Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has turned down an offer to host 2026 Commonwealth Games, citing concerns about the cost of the quadrennial sporting event.
Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh said on Friday that the government made the decision after concluding that the Commonwealth Games Federation’s offer of 100 million pounds ($126.21m) in supporting funds would not cover the entire cost.
“The government wants to focus on the development of sports as well as the welfare and well-being of the people,” Yeoh said in a statement.
The proposal had received a mixed response in Malaysia amid concerns over the economy and bread-and-butter issues, including a sharp decline in the value of the ringgit.
Malaysia’s Olympic Council had previously proposed hosting a scaled-down version of the event.
Malaysia was asked to host the event after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year after claiming the estimated cost had blown out by 6.9 billion Australian dollars ($4.5bn).
A report by Victoria’s Auditor-General’s Office released on Wednesday found that the cost estimate that resulted in the event’s cancellation was “overstated and not transparent”.
