Scotland’s government is on the cusp of agreeing for Glasgow to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The Scottish government will meet Commonwealth Games Australia
(CGA) officials later on Monday in decisive talks for the future of the multi-sport event.
CGA has offered a multi-million dollar investment, the missing piece in Scotland’s funding puzzle for Glasgow to host the 2026 edition.
The Scottish government is expected to officially accept Australia’s offer at Monday’s meeting, clearing the way for Glasgow to host, as the city successfully did in 2014.
Both the Scottish and United Kingdom governments are refusing to use any public money for Glasgow to stage the next edition after Victoria last year withdrew as host.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) will give Scotland almost $200 million towards hosting – money coming from $380m in compensation from the Victorian government.
Scotland asked the United Kingdom government to underwrite the Games and chip in about $4.5m to cover any security cost blowouts.
The UK refused and Scotland’s government also has ruled out using any public monies.
That prompted CGA president Ben Houston to table an Australian offer of a “multi-million pound investment”.
The Australian offer has not been specified but is understood to be in the vicinity of the $4.5m that Scotland wanted from the UK.
The CGF has endorsed Australia’s offer.
“We commend Commonwealth Games Australia for making this generous multi-million-pound offer,” CGF president Chris Jenkins said in a statement ahead of Australia’s meeting with the Scottish government.
And government sources have told Scotland’s BBC: “If we remain satisfied that the public purse won’t have to be opened to pay for these Games, the confidence is rising that Monday will bring good news.”
The next Glasgow edition will be a scaled-down version of past Games and feature between 10 and 13 sports – about one-third less than in Birmingham, England, in 2022.
The Glasgow Games will be staged at existing facilities with the Australian funding expected to help cover any additional costs of policing and security.
In July last year, Victoria pulled out as host of the ’26 Games citing a forecast cost blowout – from between $2 billion and $3b to between $6b and $7b.
A subsequent audit found Victoria’s decision was based on poor accounting, while other Australian states and territories rejected hosting the 2026 edition.
The Victorian government agreed to pay $380m in compensation to the CGF, of which $200m was offered to Scotland after countries including Malaysia and Singapore turned down the offer.
Victoria was the second successive Commonwealth Games host to renege on its commitment.
In 2015, Durban was named as 2022 host but 17 months later the South African city was stripped of the Games amid financial problems and missed deadlines.
Birmingham then stepped in to host in 2022.
