Commonwealth Games: 2026 event in doubt after Victoria cancels

[Nearly Sane]

That the issues with holding the Games have been going on for so long is worrying for the future. They were a great occasion in Glasgow in 2014 but not sure that has been huge benefit to the city.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-66229574

[Nearly Sane]

And more questioning on the future of the Games.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-66229577

[ProfessorDavey]

That the issues with holding the Games have been going on for so long is worrying for the future. They were a great occasion in Glasgow in 2014 but not sure that has been huge benefit to the city.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-66229574

Time for it to be quietly shelved - the whole notion seems deeply anachronistic and outside of the Olympics (which also has its financial problems) I just don't see the attraction or justification for a multi-sport tournament.

I think the problem is that the selection of countries that compete is neither a) the best - on other words those that have successfully qualified, nor b) everyone, as per the Olympics so will necessarily include the best, nor c) geographically coherent - as is the case for a European tournament.

Given that the Queen is now dead there is the perfect opportunity to allow these really weird games to also be put to bed.

[Nearly Sane]

Gold Coast step in to hold the Games and looking to use it as a platform for their holding the Olympics in 2032

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/66255262

But some calling for Gold Coast to drop the Olympics


https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/other/greens-mp-max-chandler-mathers-calls-for-the-brisbane-2032-olympics-to-be-scrapped-after-daniel-andrews-cancelled-the-commonwealth-games/ar-AA1e0BIY

[ProfessorDavey]

Gold Coast step in to hold the Games and looking to use it as a platform for their holding the Olympics in 2032

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/66255262

But some calling for Gold Coast to drop the Olympics


https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/other/greens-mp-max-chandler-mathers-calls-for-the-brisbane-2032-olympics-to-be-scrapped-after-daniel-andrews-cancelled-the-commonwealth-games/ar-AA1e0BIY

May act as a sticking plaster - but even that depends on whether this offer stacks up and delivers.

But ultimately doesn't solve the problem - this isn't the first time that there has need to be a switch in venues after the initial announcement, and probably won't be the last.

I think the fundamental problems are that first the format (both the multi sport and the strange combination of countries involved) is difficult to deliver and not very attractive as a package. But there is also the problem that many top-level sports people (when they happen to be from one of the somewhat random selection of countries) who should be the 'box office' often don't really seem interested. Perhaps the best example being Usain Bolt who pretty well ignored the games during his career.

In a manner the commonwealth games are a bit like Queens tennis for the top players - useful if you need a bit of good training experience, perhaps coming back from injury - but not something that you really care about winning.

[ProfessorDavey]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66402140

2030 games in doubt too.

Just quietly kill off the whole outdated nonsense!!

[SteveH]

In connection with this, I googled to see how many multi-sport games there were, and was amazed at the number. there are games for every continent - Pan-American, African, Asian, European, Pacific, and also the Mediterranean Games for countries bordering the Med; the Maccabiah Games (Jewish and Israeli); the World Games (for sports not included in the Olympics); the Invicta Games (Harry's initiative for injured ex-military people); the Gay Games (for LGB+ athletes); the Gratitude Games (for UK NHS and Emergency services workers); the Highland Games, in Scotland and other countries where there is a Scottish diaspora - the oldest multi-sport games, dating back to the 18th Century in its modern form; and dozens of others.

[Nearly Sane]

Anyone have contacts running a school sports day that could be expanded.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/66613481

[ProfessorDavey]

Anyone have contacts running a school sports day that could be expanded.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/66613481

I thought the Gold Coast was looking to step in for 2026, but there seems to be no mention of that. Perhaps they've had cold feet.

[Nearly Sane]

May be delayed till 2027

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/66751343

[Nearly Sane]

And looks gone

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-67609960

[Nearly Sane]

And looks gone

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-67609960

Staggering on - it's going to be the eCommonwealth games, isn't it?


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/68757228

[SteveH]

In connection with this, I googled to see how many multi-sport games there were, and was amazed at the number. there are games for every continent - Pan-American, African, Asian, European, Pacific, and also the Mediterranean Games for countries bordering the Med; the Maccabiah Games (Jewish and Israeli); the World Games (for sports not included in the Olympics); the Invicta Games (Harry's initiative for injured ex-military people); the Gay Games (for LGB+ athletes); the Gratitude Games (for UK NHS and Emergency services workers); the Highland Games, in Scotland and other countries where there is a Scottish diaspora - the oldest multi-sport games, dating back to the 18th Century in its modern form; and dozens of others.

Also the Olympian Games, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenlock_Olympian_Games and the Cotswold Olimpick Games, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotswold_Olimpick_Games two forerunners of the modern Olympics.

[ProfessorDavey]

Staggering on - it's going to be the eCommonwealth games, isn't it?


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/68757228

FFS - just let it die a natural death. It's time has long gone and sometimes you simply need to accept that something that might have made sense 30 years ago just doesn't anymore.

