Australia withdrew from the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which were hosted by the state of Victoria.
Victoria has refused to host the Commonwealth Games due to rising costs.
During a press conference in Melbourne, the Premier of the state of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, has said that the initial estimate for the Commonwealth Games was 2 billion Australian dollars, but now the costs have increased to 7 billion Australian dollars.
“These expenses are really high. I have taken many difficult decisions but this is not one of them. I cannot hold sports events by taking money from hospitals and schools,” he said.
Daniel Andrews says a sporting event whose cost has tripled has put Commonwealth Games organizers on notice that the Games will not be held in Victoria in 2026, asking organizers to pull out of the deal. There was also thought of holding the games in Melbourne at the same venue but this option was also not viable.
It should be noted that in the Commonwealth Games, 26 competitions of twenty sports were to be held in five cities of the state, athlete villages were to be established in all the five cities.
On the other hand, the Commonwealth Games Federation has said in its statement that we are disappointed with the decision, we were given 8 hours notice, not even given the option to solve the problem together.
“We were assured that funds are available for the Games, time is short but every effort will be made to hold the event in the interest of the athletes and the Commonwealth Games,” the federation said.
According to media reports, the future of the Commonwealth Games is in doubt due to lack of interest from many countries.
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