The 2026 Commonwealth Games has been plunged into further crisis after the Gold Coast withdrew its bid to host the next iteration of the event.
The Australian state of Victoria was originally selected to host the 2026 Games in 2022, only to back out in July amid estimations that the competition would cost as much as A$7bn (£3.7bn) to run.
Following Victoria's withdrawal, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan expressed his approval for London hosting the Games, only for England to quickly rule themselves out of the running.
The Welsh Government also decided against making a bid over the summer, while the Australian states of Adelaide and Perth declined the opportunity, and the Gold Coast has now followed its near neighbours in pulling out of the race.
Mayor Tom Tate had previously stated that a Gold Coast bid would be feasible if the federal and state governments provided support, but he has now conceded that their vision for the 2026 event does not "align" with their superiors.
"We did our best and that's all people can expect. In simple terms, it seems our Games' vision doesn't align with the vision of the state or federal governments," Tate said in a statement.
The Gold Coast previously hosted the Commonwealth Games back in 2018, but there are now growing concerns that the event could be cancelled for the first time since World War II, although Scotland First Minister Humza Yousaf stated in the summer that his nation could enter the bidding process.
Ben Knapton
