The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has said it is “sorry to hear” that the Canadian Province of Alberta has withdrawn a bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
The Province’s decision has been blamed on exhaustive costs, and comes weeks after Victoria in Australia pulled out of staging the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir admitted Alberta’s withdrawal is “not great news”, which followed Board discussions prior to the Commonwealth Youth Games here regarding options for the 2026 edition.
“It has given us the opportunity to have a look at who is interested, but at the same time think about what we might do that might be quite different, so that process is ongoing, so that process is ongoing in terms of having discussions with some of our members to talk about what could be the opportunities in the short-term,” Sadleir told insidethegames.
“We were in a bid process for 2030 and are still for 2034, we put that out to our members, and we will continue having discussions with some of our members that are potential hosts that are interested in the Games.”
Alberta’s Minister of Tourism and Sport Joseph Schow claimed the Province could not justify the costs of hosting the Commonwealth Games.
“We committed to remain transparent with Albertans about the costs of hosting international sporting events and clearly demonstrating a return on our investment for the people and communities in Alberta,” Schow said.
“That is why we have made the decision not to continue pursuing the bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
“Based on current bid estimates, hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games could result in a cost of up to CAD$2.68 billion (£1.6 billion/$2.0 billion/€1.8 billion).
“The corporate sponsorship model and limited broadcast revenues for the Commonwealth Games would have put 93 per cent of those costs and risks on taxpayers.”
The CGF thanked Alberta for its interest, and said discussions with potential future hosts is ongoing.
“The Commonwealth Games Federation is sorry to hear that Alberta is no longer developing its bid proposal for the 2030 Commonwealth Games,” it said.
“We thank all those who worked on Alberta’s inspiring and comprehensive plan and we believe the Province could be a fantastic Host for the Commonwealth Games in the future.
“We had already been reviewing our selection timeline as a result of the recent Victorian Government decision.
“The dialogue with other potential hosts is ongoing.”
Alberta was selected as Commonwealth Sport Canada’s (CSC) preferred bidder for the 2030 Commonwealth Games after the collapse of the campaign from Hamilton, who had been hoping to mark the centenary of staging the first Empire Games in 1930.
Edmonton and Calgary were expected to form key cities as part of the Alberta bid.
The Alberta Government had already committed up to CAD$2 million (£1.2 million/$1.5 million/€1.4 million) to a study assessing the feasibility of the bid.
CSC acknowledged the Provincial Government’s decision, and claimed it had been influenced by Victoria’s shock cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games last month.
“We believe the recent decision by the Victorian Government to withdraw from the 2026 Commonwealth Games was a significant factor in Alberta’s decision, as well as an over-dependence on taxpayer’s support for the planning and delivery of the Games,” CSC said.
“Commonwealth Sport Canada is profoundly disappointed in Alberta Government’s decision but respects their right to make this decision.”
Victoria’s cancellation had already sparked questions over the future of the multi-sport, and the withdrawal of Alberta’s bid is likely to add to the weight of those.
The 2026 edition is the second in succession where the CGF is looking for a replacement host, after Birmingham in England stepped in for 2022 when Durban in South Africa was stripped of the event due to financial issues.
Earlier today, CGF officials including President Dame Louise Martin and Sadleir had insisted the immediate focus is on the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, set to start tomorrow.
However, Alberta’s withdrawal means there is now no firm bid for an upcoming edition of the Commonwealth Games.
Despite the issues securing a host, Sadleir insisted Birmingham 2022 had shown there remains a future for the multi-sport on the global calendar.
“We spent a lot of time talking to past hosts, potential future hosts, members, International sports Federations, athletes and other significant stakeholders about the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Sport Movement, and got incredible support,” she said.
“You only have to look at the stats that came out of Birmingham.
“There was an article on insidethegames from Tim Hollingsworth which just speaks to what we believe is really important in terms of the Commonwealth.
“The return on investment for the Midlands region was outstanding, the legacy was outstanding, so when you look at some of those past Games.
“We have done the Games Value Framework which clearly shows there is not just economic benefits from hosting a Commonwealth Games but lots of significant social benefits.
“Our members are really dedicated to the Commonwealth, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Birmingham was watched by 134 countries so the reach goes well beyond – the United States was an area that had a huge uptake in terms of viewership.
“We absolutely believe in the power of Commonwealth united, and we know this is not ideal this period, but we will work very proactively with our Board and our members who are really committed to making sure the Commonwealth Sports Movement grows strongly.”
