South Australian Government ends interest in Adelaide hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games

The possibility of Adelaide hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games has ended after the South Australia Premier Steven Marshall revealed he is not interested in the opportunity.

Ben Houston, President of Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) told the Adelaide Advertiser yesterday that "despite the widespread support for a Commonwealth Games bid, we have received confirmation from the premier that the Government is not interested in pursuing a Commonwealth Games for Adelaide.”

The ending of interest comes despite an optimistic report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on behalf of CGA that described the benefits of hosting the Games, including a positive local economic boost.

Houston added "we accept the Government’s decision and thank them for considering a South Australian bid."

News that the CGA will no longer campaign for a Games in Adelaide could come as a blow to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) just weeks after officials in Hamilton, Canada also admitted that the provincial government won’t support plans for 2026 due to the already-scheduled FIFA World Cup set to take place the same year in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Resistance to siting the Commonwealth Games in Hamilton, a city just 70 kilometres from a proposed World Cup venue in provincial capital Toronto, has reportedly come directly from world football governing body FIFA.

Earlier this year, the CGF's David Grevemberg said he had been “approached by a number of other potentially interested hosts for future Games” but other than remarks made by sport officials in India earlier this year, no other potential bids have been named.

Houston hasn’t ruled out an Australian bid for the 2026 Games, vowing to continue his search for a site that could fill the hosting gap.

He noted "we look forward to conversations with other states who might be interested in a 2026 Games bid as part of their big event vision for their state."

The last edition of the Commonwealth Games was held on the Gold Coast in 2018. The English city of Birmingham is set to host the Games in 2022.

Image: The closing ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.