Durban May Not Host Commonwealth Games 2022

The South African city of Durban may have to withdraw from hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games, according the country’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula.

“We gave it our best shot but we can’t go beyond. If the country says we don’t have this money, we can’t,” Mbalula has been quoted as stating.

He said a final decision would be made by the Commonwealth Games Federation.

Durban was awarded the Games in 2015 after being the only city to firm up a concrete offer for the competition. The Commonwealth Games are held once every four years, and 2022 will provisionally be the first time the event has taken place in Africa.

In December, South African officials had said the country was “fully committed” to hosting the event. However, despite the predicated economic benefits of hosting the Games, the initial cost is proving challenging to find.

South African sprinter Wayde van Niekerk broke the long-standing 400m world record at the Rio Olympics in 2016.