Commonwealth Games face uncertain future

The next edition of the Commonwealth Games is less than three years away from now. But the Games struggle to find a host as Gold Coast became the second Australian city to pull out of the race after Victoria decided to give up its bid in July this year due to a steep rise in cost.

With Victoria withdrawing from the bid, Gold Coast, which hosted the CWG in 2018, had stepped in with its bid but on a condition that the Australian government should help them monetarily. However, their proposal did not go well with the officials.

As the negotiations broke down, the Mayor of Gold Coast, Tom Tate, announced the unfortunate news.

"We did our best, and that's all people can expect," he said in a statement to Australian media. "Unfortunately, at the same time, our country's reputation as a place that reneges on a global sports contract remains in tatters," he added.

Last month, CWG officials said that if no host was found for the 2026 Games immediately, they could delay the event to 2027.

But with interest waning among the Commonwealth countries, erstwhile colonies of England, the Games face an uncertain future.

In fact, the province of Alberta in Canada withdrew its possible bid for the 2030 edition of the Games weeks after Victoria pulled out of the race for the 2026 Games.

Commonwealth Games, first held in 1930 as the British Empire Games, draws 4,000 athletes from 54 countries every four years. The last edition was held in Birmingham in 2022.