Victoria pulling out as 2026 CWG host raises a crucial question: Why hold the Games at all?

On Tuesday morning, the Australian state of Victoria withdrew from hosting the 2026 edition of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) citing budget blowouts, leaving the Commonwealth Games Federation without a host just three years out from the quadrennial showpiece.

- Shantanu Srivastava

NEW DELHI: Victoria premier Daniel Andrews announced the state's decision, saying Victoria was "ready to help" when approached "at the last minute," but "not at any price".

"The Commonwealth Games aren't what they used to be, and, as a result of that, they don't provide the return on investment," Roger Cook, the premier of Western Australia, told journalists. He even described the event as "a highly expensive sugar hit".

Faced with escalating costs and caught in a perpetual battle for relevance, the future of CWG has been in question for a while now, and Victoria's decision may hasten the decline of the event.

The CWG, unlike the Asian Games, doesn't offer any qualification spots for the Olympics. Andrews said the expenditure for it was now almost treble of its original estimate at $4.8 billion.

And it leads to a larger question? Does anyone really want CWG? When the Commonwealth itself does not exist now, why, to put it bluntly, is this still a thing?

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) called the decision “hugely disappointing”.