2026 Commonwealth Games

The 2026 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games, is a multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth to be organised in a city designated by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). The host city was initially intended to be selected at the 2019 CGF General Assembly in Kigali, Rwanda.[1] On 16 June 2019, the CGF confirmed that it would decide the host city in 2020.[2] However, no announcement has been made as of January 2021.

XXIII Commonwealth Games
Host cityTBD
Nations participating72 commonwealth nations (expected)
Athletes participating5000
EventsTBA in TBA
Queen's Baton Final RunnerTBD
Main venueTBD

Bidding calendar

During the CGF General Assembly on 31 March 2017 in Gold Coast, the executive board announced that they had planned to award both 2026 and 2030 Commonwealth Games simultaneously at the CGF General Assembly in September 2019. The 71 Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) were informed of an 18-month-long consultative bidding process for the 2026 and 2030 editions of the Games, under the new CGF Partnerships model. This step will allow the Commonwealth Sports Movement to capitalise on the Federation's innovative new Games delivery model, CGF Partnerships (CGFP) which aims to support host nations and cities and enhance the overall value of hosting the Games.[3][4]

Bidding process of the 2026 and 2030 Commonwealth Games
Express interest (launched in April 2018) Commitment to bid (2020) CGF General Assembly (2020)
Dialogue phase
  • Frame opportunity
  • Understand impact
  • Stakeholder initial engagement
 Feasibility phase
  • Develop games concept
  • Test feasibility
  • Align stakeholders
 Candidature phase
  • Finalise games concept plan
  • Develop candidate file
  • Secure guarantees and funding
 Evaluation of the bids

Possible bids

Asia
Rajeev Mehta, Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced that they are willing to host the 2026 Games. He said at a press conference in the presence of Dame Louise Martin, President of the CGF and David Grevemberg, CEO of the CGF. Mehta said that they will first take approval from the executive board and general assembly of IOA and then will approach government. He further added that they will prepare the bid if the Government of India allows them to host the Games.[5][6] The IOA would decide on whether it should approach the government for a bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in its annual general meeting on 30 December 2019.[7] The IOA officials confirmed on 30 December 2019 that they will bid for the 2026 or 2030 Games.[8] India hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games as well as the 1951 and 1982 Asian Games, all in its capital city Delhi.
On 27 August 2019, Amirudin Shari, Menteri Besar of Selangor announced that Selangor's capital Shah Alam could be the host of 2026 Commonwealth Games. Olympic Council of Malaysia president Datuk Seri Mohamad Norza Zakaria supported the decision of the bid.[9] Malaysia hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1998 in its capital city Kuala Lumpur.
It was reported in November 2020, that the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka was preparing a bid to present to the government for review. The country bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games with coastal town Hambantota.[10]

North America
Hamilton had initially bid for the 2030 games, which would coincide with the centenary of the inaugural games. The private bid team announced in 2020 that it would instead bid for the 2026 Games after a request from the CGF. The city had unsuccessfully bid for the 1994, 2010, and 2014 Games.[11] The City of Hamilton received a presentation from the private bid team despite public opposition and is expected to make a decision as to whether to approve the bid in September 2020.[12][13] However, local stakeholders are repeatedly denied funding the proposal since they are arguing that hosting the Commonwealth Games in the city could jeopardize the 5 2026 FIFA World Cup games planned for the Golden Horseshoe region.

