Tag Archives: Commonwealth

The federal government has been called on to urgently intervene to save the canned 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The recommendation forms part of a Senate inquiry into Australia’s preparedness to host the Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games, which tabled its interim report to federal parliament on Thursday.

“The committee recommends that the Australian Government takes on a facilitation and coordination role in order to salvage the 2026 Commonwealth Games being held in Australia,” the report reads.

The report calls on government to establish an intergovernmental forum by the end of 2023 to bring together representatives from federal, state and local government, business associations and community groups, to examine options to salvage the 2026 Games.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games could be pushed back a year as officials work to find a new state – or several cities – to host the event, an inquiry has heard.

Craig Phillips, the chief executive of Commonwealth Games Australia, on Friday said the organisation was working on plans for a “scaled-back” event that might be held in 2027.

“It may be a scaled back version of the games, given the time we have, but if you look around the capital cities around Australia … all have the capability of hosting games,” Phillips told a Senate inquiry that’s examining the Victorian government’s decision to withdraw from hosting the event.

“Even some of the smaller cities around the country have that capability of certainly contributing to a game. We have to look at all possible models…

The future of the Commonwealth Games looks uncertain after Australian state Victoria withdrew from hosting the 2026 event today.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews made the announcement today, saying the forecast costs had gone well over the expected figure.

The state was revealed as the host only last year, shared among Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland. It comes after Durban withdrew from hosting the 2022 event in 2017, replaced by Birmingham.

“We have informed Commonwealth Games authorities of our decision to seek to terminate the contract and to not conduct, not host the Games,” Andrews told reporters today.

Andrews told media the forecast figure of AU$2.6 billion ($2.8b) was…