By Victor Kanayo
As interest from potential bidders soars, hosting of the 2030 and 2034 editions of the Commonwealth Games could be announced together in 2023.
Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Katie Sadleir, disclosed that documentation outlining the bidding process for both Games will be tabled to the organisation’s Board in October, with it hopes that two hosts will be confirmed by the end of 2023.
Hamilton in Canada is considered the frontrunner for the Games in eight years’ time to mark the centenary of when it staged the first edition of the multi-sport event in 1930.
Sadleir said Hamilton was among a number of cities that had voiced an ambition of holding the Games in either 2030 or 2034.
The New Zealand official said the growing interest has led the CGF to look at pushing ahead with the bidding process.
“We will be taking a paper to the Board in October to outline the bid process,” said Sadleir.
“The paper hasn’t been written yet but the thought is that we will go out in the first quarter of next year ideally for 2030 and 2034 so we can start getting that excitement going for the longer term.
“Hamilton has clearly been working in this space for quite some time so they might be more ready than others but I think there might be some others interested as well.
“People are definitely talking about both (2030 or 2034) because of the fact that we have taken a flexible approach to Games hosting.
“That gives people much more scope to sit down and think through what is really important for their country in terms of sports but also economic development, trade, tourism and all those kinds of things.”
While responding on the prospect of securing hosts for two Games, Sadleir said: “It would be by the end of next year.
“We will certainly go out to look at 2030 and 2034 and that will be really exciting so hopefully we will see what happen.”
Birmingham in England had a little more than four years to prepare for this year’s Commonwealth Games after securing the hosting rights in December 2017, following the withdrawal of Durban in South Africa.
Victoria in Australia is facing an even shorter turnaround to plan for the 2026 edition after being confirmed as host in April this year.
The decision to award the hosting rights to Victoria ended years of uncertainty as the Games were originally due to be awarded at the 2019 CGF General Assembly in Rwanda.
Victoria was confirmed as host after engaging in a period of exclusive dialogue with the CGF and Commonwealth Games Australia since February.
Sadleir said the process of awarding the Games was among the proposals that would be tabled to the CGF Board.
