The 2026 Commonwealth Games are barely five years away and still have no host on paper. The next edition, nine months from now in Birmingham, could be the last of the kind of Games we know. Big changes – co-hosting, reducing the number of events, giving hosts the prerogative to choose sports, among others – should be implemented to outfit the quadrennial event to survive the ravages of time and the question. of its relevance.

The “2026-2030 Strategic Roadmap” aims not only to reduce the fat of the existing event of 19 sports and 270 medals, but also to create an incentive to host the Games. Hosts who can choose the sports of their choice and play to their strength could skew the medals in his favor. It is a voluntary barter for CGF. “The pandemic has highlighted the need for hosts to have more flexibility in the design of the event. We think it’s an exciting decision to allow hosts to offer entirely new sports relevant to their nation. or their culture, ”Dame Louise Martin, Commonwealth Games Federation President (CGF) told ESPN. “Obviously, the size, scale and cost of the Games are key concerns for any potential host. “

While the Ontario government has already made a financial commitment to Canada to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Mexico and the United States and the pandemic has made economic burdens more difficult, in April of this year, Hamilton scrapped plans to host the 2026 Games. The city is now applying to host the 2030 Games – the centennial edition – which was in fact its original plan. Hamilton had, a year ago, shifted its attention to 2026 instead of 2030 at the request of the CGF since the edition had not found any bidders. Interested cities / countries that had dropped out of the 2026 host race earlier, mainly due to the size and cost of the Games, included Perth, Sydney, Liverpool, Cardiff, Kuala Lumpur, Edmonton and Calgary.

“We would like to see more countries hosting the Games,” said Martin, who was elected in 2015 and is the first female president of the CGF. “The roadmap promotes concepts such as co-hosting, it can be multiple countries in Africa or Asia or a regional proposal from the Caribbean.”

Next year’s Commonwealth Games are just 33 days away from the Asian Games. This is one of the reasons given by Hockey India for not sending its teams to the event – the lack of time to reach the top of the Asian Games which will also serve as a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Martin says that CGF, together with Birmingham 2022 and other Games partners, “contacted Hockey India to understand and alleviate any concerns” with a view to supporting teams’ participation in the Games.

Unlike the Commonwealth Games – made up of former British colonies – the Asian Games act as a clear marker of continental supremacy. Despite making up the majority of the Commonwealth, Asia and Africa have only hosted three Games. Outraged by the withdrawal of shooting from the 2022 program, the president of the Indian Olympic Association had threatened that the country would boycott the Games completely before the CGF was forced to provide two sports – archery and shooting – which will be organized in Chandigarh as part of the next Games. year. After the pandemic struck, there was a drastic change in circumstances and the two events that were to take place in India were called off. “The turn of events (cancellation of the shooting and archery events) left a bitter taste,” said a senior Indian official. “We used to plan to host the 2026 Games, but that also failed.”

Martin, however, is convinced that India is central to his future. “I saw first-hand the positive impact of the 2010 Games on Delhi in terms of investment and infrastructure by revisiting some of the world-class sports venues that have been built for the event,” she said. “We know that India has the ambition to host major sporting events, of which we are a part. I hope India will take note of the recent roadmap we have established and the opportunity to host future Games, including sports such as kabaddi. the largest and most populous country in the Commonwealth of Nations, we would love to see the Games return to India soon. “

The Commonwealth is home to 2.4 billion people (over 60% of whom are under the age of 30), and Martin seeks to generate greater hospitality interest from Asia and Africa, which constitute his majority. To tap into the younger demographic majority and greater fan engagement, CGF entered into an “exploratory partnership” in 2020 with the Global Esports Federation. The Olympic Council of Asia has taken a step ahead. Esports is slated to be a medal-winning event at the 2022 Asian Games in China, across eight games – FIFA, PUBG Mobile, Arena of Valor, League of Legends, Dota 2, Street Fighter V, HearthStone, and Dream Three Kingdoms 2.

Martin answers the question about the relevance and future of the Games in a commercial manner. She sees the roadmap as a change of course for the Games. “I think we’ll look back as the catalyst in creating an exciting plan for the future of our event,” she stresses. “We have a proud history stretching back over 90 years with 21 editions and an exciting future that can bring innovation and creativity to our Games and allow more countries to host. The Commonwealth is more relevant than ever and our future is promising. “

We will have to start by finding a willing host for 2026.