THE COMMONWEALTH Games 2026 “won’t be funded by the public purse” if held in Glasgow, according to an official statement.
Event organisers continue the search for a new host city following the Australian state of Victoria pulling out of the running citing rising costs.
In an official statement, Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) Chairman, Ian Reid, revealed that over £100 million of the Victorian Government’s money has been offered to secure the future of the games.
CGS claims its financial plan for hosting the games is “innovative, cost-effective and sustainable” and would not require any government money to bring the Games to Glasgow.
The update revealed that the Games “will be funded by private income rather than the public purse, with the majority of costs covered by the CGF, using money secured in a compensation negotiation with the Victorian Government following their withdrawal as hosts in July 2023.”
The statement also says it would be a "travesty" to miss out on the opportunity to have the games return to the country, and warned the Scottish Government that “should we choose not to step up and host, the future of high-performance sport in Scotland will be under serious threat”.
First Minister John Swinney stated this week that no public funds would be available for the games and added that the feasibility of the project was being considered, especially given the short notice.
The calculated cost of hosting the Games is around £114m. CGS claims private finance will make up the difference alongside cutting 10 sports from the event.
In the CGS statement, Reid said it would be “short-sighted” to turn down such a significant sum of money, which would boost the Glasgow and Scottish economies and has been deliberately created not to rely on the public purse at a time of economic uncertainty.
