Explainer: So far nobody, including S'pore, wants to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Why?
Fireworks over the Alexander Stadium during the closing ceremony for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on Aug 8, 2022.
SINGAPORE — The Commonwealth Games needs a major rethink to evolve with the times or risk losing its relevance, several experts have told TODAY.
This comes after Singapore and Malaysia both decided not to bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, despite being offered a £100 million (S$170 million) carrot, following the Australian state of Victoria’s withdrawal as host.
A question mark now hangs over the future of the multi-sport event, which has struggled to find a host in recent years.
The city of Durban, South Africa, was supposed to host the 2022 Games but was stripped of its rights due to financial constraints. Birmingham, England, one of the candidates to host the 2026 Games, was then chosen to stage the 2022 edition.
Hamilton, Canada, was offered hosting rights to the 2026 Games in return for abandoning its plans to host the 2030 edition — the 100th anniversary of the inaugural Games which was held in the same city — but rejected it.
The developments have left the organisers in a race against time to find a host, with less than two years ahead of its planned opening ceremony.
TODAY takes a closer look at why the Commonwealth Games has yet to find a host, the possible reasons for Singapore declining to put in a bid, and whether the event remains relevant.
WHY IS THE GAMES STRUGGLING TO FIND A HOST?
The 2026 Commonwealth Games was slated to be held in the Australian state of Victoria, but it withdrew last July due to concerns over projected cost overruns.
The state originally budgeted A$2.6 billion (S$2.3 billion) but said the cost could spiral to over A$7 billion.
The Commonwealth Games Federation has offered £100 million to potential 2026 hosts, but experts said that the cost of hosting has increased significantly in recent years.
For instance, the cost of construction materials, transportation and labour has gone up since the Covid-19 pandemic, said economic adviser Song Seng Wun from financial services firm CGS International.
Agreeing, Ms Selena Ling, the chief economist and global head of research and strategy at OCBC, said hosting sporting events can be “expensive” if current infrastructure is not already in place.
Unless there is recurrent use of the built facilities, countries run the risk of these becoming white elephants, she added.
Mr James Walton, sports business group leader at Deloitte Asia Pacific, said that around S$1.2 billion to S$1.4 billion would be required to organise the multi-sport event “at the very minimum”.
He added that countries have become “more wary” of hosting major games in the last decade, as populations question the benefit of playing host as they grapple with cost of living issues.
“In the current economic climate, public sentiment is not inclined towards taxpayer money being spent on projects that may be seen as a source of financial burden. If the government cannot demonstrate or explain the economic benefits of hosting such an event, it could become a political issue,” said Mr Walton, who pointed to the Australian bid for the Games becoming a parliamentary issue there.
The runway of two years to the next Games is also “way too short”, said Mr Jose Raymond, managing director of public relations consultancy SW Strategies, and it would be “almost impossible” for potential hosts to already have the requisite infrastructure ready for deployment.
“If Singapore had accepted to host the event, we would need enough hotel rooms to accommodate athletes and officials, and tourists as well. I doubt that we would have been able to get a Games Village ready in time, unless there was an alternative plan.”
Mr Raymond was involved in the planning of the inaugural 2009 Asian Youth Games and served as press secretary to the Youth Olympic Village Mayor in 2010.
Agreeing, Mr Christopher Khoo, managing director of international tourism consultancy MasterConsult Services, said: “Hosting sporting events has never been a profitable proposition. What the host gets out of it is usually prestige and bragging rights.
“At short notice, it would be very difficult to secure major sponsors who would be looking for sustained positive exposure.”
WHY DID SINGAPORE DECIDE NOT TO BID?
Experts said that the weighted cost versus economic benefits and prestige of hosting the Commonwealth Games may have played a part in Singapore’s decision not to bid.
Singapore has most of the infrastructure needed to host a Commonwealth Games, with its various sporting venues and convertible spaces, said Mr Oon Jin Teik, former chief executive officer of the Singapore Sports Council (the predecessor to Sport Singapore) and the Singapore Sports Hub.
