The Commonwealth Games has run out of road

It is almost a century since athletes gathered in Hamilton, Ontario, for what was then the British Empire Games. In the decades since the world has changed almost beyond recognition, and the Games has battled to change with it.

 New titles, eliminating ‘Empire’ and eventually ‘British’, have taken place; republics that have broken all formal ties with the mother country are still included; even nations that never had links with the United Kingdom get the nod.

However, the changes never seemed to be enough and in the third decade of the 21^st century, it may well be that the Commonwealth Games can no longer reinvent itself into relevance.

One fundamental problem can be seen in the list of the 22 host cities. The Commonwealth is supposed to be an all-embracing family of 53 nations, yet throughout its history the Games has largely been shuffled between the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Just three countries from outside this elite grouping, Jamaica in far off 1966, Malaysia in 1998 and India (2010) have been chosen as hosts – and most recently the New Delhi Games were dogged by controversy when a number of athletes refused to travel because of what they perceived as security concerns.

An African nation has yet to host a Commonwealth Games – despite Africa being home to almost half the Commonwealth’s total membership.

In other words, there is some justification in the Games being perceived as a white nations’ club, with all the others invited in just to make up the numbers.

Beyond this there is a bigger picture. The world is grappling with multiple crises – the aftermath of a pandemic that has still not totally relaxed its hold; a brutal war in Ukraine that could bring starvation to many nations; conflict in Sudan and elsewhere and above all, a warming world that is moving slowly but relentlessly to the brink of catastrophe.  

These are no longer items on the evening news. They are events which have caused Australia’s cost-of-living crunch and will likely lead to another horrific summer of what the commentators call “extreme weather events”.   

When Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said his State could no longer afford to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, he was looking at increasingly urgent priorities which, in his view, required his limited funds to be spent elsewhere.

I am sure he took that decision in the full knowledge sport-focused organisations and individuals, both in Australia and overseas, would erupt in outrage, but that the anger falling upon his head must be born.

Sport generally will survive the upheavals we are experiencing, but maybe the concept of a Commonwealth of Nations Games has run out of road.