Singapore has become the latest country to decide against a hosting bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, turning down a $126 million incentive just as Malaysia did two weeks ago.
“Commonwealth Games Singapore and Sport Singapore have reviewed the feasibility of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games and have decided not to bid for the Games,” the two sporting bodies said.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has been scrambling to find a replacement host ever since the Australian state of Victoria paid $243 million to pull out due to skyrocketing costs, but organizers of the quadrennial event maintained hope that Singapore or Malaysia would step up to fill the void. Now it appears as if the Commonwealth Games has no suitors for its 2026 edition, although organizers have remained optimistic in public statements.
Last month, Malaysia passed on the opportunity to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games again in Kuala Lumpur, in part because the $126 million offer was “not expected to be able to cover the full cost of organizing a major sporting event.” The 2022 Commonwealth Games, held in Birmingham, England, cost just under $1 billion to stage.
The next edition of the Commonwealth Games was initially scheduled for March 17-29, 2026 — less than two years from now. At this point, a scaled-down version of the event with less total sports seems inevitable unless the CGF opts to postpone it entirely.
The Canadian providence of Alberta withdrew its bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in August, raising the question of whether the 2022 Commonwealth Games have been the last.
Unlike the Olympics, which were postponed by one year from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commonwealth Games has never been postponed and has been held every four years since the inaugural edition in 1930 — other than in 1942 and 1946, when they were canceled due to World War II.
The Commonwealth is a community of more than 70 countries and territories, most of which were previously part of the British Empire. The only material benefit is being asked to compete in the Commonwealth Games.
The two most recent additions in June 2022 were Gabon and Togo, both Francophone African nations. Along with Rwanda and Mozambique, they are among four countries without any strong historical ties to the United Kingdom or other members of the Commonwealth.
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The solution to this conundrum is so simple. Have different countries host different sporting disciplines.
Commonwealth Swimming Championships – Great Britain
Commonwealth Track & Field Championships – Canada
Commonwealth Hockey Championships – India
Spread the sporting championships wealth. Rotate every 4 years.
Why don’t they just cancel Commonwealth Games?
Seriously we should just have a proper World Aquatics Championships every summer except the Olympic year. As a swim fan, the Commonwealth games/Pan Pacs/European Championships year sucks.
I believe Gymnastics already does this. Why shouldn’t aquatics do the same?
Without the max 2 per country rule would be perfect
Scrap the commonwealth games. Create a new swimming World Cup. Top 4 teams in the medal table at Pan Pacs and top 4 at euros qualify.
Day 1-2 is two 4-team quad meets. One competes AM, other quad PM.
Day 3 rest day
Day 4-5 two more 4 team quad meets. One for 1st to 4th, the other to 5th through 8th.
A true competition where you’re competing for your country and placing matters more than individual times.
Only chance – it seems – is to split the games up.
AUS – Swimming, couple more
CAN – Gymnastics, couple more
ENG – Athletics, couple more
IND – Shooting, couple more
NZL – some others
And yes – get rid of all team sports
A series of separate effecient Commonwealth Championships with no new builds is not the worst idea – especially if used to get over the 2026 hump and try and find a 2030 host instead of chasing the lost cause of a 2026 one.
Agreed. Didn’t see this before my post above.
I don’t see how these games can survive such a lack of interest.
It’s awkward because the sportspeople like it, the fans tend to like it, and the visiting national feds tend to like it – but the potential hosts, understandably, hate it, The Games are not unpopular, particularly, except among hosts. But that’s the worst group to be unpopular with.
At this stage, I wonder if they will pull the plug on a 2026 Games altogether, and begin trying to find a 2030 host for a stream lined event, with 2026 being replaced, as suggested above by short sharp individual “Commonwealth Championships”, perhaps part funded by the 100$ million we keep hearing about. If there are no major building projects and some sharing out of events, 100$ million could probably fund quite… Read more »
It’ll end up in either Doha, Dubai or Saudi Arabia like everything else. (tongue in cheek).
Both Saudi and UAE, techncially could be in the Commonwealth if they were more democratic….wonder if they could be offered ‘associate’ membership, and then host the Games….