Cancelled potential bids

Asia
Olympic Council of Malaysia President Tunku Imran has revealed the Commonwealth Games Federation's (CGF) inspection visit of Kuala Lumpur is as much about assessing the city's capability for hosting the 2026 event as 2022. Imran suggested that Kuala Lumpur would be willing to wait to enter the race for the 2026 event instead of staging it in 2022. The city staged the 1998 Commonwealth Games as well as the 2001 and the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.[14] On 22 April 2018, Tunku Imran said Malaysia is capable of hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games, however, it is up to the new government to decide whether to bid for it or not.[15] On 2 July 2018, Tunku Imran has stated that Malaysia is not ready to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, stating that hosting the quadrennial games has become relatively expensive for many countries.[16]

Europe
Liverpool
Liverpool was planning to bid for the 2026 games, but only if funding was available from the UK Government.[17] Mayor Joe Anderson argued that Liverpool could use the Games as ‘a catalyst for regeneration’ across the city region if successful.[18] Anderson has also suggested that a proposed new Everton stadium could play a key part in a Commonwealth Games bid. Liverpool put in a bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games but lost out to Birmingham, and given that Birmingham has been confirmed as host for 2022, the subsequent 2026 Games will not be held in England.
Birmingham
Birmingham was planning to bid for the 2026 games. City MPs, sports stars including Olympic medallists Mark Lewis-Francis and Katharine Merry, and Prime Minister at the time David Cameron expressed support for the Birmingham bid. The Alexander Stadium, Villa Park, Edgbaston and the Arena Birmingham were to be the bidding venues.[19][20] Birmingham successfully bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.[21]
Cardiff was previously interested in bidding for the 2022 games, with some events to be held in Newport and Swansea, however Cardiff Council announced they were instead in discussions for a bid for the 2026 games.[22][23][24] On 26 July 2016 it was announced that Cardiff would not look to host the Commonwealth Games in 2026. Media reports stated this was due to the uncertain situation regarding Brexit and funding concerns. On 27 May 2017 it was announced that the Welsh Government were in "discussions", and considering a joint bid with Birmingham or Liverpool to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, following Durban's rights to host the event being stripped due to financial difficulties. Wales mainly sought to host outdoor events such as the triathlon, rowing or the cycling road race in the 2022 games, however, the rights were ultimately awarded solely to Birmingham on 21 December 2017.[21]

Americas and Caribbean
Edmonton
Edmonton is Canada's fifth-largest metropolitan region and the second-largest city in, as well as the capital of, the Province of Alberta. It is home to a number of professional sports associations (most notably the Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) football team, the Edmonton Oilers (NHL) ice hockey team and FC Edmonton (CPL) association football club). The 1978 Commonwealth Games, the 1983 Summer Universiade and the 2001 World Championships in Athletics were all held in Edmonton, and the city has also hosted some matches of the 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup, the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[25][26] There are plans to build a new velodrome to replace the ageing Argyll Velodrome. The ageing Northlands Coliseum was replaced as the city's main indoor venue by the new Rogers Place in 2016. Edmonton initially planned to bid for the 2022 Games but on 11 February 2015, Edmonton announced it was withdrawing its bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, citing financial reasons and a global fall in oil prices. The bid team said they would instead focus on the 2026 games.[27] Edmonton confirmed in 2019 it would not pursue its Commonwealth Games bid due to, among other concerns, prior commitments to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[28] In addition, Canada would likely prefer to bid for the 2030 games as it would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first Commonwealth Games held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.[29]
Calgary
Mayor of Calgary Naheed Nenshi announced on 14 January 2020 that a group of private citizens is preparing a serious bid to host the Games.[30] In 2018, the Calgary City Council announced they were planning to bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics, but the citizens of Calgary voted down the idea in a municipal plebiscite and the bid was abandoned.[31] Nenshi said that some of the data from the 2026 Winter Olympics bid will be used in preparing the 2026 Commonwealth Games bid.[32] The CSC announced that Calgary is not bidding for the Games as the bidding group was unable to secure sufficient funding from the Alberta Government and Municipal Government.[33]

