May 21, 2026 — 3:30pmCommonwealth Sport officials are confident the 2026 Games in Glasgow can succeed with an Australian audience despite Victoria’s abandonment of the Games costing state taxpayers $200 million and forcing event organisers to halve the number of sports on offer.President of Commonwealth Sport, Donald Rukare, said he had every belief Australians would engage with the Games, and said there was no reason the country couldn’t host the event in future.Australian athletes at the uniform launch for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which get under way on July 23.Steven Siewert“I would like to see that. Why not?,” Rukare said of the prospect.“We are keen to ensure we have a very solid, credible and predictable pipeline of Games, and if Australia has put up their hand, they would be considered for that.”Australia last hosted the Games on the Gold Coast in 2018, and was meant to host this year in regional Victoria before the Victorian government pulled the pin in mid-2023.Hosting rights for the 2030 centenary Commonwealth Games have been awarded to Ahmedabad in India.Part of the Australian uniform for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.Audrey RichardsonChief executive of Commonwealth Games Australia, Craig Phillips, said he could see a future where Australia hosted, but said they hadn’t discussed putting their hands up for 2034.“We’ve just got to pick the right time, and pick the right partner to do it with,” Phillips said.“No plans right now, but one of the things that comes out of Glasgow is that Commonwealth Sport will launch it’s expression of interest program for 2034 and beyond. So, we will have a look at what that looks like and to see if that’s the right time or future Games for us.”The Commonwealth Games continue to fight for relevance, with high-profile competitors such as Australian sprinter Gout Gout and Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh not competing. Rukare said the event still played an important role on the international stage for the 74 nations involved despite countries like the United States and China not competing.“What we’re very keen on in Commonwealth Sport is to ensure the athletes have a space, and that’s why it feels very important that the Games remain on the sporting calendar because the Commonwealth Games remains a manifestation of a sporting event that means a lot to a number of athletes,” he said.“And we believe having the Games in Glasgow is going to provide a very important platform for all the athletes from the 74 countries, but also those from Australia to showcase their talent and build to other events. We believe that through media coverage once the Games start, I am sure everybody will get behind all the different teams, and we will see a lot of interest in Australia.”Phillips acknowledged that some Australians may have a complicated relationship with the Games given Victoria’s abandonment of hosting rights, but said he was optimistic the support would be there once events begin on July 23.“I can understand people in Victoria either being disappointed the Games aren’t happening [there], or disappointed because they’ve had to pay some compensation, but at the end of the day our focus is on looking after Australian athletes, so that’s what we’ve tried to do,” Phillips said.“We know how much the Commonwealth Games team is loved by Australia with the numbers that came out of Birmingham [in 2022] – the TV viewership and how people related to the Games. It was all very positive. We think it’s still there, the only thing that changed was that Australia decided not to host.”Billie Eder is a sports reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners