The Canadian province of Alberta decided to pull its support for a bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games that would be centred around the cities of Calgary and Edmonton. This decision comes few weeks after state of Victoria in Australia backed out of its commitment to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
According to statements made by Joseph Schow, the Minister of Tourism for the province of Alberta, financial reasons were a part of the decision.
The Calgary Herald said that he was cited as saying that the accord was “not a good deal for Alberta.” He made these comments. “When everything is taken into consideration, it needs to be a good deal for Alberta taxpayers, and this simply was not that.”
The decision was a setback for the ailing Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which had already suffered a defeat when Hamilton, Ontario, which had hosted the inaugural Games in 1930, backed out of its bid, and Victoria, which had withdrawn as the 2026 host city due to anticipated cost overruns.
“Commonwealth Sport Canada has been informed by the Alberta government that they have decided to discontinue the exploration of a 2030 Commonwealth Games Bid,” claimed Commonwealth Sport Canada in a statement. “Commonwealth Sport Canada has been informed by the Alberta government that they have decided to discontinue the exploration of a 2030 Commonwealth Games Bid.”
“Commonwealth Sport Canada has been informed by the Alberta government that they have decided to discontinue the exploration of a 2030 Commonwealth Games Bid.” “Commonwealth Sport Canada”
We feel that the recent decision made by the Victorian government to withdraw from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games played a significant role in Alberta’s decision. Another important concern was an excessive reliance on financial support from the public sector for the organization and execution of the Games.
“Commonwealth Sport Canada is extremely disheartened by the decision made by the Alberta government, but we respect their right to make this decision.” “Commonwealth Sport Canada is extremely disheartened by the decision made by the Alberta government.”
Both the provincial government of Alberta and the city of Edmonton each contributed one million dollars to the feasibility study that was funded to determine whether or not it would be possible for either location to host the Games.
Previously, Commonwealth Sport Canada had stated that it expected to complete the feasibility evaluation in August and that, at that point, a decision would be made regarding whether or not to submit a formal proposal. They no longer have any need to be concerned about settling on a choice in this matter.
The office of Calgary’s Mayor Jyoti Gondek said in a statement that was given to the CBC that the application was unsuccessful because it did not have the support of the government. This support was necessary for the bid to be successful. According to the statement, “The decision of the provincial government to withdraw from Alberta’s 2030 Commonwealth Games bid process effectively terminates the bid and the City of Calgary’s participation.” This means that the bid will not be successful.
In July, the Premier of Victoria in Australia, Daniel Andrews, said that the state would not be pursuing the opportunity to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2026. He indicated that the initial budget of $2.6 billion had increased to an estimated $6-7 billion, indicating that the cost had increased significantly.
