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Alberta will explore a bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games but could be tripped up by the same plebiscite hurdle that sank Calgary’s effort to stage the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) announced on Wednesday the Alberta bid, centred around the province’s two biggest cities Calgary and Edmonton, as the preferred candidate after Hamilton’s bid collapsed.
A group of partners — including the cities of Edmonton and Calgary, the province of Alberta, the Tsuut’ina Nation and government of Canada — is exploring the possibility and feasibility of a joint bid to host the Games.
The event would be held over 11 days in August 2030, with competitions and cultural events shared between Calgary, Edmonton, Tsuut’ina Nation, the Bow Valley and other Alberta communities.
Hamilton had been considered the frontrunner and preferred candidate to stage the centennial Games but was unable to obtain the required government backing by Commonwealth Sport Canada’s February deadline. The Hamilton100 bid proposed an operating budget of around $1 billion, with the private sector kicking in between $250 million to $500 million.
“Commonwealth Sport Canada set an early deadline for provincial financial support and the province simply didn’t have sufficient time to make a commitment,” Hamilton100 bid chief Louis Frapporti said on Tuesday.
Commonwealth Sport Canada and the Alberta 2030 Commonwealth Games Corporation have scheduled a press conference for Wednesday in Calgary to officially launch the exploration process.
Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics but saw hopes of bringing the 2026 Winter Games back to the western Canadian city dashed when citizens voted resoundingly against a bid.
Edmonton hosted the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
If Canada does not put forward a bid it would be another blow for the quadrennial event.
Australia will have staged two of the last three Commonwealth Games when Victoria hosts in 2026.
Birmingham hosted the 2022 Games, coming to the rescue after Durban, South Africa was stripped of the competition over financial concerns.
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