Should Malaysia host 2026 Commonwealth Games? Look at Victoria and Birmingham, critics say

The Commonwealth Games Federation is offering Malaysia US$127 million to stage the event, after Australia’s Victoria state withdrew from hosting over costs

As Malaysia mulls over the ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’, the public has pushed back against big spending and also criticise the event as being a relic of a bygone colonial era

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The opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in September 1998. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:00pm, 20 Mar 2024

Scepticism and unease over frivolous spending has greeted a proposal for Malaysia to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Australia dropped out citing high costs, with the public questioning both the need to support a legacy of the British empire and the wisdom of laying on a last-minute sporting event.

Inaugurated in 1930 as the British Empire Games, the Commonwealth Games brings together competitors from Britain’s former colonies in a multi-sport event held every four years.

The Australian state of Victoria won the rights to host the 2026 edition of the event, but withdrew in July 2023, citing a projected budget blowout.

Victoria won after Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, alongside Cardiff, Calgary, Edmonton and Adelaide, pulled out from the race, citing financial concerns.

Now, without a host just two years ahead of the games, the Commonwealth Games Federation is dangling £100 million (US$127 million) for Malaysia to help pay for the event.

The Malaysian government is deliberating over the matter, with its Olympic Council (OCM) proposing a stripped-down version of the games.

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