The 2026 Commonwealth Games were slated to kick off in the Australian state of Victoria. But some shocking news from down under has turned those plans upside down.
On Tuesday, Victoria’s Premier, Daniel Andrews, announced that the state would withdraw from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to cost overruns.
A cost overrun is an unexpected change in the project budget that increases the total project cost.
Looking at the numbers, can you blame them?
The Initial cost estimate for the Games was the equivalent of CDN$2.4 billion. That number has since skyrocketed to more than CDN$6.4 billion.
Andrews did not beat around the bush when discussing his decision to withdraw from hosting the Games.
“I’ve made a lot of difficult calls, a lot of very difficult decisions, in this job. This is not one of them. Frankly, $6 to $7 billion for a 12-day sporting event. We are not doing that. That does not represent value for money. That is all cost and no benefit,” he said.
What does this mean for Alberta? In March, the Australian province was selected as the preferred candidate to bid on hosting the 2030 Games.
Unfortunately, there isn’t any competition, literally. Canada is the only country bidding to host the 2030 Games, meaning Alberta will likely be awarded the event.
Of course, only if we want it. According to Joseph Schow, the Minister of Sports and Tourism, the decision will depend on the Games’ economic feasibility.
“At the moment, there’s no implication on our bid. It’s certainly disappointing to hear the Games are going to be cancelled in Australia,” Schow said in a statement on Tuesday.
Schow promised that the decision will consider what was best for Alberta. If hosting the Games costs an arm and a leg, would it benefit us?
Cost aside, there are perks to hosting the Games. This includes community development, youth development, recreation opportunities, and more.
Another major benefit would be Indigenous reconciliation and partnerships as part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.
The Calls to Action report states:
“We call upon the corporate the officials and host countries of international sporting events such as the Olympics, Pan Am, and Commonwealth games to ensure that Indigenous peoples’ territorial protocols are respected, and local Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participating in such events”
Calls to Action: Sports and Reconciliation
Alberta has already spent $3 million in provincial and municipal funding to explore the feasibility of hosting the Games. If we do host, this will bring back the event to Alberta for the first time since 1978.
