Avoiding opening and closing ceremonies will help the Commonwealth Games scale down and hopefully survive. Photo: Alex Davidson/Getty Images
Last year, the Commonwealth Games broke records in Birmingham with 1.5 million tickets sold. Now they may be on the verge of death, and the only way to save them may be a major overhaul.
Throughout history, there have been outstanding and memorable moments that have put the Commonwealth Games at the forefront of sports consciousness: The Miracle Mile in Vancouver in 1954 when Roger Bannister defeated John Landy; Katie Freeman running the honor lap with the Aboriginal flag in 1994; global superstar Usain Bolt, who won Glasgow 2014; and the touching moment when David Beckham passes the torch to Queen Elizabeth II along with terminally ill six-year-old Kirsty Howard in Manchester.
But none of this would have been possible without the host city.
< p>On the current evidence, there are several takers. This month may well be seen as the beginning of the end of this 93-year event. In the past few weeks, the next two iterations of the Games have been put in serious doubt. First, Victoria abruptly withdrew from hosting the 2026 event, and on Thursday, the Canadian government in Alberta withdrew support from Calgary and Edmonton to host the 2030 centenary event.
The UK can still save the 2026 Games — as Birmingham did last year after South Africa's late withdrawal from Durban, with Glasgow and London. However, the fact that rich, successful and capable host countries such as Canada and Australia are going offline is a sure sign of a bleak future.
The news is all the more puzzling given the huge success Birmingham has had. considered last summer. The 2022 edition featured new competitions, including 3×3 basketball and T20 women's cricket, and set world attendance records.
But the reality is that the Commonwealth Games will always play a secondary role compared to the Olympics , because many athletes do not prioritize the first, and justify the billions of dollars in host country budgets is becoming more and more difficult.
Glasgow hopes so. the event in 2014 cost an estimated £543 million ($691 million), while Birmingham cost £778 million. That's just over half what Calgary claims their offer could be worth, while Victoria's inflated expected price was £3.7bn.
New rules from the Commonwealth Games Federation, with fewer mandatory events and reduced athlete accommodation requirements, tried to attract more city applications. But it has had the opposite effect and cities don't feel the cost is worth it.
Birmingham 2022 has added £870.7m to the UK economy so when done right the Commonwealth Games could offer more than his detractors would like to mention.
There are other issues that continue to play a role. The Games' roots in colonialism are seen by some critics as problematic and outdated. But in recent years, the event has been positioned as more united and progressive than ever.
It's easy to forget that for some smaller countries, the Commonwealth Games represent the pinnacle of their sporting aspirations. The Games have also become leaders in parasport, fully integrating these events in 2002, becoming the only global sporting event to achieve this. Given the expected cutbacks, if the Games are to survive it would be a crying shame if those traditions and heritage were to be threatened.
The Games have become a springboard for some British sports icons, including 15-year-old Tom's gold Daly in Delhi. This gave Nicola Adams the opportunity to make history by winning the first women's boxing gold at the 2014 Games. Last year we were captured in a multi-generational moment of glory when Scotland's Eilish McColgan imitated her mother Liz in a thrilling 10,000m final. lap last year.
Moments like this are worth saving, but the question is whether anyone is willing to pay the bills.
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