Multi-province bid pitched as a way for Canada to host Commonwealth Games

Sarah Pavan, left, and Melissa Humana-Paredes of Canada are flanked by silver medallists Mariafe Artacho del Solara and Taliqua Clancy, left, from Australia and Miller Pata and Sherysyn Toko of Vanuatu, bronze medallists, at the women's beach volleyball competition at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022.. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Canadian bids for a Commonwealth Games have died by provincial government disinterest, so multiple provinces sharing reduced costs is the pitch by Olympic and Commonwealth Games artistic swimmer Claire Carver-Dias.

The president of Commonwealth Sport Canada states cutting the cost of hosting by 60 per cent — from roughly a billion dollars to $350 million — and splitting it across jurisdictions is a way for Canada to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

“We’re at a place in Canadian sport where, not to start on a negative, but our major Games bidding process is broken,” Carver-Dias said.

“We have built an early-stage concept for a United Canada 2030 bid for the Commonwealth Games. No new building, new construction. Existing venues maybe need some tweaking, but lowering those costs by 60 per cent and sharing the costs across multiple jurisdictions.”

Hosting a Commonwealth Games has been a tough sell not just domestically, but internationally, as governments become risk-averse about committing to big, future projects.

Victoria in 1994 was the last Canadian host city of the quadrennial summer multi-sport festival featuring 74 countries.

The U.K.-based Commonwealth Games Federation will accept expressions of interest for 2030 until March 31 and is expected to announce a host city in November.

Glasgow, Scotland stepped in for 2026, albeit with a large reduction in the number of sports and athletes, when Victoria, Australia, balked at a ballooning price tag.

The CGF now gives hosts more flexibility to customize bids in a way that is more attractive to governments and the public, and also wants budgets “significantly reduced” from historical levels.

Hamilton hosted the first iteration of the Commonwealth Games, which was then the British Empire Games, in 1930. The southwestern Ontario city made the 100th anniversary its hook for a 2030 bid.

Hamilton had out fleshed-out proposal of venues and possible legacy benefits of a Games estimated to cost between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.

The Ontario government declined to support it, as did Alberta on a subsequent Calgary-Edmonton bid. Interest from Victoria in 2026 was shut down by the B.C. government.

Hamilton 100 is exploring a reworked 2030 bid.

Sharing the Games with another province isn’t of interest, but reduced costs plus the ability to make the event more bespoke is.

“The conversation is timely because the bid team here, or some leaders within our bid team, have been meeting of late as a consequence of Commonwealth Sport Canada’s revisiting of this,” said Louis Frapporti. “We’re getting our head around and begun work on how we might lean into it.

“A multi-jurisdictional games, that’s less consequential than what they’ve done around providing host cities, communities, enormous flexibility around programming. They’re inviting host communities to really lean into events and sports of interest in their communities. They’re reducing the number of required, mandated sports.”

The Commonwealth Games is often the first foray into a multi-sport event for Canadians who go on to Olympic success.

Alumni include swimmer Summer McIntosh (2022), sprinter Andre De Grasse (2014), weightlifter Maude Charron (2018, 2022) and decathlete Damian Warner (2018).

Carver-Dias earned an Olympic bronze medal in the team event in 2000 followed by Commonwealth solo and duet gold in Manchester, England, in 2022.

Toronto was the site of the Pan American/Parapan American Games in 2015. A Calgary referendum in 2018 shot down a 2026 Winter Olympic Games bid in that city.

The province of B.C. was uninterested in hosting the 2030 Winter Olympics again after Vancouver-Whistler did in 2010.

“Every single time since I’ve been involved, it’s securing provincial government support that’s been the difficulty and that’s what we’re trying to turn on its head,” Carver-Dias said.

“The multi-provincial United Canada concept allows provinces to share the costs.

“We were getting up close to a billion dollars for a Games. We’re aiming to bring it down to closer to $350 million. Let’s say half of that is shared by the provinces so it is significantly less costly, but has all the same benefits at the Games.”

The benefits aside from sport, she said, are job creation via contracts and tourism, and the tax revenue those produce.

The Commonwealth Games integrates para sport into each country’s medal count.

Glasgow’s menu includes para athletics, swimming, weightlifting, cycling, bowls and 3 x 3 wheelchair basketball alongside the able-bodied version of those sports, plus boxing, artistic gymnastics, judo and netball.

But Commonwealth staples field hockey, diving, rugby sevens, badminton, wrestling and cricket were among sports axed from Glasgow’s 2026 program.

“We would like to see it go back up around 15 or 16 sports. We’re also asking the provinces or territories to come with a First Nations partner in the hopes of hosting events on a First Nations territory,” Carver-Dias said.

“Wouldn’t it be great to have lacrosse, Canada’s summer sport, as a part of the Games hosted on a First Nation territory?”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2025.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press