While making money as a host country of a major sporting event is an “almost impossible task”, Mr Oon noted that the return on investment of being host is generally related to national branding, sports and tourism promotion, and industry development.
“What happens after the circus leaves town? If we cannot foresee legacy benefits and do not allocate a budget to build the legacy, then we must be honest to ourselves that the benefits of hosting the major event will likely not outweigh the cost of hosting the event,” said Mr Oon.
For Singapore, which has never hosted the Commonwealth Games, hosting it may be less attractive given the limited regional participation.
Few Asian countries are represented in the Games, which would affect the level of interest in terms of potential audience from the region, beyond the athletic community.
By contrast, taxpayer dollars spent on hosting Formula 1 attract “global sporting headlines”, while events like the Youth Olympic Games may generate “longer term returns” of showcasing the Singapore brand to young people across the world, said Mr Song.
Professor Abhishek Singh Bhati of James Cook University also pointed out that the international sporting calendar is “extremely busy” in 2026, with events such as the Fifa World Cup, the Asian Games and Youth Olympic Games projected to take place in the same year.
“Thus the Commonwealth Games may find little traction in attracting international visitors away from these other major events,” said Prof Abhishek, who is regional vice president of the International Tourism Studies Association.
IS THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES LOSING RELEVANCE?
The experts also pointed to the decline in the prestige and global recognition of the Games.
The Commonwealth Games, held every four years, was inaugurated in 1930 as the British Empire Games.
Athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, an international association of 56 member states, many of which are former British colonies, are invited to participate.
Its most recent 2022 edition, held in Birmingham, saw around 5,000 athletes from over 70 nations taking part.
The hosts for the Commonwealth Games have mostly rotated between cities in Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.
However, this underscores another common criticism of the Games, for its colonial roots and association with the British empire.
“The Commonwealth Games has lost its place among the global sports elite. At a time when countries are beginning to shun their colonial past, coming together every four years to pay homage to our colonial history and salute the Crown does not really go down well with many,” said Mr Raymond.
Calling the Commonwealth Games a “relic of the past”, Mr Khoo said that the Games now has limited prestige and media coverage and requires a “major rethink”.
“In the past it was an opportunity for former members of the British Commonwealth to get together. Today there are so many other regional level competitions and various leagues that the cancellation of the Games would clear the tight calendar considerably,” said Mr Khoo.
The urge to modernise and keep the Games relevant also extends to its sporting offerings, as the Commonwealth Games only offers “traditional sports” while other multi-sport events like the Olympics and the Asian Games have attracted younger audiences by introducing sports like speed climbing and eSports.
“Unfortunately, the Commonwealth Games has also not evolved or progressed as quickly as some of the other games have. There's a growing sense that the Commonwealth Games, unless it can adapt and evolve, is becoming less relevant,” said Mr Walton.
Mr Raymond said that he does not foresee other major sporting events such as the Olympics, Asian Games or the World Cup having a shortage of potential hosts.
“The fact that the Commonwealth Games is currently in this predicament only means that the Games has lost its lustre among the Commonwealth nations, and it is time for a rethink and perhaps a reinvention,” he added.
WHAT HAPPENS IF NO HOST IS FOUND?
Should the Commonwealth Games fail to find a host in time, the Commonwealth Games Federation has a few options, said Mr Walton. One would be to increase the amount they are willing to subsidise until a willing host is found.
“The second option is that they cancel the Games for the cycle, but this could spell potential danger for the future of the Games,” said Mr Walton.
Barring two cancellations in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II, the Commonwealth Games has been run every four years since 1930.
“Another option would be to postpone it by one or two years. However, the challenge is that the international calendar for major sporting events is packed, with the World Athletic Championships, World Aquatics Championships, Olympic Games, European Games and more,” said Mr Walton.
“A clash could pose real problems.”
