Bringing the Games back to Canada
That’s what Commonwealth Games Canada CEO Brian MacPherson wants to do for the 2030 edition, the event’s 100th anniversary
Brian MacPherson would love nothing more than to come back from Australia with a guarantee that the 2030 Commonwealth Games will be held in Canada.
“It will be in our plan to ask for that,” said the CEO of Commonwealth Games Canada.
“Given that it’s the 100th anniversary and it’s been so long since Canada hosted our international friends, just give us the Games,” he added, when asked what the message will be to his Commonwealth counterparts when they assemble on the Gold Coast next month.
In 1930, Hamilton hosted the British Empire Games, which were attended by athletes from 11 countries. The forerunner to the Commonwealth Games, they were the brainchild of a Hamilton
Spectator sports editor who had been inspired by a trip to the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.
Canada also hosted the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954 in Vancouver, and the Commonwealth Games in 1978 in Edmonton and in 1994 in Victoria.
MacPherson admits the chances of simply being handed the 2030 Games are “remote.” Indeed, several cities in Australia have already declared interest.
The Commonwealth Games Federation will hold a general assembly on the Gold Coast next month, and a new bidding process should emerge from that meeting, one necessitated by the tortured emergency awarding of the 2022 Games, which went to Birmingham, England, in December.
Edmonton had briefly been a contender for 2022 but dropped out in 2015, leaving Durban, South Africa as the only bid city. However, Durban was stripped of the Games in March 2017 over a financial shortfall. A mad scramble ensued. “The one learning message that came out of there from our international body is, the old bidding process is dead,” said MacPherson. “But they haven’t told us what the new one is. I honestly don’t know what it’s going to be. They haven’t articulated anything yet.” The International Olympic Committee awarded the 2024 Summer Games to Paris and 2028 to Los Angeles at the same time. MacPherson wouldn’t be surprised to see the CGF follow suit and choose the locations for both 2026 and 2030 Commonwealth Games after one bid process. He stressed that Canada would only be a contender for 2030.
“As long as Calgary has a bid on the table for the 2026 Olympic Games, we would not entertain the 2026 Commonwealth Games. We just won’t. Canada doesn’t need two major games in the same year and certainly can’t afford two major games.
“So we’re out of that game and we focus on 2030. We have interest from a number of cities, including (Edmonton). If we got the nod to host those games, we will be open and transparent about domestically bidding and seeing which city rises to the top.”
In September, Hamilton city council voted 10-5 not to pursue a 2030 bid. Victoria had been interested in an emergency bid for 2022, but opted out, and could be a contender for 2030.