Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the decisions made by (a) Victoria, Australia and (b) Alberta, Canada to withdraw from hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and 2030 respectively.

The announcement by the Victorian Government was disappointing for fans and athletes. The government is keen that the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia will now work together to find a viable solution to hosting the event in 2026 so that athletes have the chance to compete and fans have the opportunity to enjoy this incredible event.

The UK is proud to have hosted the Games twice in the past decade, including in Birmingham last year: coming in under budget and adding at least £870 million GVA to the UK economy. We are committed to working with the CGF and Commonwealth countries to support a sustainable future for the Games.