[Nearly Sane]

Getting a strange sense of deja vu


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/68792008

[Nearly Sane]

Getting a strange sense of deja vu


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/68792008

Now apparently confirmed. Not sure if there will be anything like the enthusiasm for the 2014 games. It feels like the end. I get why the 2 mandatories are swimming and athletics but they are also the sports that have the biggest platforms outside of the Commonwealths. I suspect cycling will be in and that too while the Commonwealths are a good shop window for it, feels bigger. The smaller sports which benefit - bowling - may not get the benefit in a slimmed down version, if they get to take part at all. I did quote like the bowling in 2014 as I had bowled on those greens.

The slowness in the process in the replacing makes me agree with Prof D, that it's had it's time.


https://www.glasgowworld.com/news/commonwealth-games-glasgow-2026-games-to-return-12-years-after-event-last-held-in-glasgow-4783459

[Nearly Sane]

Reasonable article which looks at the chances of the Comminwealth Games surviving but which seems in tone to hint at no.


https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/c8j7y09j49no

[Nearly Sane]

The ten sports in the slimmed down version, some of which have been slimmed down themselves

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly3yv91595o

[ProfessorDavey]

The ten sports in the slimmed down version, some of which have been slimmed down themselves

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly3yv91595o

Dead cat bounce?

The choice of sports seems a touch bizarre. Some are clearly leading sports likely to be attractive to audiences - e.g. athletics, cycling, swimming. But others are hardly big spectator sports (e.g. bowling) and some I image people will never know exists except if they stumble across during late night games coverage (e.g. 3x3 basketball). On the latter - does the cost saving mean they cannot afford a full basketball court!

[Outrider]

Dead cat bounce?

The choice of sports seems a touch bizarre. Some are clearly leading sports likely to be attractive to audiences - e.g. athletics, cycling, swimming. But others are hardly big spectator sports (e.g. bowling) and some I image people will never know exists except if they stumble across during late night games coverage (e.g. 3x3 basketball). On the latter - does the cost saving mean they cannot afford a full basketball court!

I think it's more time than space - a 3x3 game lasts 10 minutes, from memory, whilst a full basketball game is 4 12 minute quarters with changes. You can get through the entire 3x3 tournament in a day or two, rather than spending a week or more tying up a venue for the full game.

O.

[Nearly Sane]

I think it's more time than space - a 3x3 game lasts 10 minutes, from memory, whilst a full basketball game is 4 12 minute quarters with changes. You can get through the entire 3x3 tournament in a day or two, rather than spending a week or more tying up a venue for the full game.

O.

In addition, basketball has only appeared twice in the Games, and is a sport where finding a spread of teams to ve involved that are competitive is relatively hard, and the 3x3 allows it to happen alongside a para sport competition more easily, which also applies to the bowls.

I suspect bowling survived as it's one of the original sports, and has appeared in all games but one, is easy to stage, and involves some smaller countries with medal chances.

The one that I am a little surprised at missing out is diving as it's been a near ever present, and British diving is on a high. I suspect there the issue was that in 2014 the competition was held in Edinburgh so that would have meant another site as well as another stadium.

[ProfessorDavey]

I think it's more time than space - a 3x3 game lasts 10 minutes, from memory, whilst a full basketball game is 4 12 minute quarters with changes. You can get through the entire 3x3 tournament in a day or two, rather than spending a week or more tying up a venue for the full game.

O.

I wasn't being serious about only being able to afford half a basketball pitch. But the point remains - 3x3 basketball is an incredibly niche sport - one that never existed in an organised form until very recently. I suspect I'm not alone in never having heard of it before seeing it briefly at the Paris Olympics.

If the Commonwealth games are to continue to exist in a slimmed down format, surely best to choose sports with widespread recognition that people might actually have forked out money to watch in the past and might therefore want to fork out money to watch at this tournament.

[Outrider]

If the Commonwealth games are to continue to exist in a slimmed down format, surely best to choose sports with widespread recognition that people might actually have forked out money to watch in the past and might therefore want to fork out money to watch at this tournament.

I don't know that the selection has been made on the rationale of selling future games as a prospect so much as a desperation move to keep this one going, but if there is an element of looking to the future, I can see that picking niche sports, or niche variants of sports, might be a way forward.

With hockey, diving, basketball and others, there's the Olympics as the pinnacle - with the Olympics to compare against, the Commonwealth Games is likely to be of secondary importance to the people in those fields, and of no importance at all to people outside of the Commonwealth. With the niche sports this could be their pinnacle, and that could prompt support from within the (admittedly relatively small) current support. The Commonwealth gets motivated supporters and the niche sports get a new showcase.

O.

[jeremyp]

Dead cat bounce?

The choice of sports seems a touch bizarre. Some are clearly leading sports likely to be attractive to audiences - e.g. athletics, cycling, swimming. But others are hardly big spectator sports (e.g. bowling) and some I image people will never know exists except if they stumble across during late night games coverage (e.g. 3x3 basketball). On the latter - does the cost saving mean they cannot afford a full basketball court!

Bowls

[ProfessorDavey]

Bowls

I know - that's really going to pack the punters in!! But at least there is some kind of heritage there seeing as bowls has been at the Commonwealth Games (and its predecessors) for nearly 100 years. But 3x3 basketball?!?