FILE PHOTO: General view of Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, May 11, 2021. Picture taken May 11, 2021. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo
(Reuters) - The Commonwealth Games Federation's president has endorsed Australia's offer of a multimillion pound investment to support Scottish city Glasgow's bid to host the games in 2026 after Australia's state of Victoria pulled out last year over cost concerns.
The quadrennial multi-sport event has struggled to find hosts, with Malaysia rejecting an offer to host the 2026 edition and Canada's Alberta withdrawing from hosting the event in 2030.
Glasgow, which also hosted the 2014 edition, stepped up as a back-up venue in April with Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) proposing a concept that slashed the event's budget to 130-150 million pounds ($170 million-$196 million).
The scaled-down model will use existing sporting infrastructure for a core sport programme of 10-13 sports and will not ask for significant public funds, the CGS said.
"We commend Commonwealth Games Australia (CGAus) for making this generous multi-million-pound offer," CGF President Chris Jenkins said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the Glasgow model was different but innovative.
"Glasgow 2026 would be the first step in the Commonwealth sport movement’s journey to reset and reframe the Commonwealth Games as a co-created, flexible, and sustainable model," Jenkins added.
($1 = 0.7621 pounds)
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
