LONDON – Australia’s Gold Coast has withdrawn its bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the city’s mayor has said, reported German news agency (dpa).
In a statement on Sunday, Tom Tate said: “We did our best and that’s all people can expect.
“In simple terms, it seems our Games’ vision doesn’t align with the vision of the state or federal government’s.”
The move comes after the Australian state of Victoria announced in July that it was to withdraw as host due to the cost of the event breaching estimates by around AU$5 billion (RM15.47 billion).
Then state premier Daniel Andrews told media in Melbourne at the time he was not prepared to spend up to AU$7 billion on a “12-day sporting event”.
The state ultimately agreed to pay £190 million (RM1.12 billion) to the Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Games Federation Partnerships and Commonwealth Games Australia for its decision. – December 4, 2023