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. 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 the Games 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”.

“This is hugely disappointing for the Commonwealth Sport Movement, for athletes around the Commonwealth and the Organising Committee who are well advanced in their planning and preparation,” the federation said in a statement.

“We are disappointed that we were only given eight hours’ notice and that no consideration was given to discussing the situation to jointly find solutions prior to this decision being reached by the government,” it added.

Victoria’s decision to step away may have surprised CGF, but it has barely shocked anyone in the sporting firmament. For CWG, as a concept, multiple experts and sportspeople say, has long outlived its utility.

Politically, CWG brings together erstwhile colonies and territories that were once ruled by the British Empire – not something any country would want to flaunt. On the sporting front, it is not that the level of competition is exactly top-tier either.

While Indian wrestlers win big at CWG, it is really in the shooting range where the country has had a free run – a fact highlighted by the 135 medals that have been won at the competition, including 63 gold medal finishes.

Also, the infrastructure built for such events invariably end up being white elephants, and as long as the organisers don’t find a “sustainable and attractive” way to host such events, finding a host city will continue to be a problem, said Abhinav Bindra, India’s first individual gold medallist at the Olympics.

“There is no question that all multi-sports events are cost-intensive exercises, but there certainly is a better way to do it. The concept of sustainability figures prominently in the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2025. CGF has been struggling to find hosts for the last two editions, so there is definite scope for improvement,” added Bindra, who has participated in four editions of CWG (2002 to 2014).

Jaspal Rana, India’s most successful individual athlete at CWG with 15 medals across four editions (1994, ‘98, ‘02, ‘06), agreed.

“If you talk about the concept of Commonwealth, I don’t think it is relevant anymore. As far as shooting is concerned, we get much tougher competition at world championships. As of now, it is tougher to win nationals medals in India than winning at CWG,” the former pistol shooter said.

“We don’t need CWG as such. Earlier, we were hard-pressed for international exposure, so every opportunity was important. Now even the juniors compete around the world. Same is the case with SAFF Games. Still, I won’t advise our athletes to shun CWG because it is a multi-sport event and the experience you gain is invaluable,” Rana said.

With ambiguity looming over the 2026 CWG, there are some who want India to step up. But would such a move make sense?

“Victoria has done the logical thing. Barring cricket, no other sport is profitable in India. Hosting events of such scale are zero-profit scenarios, but if we can develop cities around such Games, the purpose will be well served,” a senior Indian official in the sports ministry said, requesting anonymity.

To sum up the larger question being asked by most: The world has moved on, so why hold on to an archaic concept? The answer: It may well be time to “Let the Games end.”