Commonwealth Games
After Birmingham 2022, Commonwealth Games face uncertain future
Birmingham rock icons Black Sabbath fittingly capped a buzzing fortnight in England’s second city at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony on Monday but it may be the last time the multi-sport event makes such a big noise.
Reliable hosts Australia and the country’s sports-mad fans will welcome the 2026 Games in the southern state of Victoria but it promises to be a much different affair to the Birmingham bash.
Not unlike this year’s hosts, Victoria did not plan to stage the Games as quickly as 2026 but rode in as a white knight to the rescue when no other city bid for them.
In a handover during the closing ceremony, Indigenous Australian elders issued a welcome to “Naarm”, the Aboriginal name for the land where Melbourne sits.
But barring the opening ceremony, the Games are set to skip the Victoria capital and cultural heart, and scatter the sports across multiple regional centres.
Officials have touted infrastructure improvements and new jobs created in sleepy rural areas among a range of benefits along with themes like meeting diversity and inclusion commitments.
But the disparate nature of the Games may mean they struggle to reproduce the atmosphere and fan engagement that drove Birmingham’s success as a singular urban hub.
Other familiar questions will dog the Games through the interim period.
Hosts Australia, who finished top of the medals table in Birmingham, will be certain to push its champions into competition, and most will willingly grab the chance to dominate their sports in front of home fans.
Whether other nations’ athletes fancy the long trip Down Under is doubtful, given the profile of the Games struggles to match that of other meets.
The women’s 100 metres at Birmingham could have been a showdown between Jamaican trio Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, but only Thompson-Herah made the trip, with the others preferring a Diamond League meeting in Poland.
The 2018 Gold Coast Games were similarly given a wide berth by world class talent across a number of sports despite the lure of big crowds and shimmering beaches in the Queensland tourist mecca.
The cost of the Games and the dubious legacy benefits espoused by organisers have long drawn criticism, and even the Commonwealth Games Federation concedes that they must downsize to survive.
Organisers have tried to have the Games break from their colonial past but by their nature they remain rooted to the former British Empire and are seen as an anachronism in the post-colonial age.
Even in Australia, one of the Games’ staunchest supporters, progressive voices say they should be scrapped for failing to properly address the atrocities committed during colonial times.
Those criticisms are unlikely to fade with time but the Games are likely to plough on regardless.
Like 73-year-old Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, they can still put on a show even if their best years are well behind them.
-Reuters
Commonwealth Games
Scotland which beat Nigeria for 2014 Games may step in for ‘stepped-down’ 2026 Commonwealth Games
Scotland’s Commonwealth Games body has developed a “cost-effective” way to host the troubled 2026 event in Glasgow amid continued uncertainty over its long-term future. Glasgow beat Abuja, Nigeria for the 2014 Games which Nigeria had intended to use to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the nation state.
Nigeria became a geographical entity 0n 1 January 1914 when the northern part and Southern part as well as the Lagos Colony were amalgamated.
The 2014 Games were awarded to Scotland which is now likely to use the same facilities for the troubled 2026 edition following the withdrawal of Australian state of Victoria as hosts.
Glasgow commissioned a feasibility study in December. Estimates suggest Scotland could run the event for between £130m and £150m – with the potential to bring more than £100m into the economy.
Existing sports facilities like the Emirates Arena would be used again instead of new builds, and competitors would be housed in local hotels rather than an athletes’ village.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has said it will provide £100m for the chosen host nation, with the remaining budget funded by ticket sales and broadcasting rights.
The usual programme, however, would need to be cut down to between 10 and 13 events.
Malaysia has rejected an offer to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to uncertainty over costs and insufficient funding offered, its government said on Friday, in a major setback for the quadrennial multi-sport event.
Malaysia 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 pounds ($126 million) in supporting funds.
Malaysia ruling itself out raises the possibility that the Games may not take place for the first time since being cancelled due to the Second World War.
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 spokesperson and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil told a regular briefing.
“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.
The youth and sports ministry said the 100 million pounds funding it had offered would not be enough to cover the costs of hosting a large-scale sports event.
“Additionally, the economic impact could not be identified in this short timeframe,” it said in a statement.
RELEVANCE QUESTIONED
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 a Games with colonial origins was still relevant in the modern era, and over its place in an already packed global sporting calendar.
The Games has 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 proposal had received a mixed response in Malaysia, which hosted the 1998 edition, due to concerns about costs and the lack of preparation time.
The Malaysian Olympic Council had this week proposed holding a downsized Games, with limited spending on athletes’ accommodations and smaller opening and closing ceremonies.
-Reuters
Malaysia has rejected an offer to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to uncertainty over costs and insufficient funding offered, its government said on Friday, in a major setback for the quadrennial multi-sport event.
Malaysia 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 pounds ($126 million) in supporting funds.
Malaysia ruling itself out raises the possibility that the Games may not take place for the first time since being cancelled due to the Second World War.
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 spokesperson and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil told a regular briefing.
“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.
The youth and sports ministry said the 100 million pounds funding it had offered would not be enough to cover the costs of hosting a large-scale sports event.
“Additionally, the economic impact could not be identified in this short timeframe,” it said in a statement.
RELEVANCE QUESTIONED
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 a Games with colonial origins was still relevant in the modern era, and over its place in an already packed global sporting calendar.
The Games has 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 proposal had received a mixed response in Malaysia, which hosted the 1998 edition, due to concerns about costs and the lack of preparation time.
The Malaysian Olympic Council had this week proposed holding a downsized Games, with limited spending on athletes’ accommodations and smaller opening and closing ceremonies.
-Reuters
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