‘Govt to study details before decision on Commonwealth Games’

HAMBURG: The government will scrutinise the details and obtain the views of all parties before making a final decision on the offer to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said he had requested information from Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, the National Sports Council, and other relevant parties.

“We have to look in detail first. Look at it as a whole before making a final decision,” he told a press conference here at the end of his six-day visit to Germany.

Anwar said he had also asked the Cabinet to discuss the offer at its meeting, and a decision on it is expected to be made next week.

“We cannot postpone the decision,” he added when asked to comment on the Commonwealth Games Federation’s (CGF) offer to Malaysia to host the Games to replace Victoria, Australia, which withdrew as the host last year, reported Bernama.

CGF also offered a fund injection of £100mil (RM602mil) to Malaysia, which once hosted the games in 1998.

Victoria pulled out due to an increase in hosting costs, from the initial expectation of A$2.6bil (approximately RM8.09bil) to A$7bil (RM21.78bil).

Anwar said he was aware that there were differing views on the offer, but it had to be seen from various angles.

“However, as we also know, athletics cannot be seen from economic and investment interests alone.

“We want to also give space and encouragement to sportsmen and sportswomen to compete.

“For example, if we accept this offer, there will be programmes for the preparation of athletes,” he said.

However, the significance of the Commonwealth Games itself also needs to be looked at before any decision is made, he said.

“What is the significance? How much spending is required? Although there are hundreds of millions provided by the CGF, if we have to spend up to another billion ringgit, that might limit our ability,” he added.

Anwar said that the government will openly discuss the issue of the offer and accept any views from all parties.

“We will consider all the pros and cons before making a decision,” he added.

On a separate matter, Anwar warned against high hopes of finding answers to the disappearance 10 years ago of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 after a modern robotics company said it could reopen the search, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

He added a decision would likely be taken in the coming weeks after reviewing the proposal by the Texas-based company.

However, he warned that relatives of the missing should not expect any breakthroughs.

“I don’t want to give them false hope that we can secure an answer,” Anwar told dpa during a visit to Germany.

“But I want to convince them that we are doing everything possible,” he added, even if it ends up costing “substantial funds”.