2026 Commonwealth Games in trouble as Malaysia refuses to play host after Australia's withdrawal

The next edition of the Commonwealth Games, set to be held in 2026, is in serious peril. After the Australian state of Victoria backed out of hosting the event due to the costs involved, now Malaysia too has decided not to play host to the event.

The hosting rights for the 2026 edition of the quadrennial event have been passed around several times. Initially, it was the English city of Birmingham that had the rights. But they had to host the last edition of the Commonwealth Games instead as South Africa, who were due to host, were found wanting in their preparations.

So, the 2026 edition's hosting rights were given to Victoria, Australia, as they seemed the likeliest candidate for a successful staging of the multilateral sporting event. But last year, the Victorian government pulled out as hosts due to higher-than-expected costs.

This led to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) approaching Malaysia with the request to step in as hosts. The federation was willing to offer $126.21 million in funds to assist the Asian nation in hosting the Commonwealth Games. But the Malaysian government has decided to back out.

The Minister of Sports and Youth in the Malaysian government, Hannah Yeoh, put out a statement on X, about the government's stance.

"The decision was made by the Cabinet today [March 22]. Malaysia did not agree to accept the offer to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games."

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Future of Commonwealth Games

With Malaysia's withdrawal, things are looking bleak for the quadrennial sporting extravaganza's future. An event featuring athletes from the Commonwealth Nations (a grouping of Britain and its erstwhile colonies), the Games are facing an existential crisis.

Before backing out as hosts, the Malaysian Sports Ministry had proposed hosting the Games in a watered-down format. However, even that possibility was snuffed out eventually.

This is not the first time that the staging of the Commonwealth Games is facing a serious challenge. The 2010 CWG was also under a cloud of uncertainty following allegations of financial irregularities and lack of preparedness.

However, India, the host nation on that occasion, managed to overcome the difficulties and host the mega event successfully. This time, though, with around two years remaining, the very identity of the next host is in doubt. The challenge is much bigger for the 2026 edition.