Oceania
Sydney
In May 2018, Chief Executive of Commonwealth Games Australia Craig Philips wrote to the states seeking expressions of interest to host the 2026 or 2030 Games. New South Wales Opposition Leader Luke Foley said that Sydney should make a bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games because it would fast-track the construction of transportation system and affordable housing in the region and also the city already has the sporting facilities as it hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics, Paralympics and also the Gay Games two years later.[34] The New South Wales Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres informed that they aren't interested to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Sydney because the Government of New South Wales want to focus on world cups.[35]
Perth
The city of Perth, which hosted the 1962 Commonwealth Games, had a review into infrastructure needed. After building Perth Stadium, a 60,000 seat stadium, the West Australian capital had been urged to bid. An audit of the city's sporting facilities was commissioned to determine what infrastructure upgrades would be needed to host the event.[36][37][38] However, on 30 December 2018, it was announced that the 2026 Commonwealth Games bid was to be abandoned as too costly and the city would instead bid for the 2029 IAAF World Championships in Athletics.[39]
Adelaide
It was reported on 12 September 2018 that representatives of CGF visited Adelaide and toured potential venues as the city is considering a bid for the 2026 Games. The Adelaide Oval could be the venue for athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies. The Adelaide Convention Centre would be used for table tennis, weightlifting, volleyball, gymnastics, boxing and wrestling events, while the Coopers Stadium and Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Hindmarsh would host the rugby sevens and swimming events respectively. Netball would be held at the Priceline Stadium in Mile End, while the SuperDrome in Gepps Cross would be utilised for track cycling. In Marion, the South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre could stage the diving events. The Athletes' Village can be built within the Adelaide CBD.[40] However on 18 September 2019 Adelaide withdrawn its Commonwealth Games bid due to lack of sporting keys.[41]
Auckland
The events arm of Auckland Council has raised the possibility of a bid to host the Commonwealth Games, possibly as early as 2026. Key figures have backed the idea, saying New Zealand needs to take its turn at hosting the Games, which were last there in Auckland in 1990.[42] Auckland also hosted the 2017 World Masters Games.[43] World Masters Games chief executive Jennah Wootten also expressed her hope that New Zealand will investigate the possibility of staging the 2026 Commonwealth Games.[44]
Christchurch
In the 2017 General Election, Councillor Raf Manji ran as an independent candidate for the electorate of Ilam. As a major part of his campaign he promoted the idea of having Christchurch host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. He envisioned Christchurch to host the games with new facilities yet to be built: these would include a large scale stadium and a metro sports facility, replacing those damaged and demolished following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Councillor Manji believed it would provide an opportunity for the city to incorporate large scale investment into a promotional sporting event. Raf Manji garnered 22.8% of the electorates vote but lost to incumbent Gerry Brownlee. There has been much public support for the hosting of the games in Christchurch, with articles being published in local papers and at least one submission being made to the Christchurch City Council, prior to Councillor Raf Manji's election campaign. Much of this support has come from people who remember the 1974 Commonwealth Games held in the city, the games were very popular and were deemed by many as a rare success of such a large sporting event.[45]

