When Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Tuesday that his state would no longer be hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026, no cities were waiting in the wings to take the hosting duties.
One by one, Australia’s other states and territories released statements saying they weren’t interested in taking on the Games with such short notice.
Given the timelines involved, the challenge of hosting an event in 2026 becomes apparent.
Glasgow and Gold Coast each had about six and a half years to prepare for their editions of the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and 2018.
Even Birmingham, which rescued the 2022 Games after they were stripped from Durban, had four and a half years to prepare.
Whoever takes on the task of hosting the 2026 Games will have less than three years to prepare for the scheduled start date, narrowing the field of who could step in as a replacement dramatically.
Who can host the games?
There are 72 countries and territories in the world that are eligible to send athletes to the Commonwealth Games.
However, of the 72 nations, only a handful could reasonably be expected to host a major international sports event like the Games.
With such little lead time, a country with infrastructure already in place would have a head start.
What do you need to host the Games?
Tony Matthews is a senior lecturer in urban and environmental planning at Griffith University and says hosting a “mega-event” like the Commonwealth Games is a major strain on any city.
Dr Matthews said the financial commitments are generally extensive, with most events not making back the money spent on them.
“That’s the first thing that a lot of host cities would have to consider … there’s a lot of investment required that will not be directly returned,” he said.
There is also a scramble for a big enough workforce capable of delivering an event of such scale.
“A lot of cities will struggle: for example, they won’t have enough engineers or they may not have enough town planners or they may not have enough tradies,” Dr Matthews said.
Finally, a major infrastructural commitment is needed.
There are 21 sports scheduled to be played at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, each needing tailored venues.
Aquatic centres are needed for swimming and diving, stadiums are needed for team sports and athletics, velodromes and bicycle tracks are needed for cycling and mountain biking.
And this does not take into account a village to accommodate thousands of athletes.
Building facilities and accommodation from scratch, and at an expedited pace to meet the 2026 launch, may now be a financial impossibility for any Commonwealth city.
“This is pretty much unprecedented, as far as I know,” Dr Matthews said.
“To ask another city or a series of cities to take this on in such a short turnaround time … the question is almost the question of feasibility,
“Even with the best will and best resourcing in the world, is it even possible to do it in such a short time frame?”
Can a city just use existing infrastructure?
Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) believes the Andrews government’s insistence on hosting all events in regional Victoria at new, temporary venues led to a spike in cost estimates and the cancellation.
As an example, CGA chief executive Craig Phillips said the government insisted that a new temporary velodrome be built in Bendigo, rather than utilising the internationally-recognised one at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena.
“These are some of the conversations we had with the government over some months … but [they] didn’t want to hear it,” Mr Phillips said.
Repurposing existing facilities has been a common trend in past editions of the Games, which have had smaller budgets.
Gold Coast’s Village Roadshow Studios — used to film Hollywood blockbusters — hosted squash, table tennis and boxing in 2018.
For the 2022 Birmingham Games, organisers went outside the city altogether, opting to use London’s Lee Valley Velopark, which was built for the 2012 Olympics.
But even utilising existing venues comes with a cost.
Dr Matthews said even the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, which will use many existing venues, will still require large investments in supporting infrastructure.
“There has to be an awful lot of precinct development around those facilities, there has to be public transport opportunities,” Dr Matthews said.
“So, there’s a significant infrastructural investment that cities will need to make.”
Who are the leading candidates?
While no other Australian states or territories have put their hands up, there has been some international interest.
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said he was willing to explore the idea of Scotland hosting some events as part of a multi-city bid.
Despite the success of the 2022 Games, Birmingham City Council have ruled themselves out of hosting the Games again, saying in a statement that, “it’s now someone else’s turn to stage this amazing event”.
Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger has put his city forward as an option for hosting the 2026 Games.
“I’m a fan of doing [the Games] in 2034, but now that Victoria has said enough’s enough, let’s see if we can jump in there,” Mr Mauger said.
However, Mr Mauger’s enthusiasm was not shared by New Zealand Olympic Committee chief Nicki Nicol, who said it was “too soon” for New Zealand to take up hosting duties.
The Canadian city of Hamilton and the province of Alberta have prepared bids to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, but no suggestions have been made as to whether the 2026 Games could be moved to Canada.
If anyone does decide to take up the mantle and host the 2026 Games, they will have a shorter lead-up period to prepare than anyone in recent memory.
With just 972 days until the originally scheduled start of the 2026 edition, time is ticking for the Commonwealth Games.
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