KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia has rejected an offer to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to uncertainty over costs and insufficient funding offered, its government said on March 22, in a major setback for the quadrennial multi-sport event.
The South-east Asian country was asked to step in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew as host, citing ballooning costs, with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) offering £100 million (S$170 million) in supporting funds.
The latest development raises the possibility that the Games may not take place for the first time since being cancelled due to World War II.
The funding offered was not enough, officials said, and Malaysia could not commit to hosting the event at such short notice and with little time to assess the potential economic impact.
“If we had a longer time, we would definitely do it, but because there’s such a short time, we definitely can’t do it,” government spokesman and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said after the decision was made at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“When we assessed the viability of hosting the Games, the length of time needed and the cost was seen to be particularly prohibitive.”
The London-based CGF did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on Malaysia declining its offer.
Malaysia’s youth and sports ministry also said the £100 million funding would not be enough to cover the costs of hosting a large-scale sports event, adding that “the economic impact could not be identified in this short timeframe”.
The Games are typically contested by about 70 countries and territories of the former British empire and medals tables have in recent editions been dominated by Australia, England, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa.
Victoria’s withdrawal had already placed the future of the event in doubt and raised questions about whether an event with colonial origins was still relevant in the modern era.
The Games have struggled to find a willing host in recent years and five of the last six editions have been held in Australia or Britain.
The English city of Birmingham, which had been due to host in 2026, stepped in to save the 2022 event after South Africa were stripped of hosting rights over a lack of progress in preparations.
Birmingham’s move led to the CGF scrambling to find another host for 2026 and Victoria had been the only viable candidate after several other cities withdrew from the bidding process over cost issues.
The Olympic Council of Malaysia had earlier this week proposed holding a downsized Games, with limited spending on athletes’ accommodation and smaller opening and closing ceremonies.
The CGF had also previously suggested that Malaysia was not the only country it had approached to host the Games.
Singapore recently said it was “assessing the feasibility” of the CGF’s proposal.
However, analysts that The Straits Times spoke to said it may not make sense for the Republic to step in as host, given the costs and tight timeline. REUTERS, AFP
