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Australia’s Victoria state has withdrawn as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games after discovering it would cost more than double the price they expected.
The local government initially budgeted 2.6 billion Australian dollars (£1.35 billion) to stage the Games in late March 2026 across five regional cities.
But recent estimates put the cost at 7 billion Australian dollars (£3.65 billion).
Victoria Premier – the equivalent of a British council leader – Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday, his government agreed to host the multi-sports event, “but not at any cost”.
Premier of Victoria state, Daniel Andrews Credit: AP
Mr Andrews has notified the Commonwealth Games organisers of the decision.
“Today is not about finding fault with those cost estimates,” he said. “Frankly, AU$6-AU$7 billion for a 12-day sporting event, we are not doing that – that does not represent value for money, that is all costs and no benefit.”
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) put the higher-than-expected cost down to Victoria’s decision to stage the event across multiple cities – Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland and Shepparton.
It also said including extra events, a total of 20 sports and nine fully-integrated Para sports, added to the price.
“We are disappointed we were only given eight hours’ notice and that no consideration was given to discussing the situation to jointly find solutions prior to this decision being reached by the government,” the CGF statement said.The government’s website had promoted Victoria 2026 as a showcase of “what makes the people of our state tick: our unity, our diversity, our sense of community, our welcoming attitude and our love of sport”.
Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips said the government’s decision was a “comprehensive let down” on a concept it had pitched to organisers.
He said: “The stated costs overrun, in our opinion, are a gross exaggeration and not reflective of the operational costs presented to the…
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