Victoria cancels hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games due to lack of funds

Commonwealth Games Australia Chief Executive Officer, Craig Phillips AM expressed his disappointment over the decision taken by Victoria.

“The announcement made by the Victorian Government today is beyond disappointing," Craig Phillips AM said.

“It’s a comprehensive let down for the athletes, the excited host communities, First Nations Australians who were at the heart of the Games, and the millions of fans that would have embraced a sixth home Games in Australia,"  Craig Phillips AM said.

“The multi-city model for delivering Victoria 2026 was an approach proposed by the Victorian Government, in accordance with strategic roadmap of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF)," he said.

“It was pitched to the CGF after Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) had sought interest to host the Games from several states. They did not step in as hosts at the last minute, as indicated by the Premier earlier today," he said.

“The detailed budgetary implications announced today have not been sighted or discussed with the CGF or CGA ahead of being notified of the Government’s decision," he said.

“The stated costs overrun, in our opinion, are a gross exaggeration and not reflective of the operational costs presented to the Victoria 2026 Organising Committee board as recently as June," he said.

Interestingly, Victoria volunteered to be the host in 2022 when the  Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) was struggling to find a host city.

Stating the reason behind taking the decision,  Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews tweeted: " When the Commonwealth Games needed a host city to step in at the last minute, we were willing to help – but not at any price."

" And not without a big lasting benefit for regional Victoria," he said.

"It’s now clear: more than $6 billion for a 12-day sporting event is just too high. It’s more than twice the estimated economic benefit the Games would bring our state," he said.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) also reacted to the development and said: "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. The numbers quoted to us today of $6 billion are 50% more than those advised to the Organising Committee board at its meeting in June," read the statement.

"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," read the statement.

The showpiece event was canceled only once during the World War Two.

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto criticised the government over the issue and tweeted: "The Andrews Government’s decision to scrap the 2026 Commonwealth Games is a massive humiliation for Victoria."

"This decision is a betrayal of regional Victoria and confirms that Victoria is broke and Labor simply cannot manage major projects without huge cost blowouts," he said.