Wales won’t host 2026 Commonwealth Games

Wales will not bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, officials have said, blaming Britain’s decision to leave the EU.

Opposition parties in the Welsh Assembly panned the decision, with the leader of the Welsh Conservatives calling the ruling Labour Party “pathetic”.

However, the country’s economy minister, Ken Skates, insisted rising costs and the economic fallout from the UK’s decision to leave the EU meant a Welsh bid to host the international sporting event – which last came to Wales in 1958 – was not financially viable. He said: “A feasibility study [projects] costs for a Wales bid of between £1.32 billion and £1.54 billion … [It] is not feasible.”