wales.
The multisport event has been running since 1930, and the only Games cancelled to date have been the 1942 and 1946 Games due to World War II.
However, recent developments have left the fate of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in the lurch, with many wondering if it will be cancelled altogether.
Here is a look at what the original plan for the 2026 event was, why people are worried it will be cancelled, and more.
When are the Commonwealth Games due to take place?
Following the 2024 Games in Birmingham, Australia’s Victoria was selected to be the next event’s host after the state volunteered in April 2022.
An exact date for the event hasn’t been set yet, but the last three Games have been held during the spring or summer periods, suggesting that the 2026 event, if held, will do the same.
Are the Commonwealth Games being cancelled?
Victoria has now pulled out of plans to host the Commonwealth Games in 2026, citing spiralling costs as the reason.
Announcing the sad news, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews explained: “I’ve made a lot of difficult calls, a lot of very difficult decisions in this job. This is not one of them. This is all cost and no benefit.”
Bit of a long one this morning.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) July 17, 2023
You might have heard the news this morning that Victoria will no longer be hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
And I wanted to tell you about the decision.
All of the remaining Australian states have ruled out stepping in to make up for Victoria’s decision.
New Zealand has also shared that they are not prepared to host the sports event.
The Commonwealth Games Federation has since shared its disappointment about the outcome, saying: “We were informed today that the Victoria Government has walked away from their agreement to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. This is hugely disappointing for the Commonwealth sport movement, for athletes around the Commonwealth and the organising committee, who are well advanced in their planning and preparation.
“The reasons given are financial. We are disappointed that we were given only 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.
“Up until this point, the government had advised that sufficient funding was available to deliver the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.
“We are taking advice on the options available to us and remain committed to finding a solution for the Games in 2026 that is in the best interest of our athletes and the wider Commonwealth sport movement.”
While the event might eventually be cancelled if no-one else steps in to host it, currently no official announcement has been made to confirm this. So, there is still hope.
How much are the Games estimated to cost?
The organisers of the 2026 event had originally estimated that the event would cost £1.4 billion. However, now the total cost is reported to have nearly trebled.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has shared that they were informed of the new, higher figure at a board meeting last month and that the increase in costs was due to the “unique regional delivery model” that Victoria chose for the event. Plus, the Victorian government decided to include more sports and changed venue plans, often against the CGF’s advice, which added “considerable expense”, it revealed.
While the Victorian government will still complete the stadium upgrades it had promised for the Commonwealth Games, the remaining money will now go towards housing and tourism incentives instead.
The chief executive officer of Commonwealth Games Australia has said that the cost blowout was a “gross exaggeration” and that it would work to find another Australian host for the event.
