Scotland could host 2026 Commonwealth Games financed by Victorian Government

Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) has stated it could host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow without any financial support from Scottish or UK Governments thanks in part to the compensation paid to the Commonwealth Games Federation by the Victorian Government.

CGS has proposed a sustainable and flexible model which leverages existing infrastructure and builds on the legacy of the successful Glasgow 2014 Games while taking advantage of the significant financial support available.

Scotland hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games using Victorian Government money will add to the "embarrassment" faced by the state, Nationals leader David Littleproud told Channel Nine's Weekend Today program.

In August 2023, the Victorian Government agreed to pay $380 million to Commonwealth Games bodies in compensation after cancelling the 2026 event.

Then Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews made the surprise announcement in July 2023 that the state would not host the Games across regional cities as planned due to concerns they would far exceed initial cost expectations.

Following the announcement, mediation was launched between the state of Victoria, The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Commonwealth Games Federation Partnerships (CGFP) and Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) with lawyers for the Victorian Government travelling to London to negotiate what the cost would be for terminating the contract.

Following confidential “good faith” discussions, it was reported that the Victoria Government agreed to pay the three parties a total of $380 million.

When relinquishing its hosting rights for the 2026 Games, then Victorian Premier Andrews cited potential costs of $7 billion - beyond an initial projected budget of $2.6 billion. However, Victoria's Auditor-General released a report in March that found those cost estimates by the state government were "overstated and not transparent".

Should Scotland proceed with hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games – the event would be “stripped-down” with CGS noting it would use almost $200 million of Victorian Government money to deliver an "innovative, cost-effective and sustainable" Games in Glasgow in 2026 without the need for significant public investment.

The stripped-back Games proposed by the CGS would feature a streamlined program of just 10 sports, half the number that featured in Birmingham, on a budget of £114 million ($221 million).

That includes the use of just four existing competition venues - all within a 13km corridor -  to be upgraded and used, with existing accommodation available to house a smaller number of athletes and support staff.

Littleproud when talking to Channel Nine's Weekend Today program also shared "this just adds to the embarrassment that the Victorian government imposed on Australia by making an election promise to run the Games, to try and win votes during the election and then, when it all became too hard, decided to cut and run.

"I get it, it was going to cost a lot more, but if you look at the Gold Coast, they were prepared to run this rather than hand it over to someone else because they were going to utilise the legacy infrastructure that was there, which is what Scotland is doing.

"I would have thought the prime minister would have weighed in on this and made sure that we weren't internationally embarrassed, shared it around the country on the infrastructure that we've got.

"We've got great sporting infrastructure. We could have shared it outside Victoria, even if it wasn't just the Gold Coast, it was Gold Coast and Brisbane, a good rehearsal for the Olympics.

"But unfortunately we've forked out $600 million and it only took the Scots $200 million to run a Games.

"It sort of says maybe we've got some of our priorities wrong here. Good on the Scots, but I think the poor old Vics will be a bit embarrassed."

CGS Chair Ian Reid said it would be a "travesty" if the UK and Scottish Governments turned down the "chance to bring wide-ranging benefits to the country and public purse" adding "The Games will undoubtedly look and feel different to the historic events of 10 years ago.

"However, the circumstances facing us are remarkably different – the 2026 Games hang in the balance and the UK finances are facing tough decisions. But the Games presents a real opportunity for Glasgow and Scotland.

"Scotland has been offered £100m + of the Victorian Government's money to secure the future of the Commonwealth Games.

"That is £100m+ of inward investment at a time when there are critical works needed in the city; that investment alone would account for five per cent of the overall inward investment into Scotland over the past year.

"To potentially turn down such a significant sum of money, which only serves to boost the Glasgow and Scottish economies and has been deliberately created not to rely on the public purse at a time of economic uncertainty, is – in our opinion – short-sighted.

"We are confident of delivering a world-class sporting event to packed crowds in Glasgow, with some of the world's sporting stars providing inspirational moments for the millions of spectators in Scotland, the UK and across the Commonwealth.

“A decision over the coming weeks is critical to deliver the Games – we believe the concept is a no-brainer."

Chris Jenkins OBE, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, also expressed strong support for CGS’s proposal advising "we fully endorse Commonwealth Games Scotland’s innovative concept for the 2026 Commonwealth Games and believe that Scotland, with its significant experience in organising major sports events, is more than able to deliver a world-class event in such a short period of time."

Jenkins praised the sustainable and flexible model proposed by CGS, which leverages existing infrastructure and builds on the legacy of the successful Glasgow 2014 Games. He suggested that this approach could set a new standard for future Commonwealth Games, offering a model that minimises costs while maximising impact.