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Commonwealth Games | Malaysia rejects offer to stage Commonwealth Games in 2026

Malaysia rejects offer to stage Commonwealth Games in 2026 casting further doubt on the future of the event

The offer was extended by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in February and was accompanied by a promised USD $130 million investment should capital Kuala Lumpur agree to stage the Games for the second time after its successful 1998 edition

Malaysia Friday turned down an opportunity to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh announced on X (formerly Twitter).

The offer was extended by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in February and was accompanied by a promised USD $130 million investment should capital Kuala Lumpur agree to stage the Games for the second time after its successful 1998 edition.

“The Ministry of Youth and Sports today announced the Government’s decision not to accept an offer from the Commonwealth Sports Federation (CGF) to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games,” a translated statement by the Ministry read.

“The Cabinet meeting that convened today took the decision after examining all aspects organization and implications.”

The CGF has been desperately seeking its next Games host after the edition was left vacant when Victoria in Australia broke its contract and last year backed out of its obligations to stage in 2026. Citing skyrocketing costs, government officials claimed it would be reckless to move forward, and were instead willing to pay a multi-million dollar settlement to the CGF for breach of contract.

The CFG has offered the proceeds of that settlement to any region that agrees to host the event.

“A delegation from the CGF met the Minister of Youth and Sports and held an information session on the offer to be the host which was also attended by the Second Minister of Finance on 5 February 2024,” the statement further read.

“The results of the meeting were presented in the Cabinet Meeting and, among other things, stated that the CGF’s offer amounting to 100 million pounds (RM603 million) is not expected to be able to cover the entire cost of organizing a large-scale sports event. In addition, the economic impact cannot be identified in this short period of time.”

Yeoh said she didn’t want to spend taxpayer money on the organization of the Games, and the government “wants to focus on the development of sports, the welfare and wellbeing of the people.”

After the collapse of Victoria’s project, the CGF promised to announce an alternate plan from among three interested regions early this year. To date, nothing positive has emerged. Malaysia had reportedly offered to stage a downscaled version of the Games, and the CGF has mooted the possibility of holding the event in 2027 instead. A series of championships across several nations has also been discussed.

Meanwhile a state auditor general’s report on the abandoned Victoria Games claims the AUD $6.9 billion estimated costs were overstated and the dissolution of the event could have been avoided if government agencies had worked together before the Games were awarded. Instead the state burned AUD $589 million (USD $384 million) of taxpayer money on organizing costs and penalties.

“This waste of taxpayer money on an event that will not happen is significant,” the report said.

The CGF elected Victoria in 2022 unopposed and with little transparency as it rushed to fill the void while already 2-3 years behind schedule. Originally Birmingham, England had been bidding for the 2026 edition but was instead elected as a replacement host in 2022 after Durban, South Africa was stripped of the Games for missing payment milestones.

Ahmedabad, India and Christchurch, New Zealand have also considered hosting in 2026, but no specific plans have emerged.

Now with only two years to go, it seems unlikely the 2026 edition will be staged as planned – or without significant changes.

https://gamesbids.com/

 |  SA Sportspress  |  SA Sports

Malaysia rejects offer to stage Commonwealth Games in 2026 casting further doubt on the future of the event

The offer was extended by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in February and was accompanied by a promised USD $130 million investment should capital Kuala Lumpur agree to stage the Games for the second time after its successful 1998 edition

Malaysia Friday turned down an opportunity to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh announced on X (formerly Twitter).

The offer was extended by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in February and was accompanied by a promised USD $130 million investment should capital Kuala Lumpur agree to stage the Games for the second time after its successful 1998 edition.

“The Ministry of Youth and Sports today announced the Government’s decision not to accept an offer from the Commonwealth Sports Federation (CGF) to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games,” a translated statement by the Ministry read.

“The Cabinet meeting that convened today took the decision after examining all aspects organization and implications.”

The CGF has been desperately seeking its next Games host after the edition was left vacant when Victoria in Australia broke its contract and last year backed out of its obligations to stage in 2026. Citing skyrocketing costs, government officials claimed it would be reckless to move forward, and were instead willing to pay a multi-million dollar settlement to the CGF for breach of contract.

The CFG has offered the proceeds of that settlement to any region that agrees to host the event.

“A delegation from the CGF met the Minister of Youth and Sports and held an information session on the offer to be the host which was also attended by the Second Minister of Finance on 5 February 2024,” the statement further read.

“The results of the meeting were presented in the Cabinet Meeting and, among other things, stated that the CGF’s offer amounting to 100 million pounds (RM603 million) is not expected to be able to cover the entire cost of organizing a large-scale sports event. In addition, the economic impact cannot be identified in this short period of time.”

Yeoh said she didn’t want to spend taxpayer money on the organization of the Games, and the government “wants to focus on the development of sports, the welfare and wellbeing of the people.”

After the collapse of Victoria’s project, the CGF promised to announce an alternate plan from among three interested regions early this year. To date, nothing positive has emerged. Malaysia had reportedly offered to stage a downscaled version of the Games, and the CGF has mooted the possibility of holding the event in 2027 instead. A series of championships across several nations has also been discussed.

Meanwhile a state auditor general’s report on the abandoned Victoria Games claims the AUD $6.9 billion estimated costs were overstated and the dissolution of the event could have been avoided if government agencies had worked together before the Games were awarded. Instead the state burned AUD $589 million (USD $384 million) of taxpayer money on organizing costs and penalties.

“This waste of taxpayer money on an event that will not happen is significant,” the report said.

The CGF elected Victoria in 2022 unopposed and with little transparency as it rushed to fill the void while already 2-3 years behind schedule. Originally Birmingham, England had been bidding for the 2026 edition but was instead elected as a replacement host in 2022 after Durban, South Africa was stripped of the Games for missing payment milestones.

Ahmedabad, India and Christchurch, New Zealand have also considered hosting in 2026, but no specific plans have emerged.

Now with only two years to go, it seems unlikely the 2026 edition will be staged as planned – or without significant changes.

https://gamesbids.com/

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