MALAYSIA has turned down the offer by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
Yeoh said the matter was decided by the Cabinet in a meeting today after taking into account all the implications and aspects of hosting the event.
“A delegation from the CGF had met with the Youth and Sports Ministry and had given us a briefing about the offer, which also saw the attendance of Finance Minister II (Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan) on Feb 5, 2024,” she said in a statement on Friday (March 22).
According to Yeoh, the results tabled before the Cabinet expressed among other things that the £100 million (RM603 mil) offer from CGF would not be able to cover the overall cost of hosting a large-scale sports event.
“In addition, the economic impact of the event cannot be ascertained in this short time.
“The Madani government wishes to thank the CGF delegation for giving us the opportunity to host the prestigious event but for now the government wants to focus on developing sports and prioritising the people’s welfare,” the statement read.
The CGF is reportedly scrambling to find a host after the Australian state of Victoria had abruptly pulled out in July last year citing spiralling costs.
India had also reportedly said it had no interest in hosting the 2026 edition of the Games while the province of Alberta in Canada also withdrew itself from the bidding process for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, a week after Victoria announced its withdrawal.
Malaysia last hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1998. – March 22, 2024
