(ATR) One Canadian city pulls out of the running to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but another remains in the mix.
Victoria, British Columbia made its interest in a 2026 bid known in February as Hamilton, Ontario’s effort appeared to be falling by the wayside.
Hamilton’s bid to bring the Games back to Canada for the first time since Victoria hosted in 1994 took a hit in November 2020 when the province of Ontario said it could not financially back the bid.
The Ontario government said it already had its hands full financially in helping pay for 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in Toronto. Canada is co-hosting the World Cup with Mexico and the USA.
Discussions between the province and stakeholders including local organizers and the Commonwealth Games Federation ultimately proved fruitless and Hamilton pulled out of bidding for the 2026 edition last week.
Hamilton will now go back to its original plan and bid for the centenary Games in 2030. The city hosted the first edition of what was then called the British Empire Games in 1930.
"The CGF continues to work closely with Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) with a view to bringing the Commonwealth Games to the country in the future. Positive dialogue is ongoing regarding Victoria’s interest in hosting the 2026 Games, while we were pleased to note the continued aspiration of Hamilton to host the 2030 edition of the event," a CGF spokesperson tells Around the Rings.
The CGF had convinced Hamilton to pivot from 2030 to 2026 in April of 2020 following the decision by Adelaide, Australia in September 2019 to withdraw its bid. The CGF sweetened the pot by giving Hamilton exclusive bidding rights.
The exclusivity does not apply to Victoria, which now faces competition from Australia, India, Sri Lanka and one other anonymous country for 2026. The same four countries are also looking to challenge Hamilton for 2030.
All told, there have been around 10 countries expressing some kind of interest in 2030.
A winning bid by Victoria for 2026 would almost assuredly eliminate Hamilton from contention for 2030. The CGF would not want to have Canada hosting two consecutive Games.
The CGF remains committed to confirming a 2026 host by early 2022 at the latest.
Written and reported by Gerard Farek
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