Gold Coast, Australia’s famous beachside city, has pulled out of its bid to host the 2026-27 Commonwealth Games after the state and federal governments refused to help foot the bill.
The Australian state of Victoria was previously expected to be the host but it scrapped the decision due to cost blowout.
Gold Coast, which hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games, had put forward a dual proposal to host with Perth, promising that the 2026 Games would be “streamlined” and stick to the $700 million (US$462 million) budget.
“We did our best and that’s all people can expect,” Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said in a statement on Dec. 3.
“In simple terms, it seems our Games’ vision doesn’t align with the vision of the state or federal governments.”
Mr. Tate argued that if the city’s proposal were given the green light, it would have “saved Australia’s tarnished reputation, delivered billions into the national economy, and given athletes and para-athletes, a clear path towards other international competitions.”
This includes the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics and the the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane.
“Australia’s reputation as a place that reneges on a global sports contract remains in tatters,” he said.
The city mayor added that the bid would not have been a burden to taxpayers, noting that he had received strong support from major figures including Gina Reinhardt, Australia’s richest person, Gerry Harvey, founder of Australian retail giant Harvey Norman, and Katie Page, CEO of Harvey Norman.
Next Event Could Move From Australia
Responding to the move, Commonwealth Games Australia executive Craig Phillips said although Australia is the most preferable destination to host the Games, it is increasingly likely that the next event could be moved outside of the country.“The people we spoke to in the Commonwealth Games family, I believe that the sentiment is very much still that the first priority is there is a solution here in Australia,” he told the Australian Associated Press on Dec. 4.
“We have made it clear to the CGF (Commonwealth Games Federation) that we feel an obligation to host, we would like to host.
Potential Hosts Pulled Out
Gold Coast’s decision to scrap the hosting bid has left the event in limbo, with Canada’s Alberta province also pulling out its support for the 2030 Games.Canada’s withdrawal came weeks after Victoria announced it would not host the event.
In July, the former Andrews government said it didn’t know that the Games would cost an estimated $6 billion-$7 billion, exceeding the original budget of $2.6 billion (US$1.72 billion).
Documents released in October also revealed that the Victorian government spent about $21.6 million on consulting fees despite having an allocated funding of just $1.02 million for consultation.
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games Federation boss Katie Sadleir warned the Games could be pushed back to 2027.
“We are disappointed that 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,” organisers told reporters in July.
Australia has hosted the Games five times, more than any other country.
