Vantage | Why no one wants to host the Commonwealth Games

Hosting multi-national events is considered prestigious, like the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup. One tournament can immortalise you. Except for the Commonwealth Games. They have become the kryptonite of sport. The next Commonwealth Games are in 2026, but there is still no host.

Australia pulled out last year; it estimated the games would cost around 1.7 billion dollars, but as preparations began, the budget ballooned and was expected to reach four billion dollars.

Since then, the 2026 edition is without a host, and the organisers are getting desperate. They have now approached Malaysia. Reports say they are offering the country 120 million dollars; in exchange, Malaysia must host the games. The talks are in advanced stages, but Malaysia hasn’t agreed yet.

The Commonwealth Games are a glitch in the current world. They were first organised in the 1930s; back then, they were called the British Empire Games. The idea was to bring together Britain and its colonies and to show how united the empire was.

Decades later, the name was changed, and it became the Commonwealth Games in 1978.

Around 70 countries participate in these games today. They’re all former colonies of Britain. These countries are trying to move on from their colonial pasts, but the Commonwealth is tying them down.

Even financially, it makes no sense. In 2022, South Africa was supposed to host the games, but at the last minute, it was removed because South Africa had no money.

That’s when Britain stepped in. The city of Birmingham hosted the 2022 edition, and it turned out to be a bad deal.

Most countries have gotten the message. The Commonwealth Games won’t make you money because they don’t have big names, celebrity athletes, or intense competition.

Top athletes tend to stay away, which means less crowds, fewer sponsors, and less media coverage.

The games have historical stigma; there’s little competition, no big names, and not much money to be made. Yet it is there because Britain persists with it.

Let’s go back to the last edition. When South Africa was removed as host, Buckingham Palace was worried; after all, 2022 was Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee. It was the 70th anniversary of her accession. So the palace didn’t want to be embarrassed.

Reports say Palace reached out to the government, and that’s how Birmingham stepped in.

Now, a similar effort is underway, with Malaysia being offered 120 million dollars to host the games. It tells you how dire the situation is.

Well, a lot depends on India, the biggest economy in the Commonwealth and also the biggest market. So India’s participation could be key. But New Delhi is not interested, and rightly so.

Last year, the sports ministry decided to bid for a bigger prize—the 2036 Olympics. At that point, the government was asked, and it denied interest in hosting the Commonwealth Games.

As we see it, there are just two ways forward for the Commonwealth Games. One is to downsize it, and the other is to scrape the whole thing. Perhaps the second option is the better one.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.