Australia’s Victoria state withdraws as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Victoria state has withdrawn as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games because of a massive increase in the projected cost of staging the multi-sports event. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews says his government last year agreed to host the next edition of the quadrennial event “but not at any cost.” He says his government initially budgeted 2.6 billion Australian dollars ($1.8 billion) to stage the Games in five regional cities but recent estimates put the potential cost as high as 7 billion Australian dollars ($4.8 billion). Andrews says he has notified Commonwealth Games organizers of his government’s decision to pull out of the hosting contract.