Questions over fallout for Victoria after Canada scraps Commonwealth Games 2030 bid

Victoria’s opposition says there could be fallout for the state after Canada scrapped its bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: Jason Edwards

Canada’s decision to cancel its bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games could cost Victoria more money on top of reparations owed after dumping the 2026 event, the state’s opposition says.

Games authorities are locked in negotiations with Daniel Andrews’s government seeking millions of dollars in compensation after the Premier revealed a fortnight ago that Victoria could not afford to host the event, which he said would cost up to $7bn and not $2bn as originally thought.

After the Alberta province in Canada dumped its bid to host the event across Calgary and Edmonton in 2030, Opposition Leader John Pesutto said there could be extra cost risks for the state, already heading towards a net debt of $171.4bn in 2026.

“I think there are two key risks for Victoria,” he told Sky News.

“I think the Commonwealth Federation will probably seize on what Alberta has done to say ‘See, Victoria you have damaged the reputation of the Commonwealth Games so we are going to seek even greater damages and compensation’.

“The other thing Alberta shows what should have happened in Victoria. Alberta took a look at the games and thought, well, we can’t make it work.”

Commonwealth Sport Canada directed blame toward the Victorian government.

“Commonwealth Sport Canada has been informed by the Alberta government that they have decided to discontinue exploration of a 2030 Commonwealth Games bid,” it said in a statement.

“We believe the recent decision by the Victorian government to withdraw from the 2026 Commonwealth Games was a significant factor in Alberta’s decision, as well as an over-dependence on taxpayer support for the planning and delivery of the Games.”

A Victorian government spokeswoman said: “When the Commonwealth Games needed a host city to step in at the last minute, we were willing to help – but $6-7bn for a 12-day sporting event is too much.”

She said negotiations with the Commonwealth Games Federation would continue “over coming weeks”.

Three separate inquiries will now probe the Labor government’s call to scrap the games, including a federal inquiry and two state investigations.