Broadcasting

References
  1. "Rwanda to host 2019 CGF General Assembly marking ten-year anniversary of Commonwealth membership". Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  2. "Dame Louise Martin to run unopposed for CGF President as confirmed 2026 Commonwealth Games to be awarded next year". 16 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  3. "Resurgent Commonwealth agrees to begin the process of selecting 2026 and 2030 Commonwealth Games Host Cities". Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  4. "Bid process for 2026 Commonwealth Games officially launched". 31 March 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  5. "IOA floats idea of hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  6. DelhiNovember 14, Press Trust of India New; November 14, 2019UPDATED; Ist, 2019 23:33. "Indian Olympic Association willing to host 2026 Commonwealth Games: Secretary General Rajeev Mehta". India Today. Retrieved 15 November 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. PTI. "Indian Olympic Association to discuss bid to host 2026 Commonwealth Games". Sportstar. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  8. NDTVSports.com. "IOA To Bid For Either 2026 Or 2030 Commonwealth Games, Decides To Send Indian Contingent To Birmingham | Other Sports News". NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  9. August 2019, Published 5 days ago on 27. "MB: Selangor offers to be main host if Malaysia bids for 2026 Commonwealth Games | Malay Mail". www.malaymail.com. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  10. Kaluarachchi, Anjana (14 November 2020). "SL gearing up for 2026 Commonwealth Games bid". Ceylon Today. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  11. Spencer, Donna (21 May 2020). "Hamilton alters course on Commonwealth Games, now focusing on 2026 bid". CBC News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  12. "2026 Games pitch: A question of common wealth and pandemic". The Hamilton Spectator. 7 August 2020. ISSN 1189-9417. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  13. Hristova, Bobby (10 August 2020). "Commonwealth Games pitched as response to COVID-19, but councillors await more details". CBC Hamilton. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  14. "CGF inspection visit to Malaysia could lead to Kuala Lumpur bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games". 31 May 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  15. "Imran: We're capable of hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games". Free Malaysia Today. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  16. "Malaysia not ready to host 2026 Commonwealth Games". Bernama. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  17. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-only-bid-commonwealth-games-9541111
  18. Murphy, Liam (13 April 2016). "Liverpool to bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  19. Brown, Graeme (12 July 2016). "Athletics star: A Brum Commonwealth Games would be "no problems"". Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  20. Walker, Jonathan (14 May 2016). "David Cameron urges Birmingham to "be ambitious" over Commonwealth Games bid". Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  21. Sport, Telegraph (21 December 2017). "Birmingham named 2022 Commonwealth Games host city". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  22. Law, Peter (15 February 2013). "Cardiff to bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games, say council bosses". Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  23. Exclusive: Cardiff will not alter plans to bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games because of London, they claim
  24. BBC.co.uk (22 January 2014). "Cardiff unlikely to bring Commonwealth Games bid forward". BBC News. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  25. Exclusive: Canada planning to bid for 2022 Commonwealth Games
  26. Tuesday Talk – Edmonton Eyes 2022 Commonwealth Games
  27. "Edmonton ends Commonwealth Games bid". BBC. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  28. Johnston, Scott (2 May 2019). "Edmonton confirms it won't bid for Commonwealth Games". Global News. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  29. "'Just give us' the Commonwealth Games in 2030, Canada plans to tell counterpart countries". NationalPost. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  30. "Group of citizens preparing bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games: Mayor Nenshi - 660 NEWS". www.660citynews.com. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  31. "Olympics: Calgary 2026 Winter Olympics bid dead after 'no' vote". Reuters. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  32. "Nenshi says group of private citizens working on bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games in Calgary". CBC.
  33. "Hamilton encouraged to be sole bidder for 2026 Commonwealth Games". SportBusiness. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  34. "Western Sydney 'uniquely placed' to host 2026 Commonwealth Games". ABC News. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  35. Smith, Alexandra (24 July 2018). "Sydney 'missing out on billions' with Commonwealth Games snub". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  36. "Games boss welcomes interest from Perth for 2026". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  37. "WA Comm Games could be on the cards". PerthNow. 7 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  38. "Perth is being urged to host the Commonwealth Games again — but hold your enthusiasm". ABC News. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  39. "World athletics championship push for Perth in 2029, no Commonwealth Games bid". PerthNow. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  40. "Commonwealth Games Federation tours venues in view of potential Adelaide 2026 bid". 12 September 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  41. "South Australia drops plans for Adelaide Commonwealth Games bid".
  42. "Auckland bid for 2026 Comm Games?". Stuff. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  43. "World Masters Games sets foundation for future Commonwealth Games says organiser". New Zealand Herald. 30 April 2017. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  44. "World Masters Games success should lead to New Zealand Commonwealth Games bid, chief executive claims". 1 May 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  45. "Christchurch should host 2026 Games: Manji - 28-Jul-2017 - NZ National news". home.nzcity.co.nz. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  46. "Sky TV Wins Broadcast Rights For 2022 And 2026 Commonwealth Games". Ministry of Sport. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.