Australia’s Victoria state has withdrawn as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.<br /><br />Speaking on Tuesday 18 July, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said the decision to pull out was “not a difficult call” due to the costs of hosting.<br /><br />“Frankly, six to seven billion dollars for a 12-day sporting event, we are not doing that,” he said.<br /><br />“That does not represent value for money. That is all cost and no benefit.”<br /><br />Mr Andrews also said his government had initially budgeted 2.6 billion Australian dollars (£1.4 billion) to stage the Commonwealth Games in five regional cities.
