2026 Commonwealth Games: Victimised by huge cost overruns, the Australian state of Victoria withdrew on Tuesday from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, fuming organisers who were already struggling to keep the multi-sport event afloat.
State Premier Daniel Andrews deemed the initial projected Aus$2 billion (US$1.36 billion) needed to hold the Games as “well and truly too much” and predicted that it would actually be closer to Aus$7 billion.
“I’ve made a lot of difficult calls, a lot of very difficult decisions in this job. This is not one of them. Frankly, $7 billion for a sporting event, we are not doing that,” he said during a press conference in Melbourne.
“I will not take money out of hospitals and schools to host an event that is three times the cost estimated and budgeted for last year.
“The Games will not proceed in Victoria in 2026. We have informed Commonwealth Games authorities of our decision to seek to terminate the contract,” he added.
About the event:
The event, which would have included 20 sports and 26 disciplines, was scheduled to take place in five regional hubs throughout the state: Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland, and Shepparton, each with its own athletes’ village.
Even moving the Games to Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, had been considered, according to Andrews, but “none of those options stack up.”
Instead, he presented an Aus$2 billion package of assistance for rural Victoria.
Andrews stated that talks with the Commonwealth Games Federation were cordial but declined to specify how much it would cost to end the contract.
However, the Federation was not pleased and criticised the action as “hugely disappointing”.
“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,” it said in a statement.
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