Calgary and Edmonton will explore a joint bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Sport Canada said on Tuesday, stepping in for Hamilton, the Canadian city that launched the multi-sport event in 1930, after it failed to secure the necessary financial support.
Hamilton had been considered the frontrunner and preferred candidate to stage the centennial Games but was unable to obtain the required government backing by Commonwealth Sport Canada's February deadline.
The Hamilton100 bid proposed an operating budget of around $1 billion, with the private sector kicking in between $250 million to $500 million. "As a consequence Commonwealth Sport Canada jumped to Alberta, where they were prepared to make an early commitment to support the funding of bid preparation.
It's anyone's guess whether they can finalize and submit a bid. "Our provincial stakeholders remain interested in advancing a bid in the event that Alberta doesn't get it across the line." Commonwealth Sport Canada and the Alberta 2030 Commonwealth Games Corporation have scheduled a press conference for Wednesday in Calgary to officially launch the exploration process.