CGF

CGF to begin the selection of 2026 & 2030 Commonwealth Games Host Cities

April 3, 2018

The Commonwealth of Nations and Territories will begin with a new consultative process of jointly scoping the 2026 and potentially 2030 Commonwealth Games Host City Partners, with 2026 targeted to be awarded at its next General Assembly in September 2019.

During the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) General Assembly on the Gold Coast, Australia, the 71 Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) were informed of an 18-month-long consultative bidding process for the XXIII and XXIV editions of the Games, under the new CGF Partnerships model. The landmark step will allow the Commonwealth Sports Movement to capitalise on the Federation’s innovative new Games delivery model, CGF Partnerships (CGFP) which aims to support host nations and cities and enhance the overall value of hosting the Games.

Commonwealth Games Federation President, Louise Martin CBE said: “We confirmed today that we will begin an innovative and ambitious host city appointment process to secure hosts for the 2026 and potentially 2030 Commonwealth Games simultaneously, with the ambition to make an announcement at the next CGF General Assembly in September 2019. We will soon begin the process of reaching out to our 71 Commonwealth Games Associations and their national and local government partners to better understand their ambitions for their citizens and communities.

“As we celebrate and support the thousands of Commonwealth athletes here on the Gold Coast, and work hand-in-hand with local and national partners to realise the benefits of the Games on the host community, there is no better reminder of the transformative impact and social foundations of the Commonwealth Sports Movement.”

In a unanimous decision, the Commonwealth Sports Movement agreed to the readmission of The Gambia to the Commonwealth Games Federation, after a five-year hiatus. Consequently, it was confirmed that the country have had six athletes approved for participation at Gold Coast 2018.

“The Gambia’s welcome return to our family of nations last month is yet further evidence of the continued momentum that currently exists with the Commonwealth. It was a race against the clock to put forward a resolution in time for today’s General Assembly to approve the nation’s application to re-join the CGF, but the decision shows we are nimble, willing and welcoming. To have succeeded in bringing The Gambia back into the Commonwealth sporting fold is a great achievement at a hugely exciting and momentous time for our resurgent Movement,” added Martin.

The Assembly was officially opened with a formal Welcome to Country by well-respected Yugambeh Elder, Dr. Mary Graham. Following this, in a special address to the assembled membership, Commonwealth Secretary General, the Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland QC, discussed the broader social impact of Commonwealth Sport, and the powerful and timely combination of the upcoming Commonwealth Games, the 9th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting taking place on the Gold Coast just prior to the Games, and the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in London just after the Gold Coast 2018 Closing Ceremony.

“The Commonwealth Games have long been – and remain – of immense importance as accessible and widely recognised expressions of our shared Commonwealth values and identity – with and beyond our nations and territories,” said Scotland.

“The synergy and mutually reinforcing nature of the messaging and ambition of the CGF, of Gold Coast 2018 and of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is very clear. We work – in the words of the 2018 CHOGM theme – towards a common future’”.

Building on the pledges made in Transformation 2022 and the CGF Executive Board’s unanimous endorsement of the Federation’s first-ever Human Rights Policy in October 2017, the Assembly also welcomed the publication of the guide, Championing Human Rights in the Governance of Sports Bodies. The far-reaching guide provides practical steps for Sports Bodies of all levels and of all capacities to follow and was delivered by the Institute for Human Rights and Business and Mega-Sporting Events Platform for Human Rights, with support from DLA Piper and Unicef UK and input from the CGF, as well as the IOC, FIFA, and UEFA.

Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Executive, David Grevemberg CBE said: “The Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Sports Movement have a well-established history and proud heritage of uniting diverse nations and cultures through the power of sport, whether that be through our Youth Games, our Glasgow 2014 partnership with UNICEF or through the new industry-leading standards for inclusivity and gender-equality that are being set here on the Gold Coast.

“We are all custodians of sporting movements and organisations that have inherent potential to create positive change in the world. To realise this potential, it is essential that respect for human rights be embedded within governance and operations. We are delighted to support the development and promotion of this important guide for sports leaders around the world, and hope this will be the start of much-needed integration of human rights practices in international sport,” added Grevemberg.

CGF