The Gold Coast withdraws from hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games

The Gold Coast has withdrawn its bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the city's mayor has said.

In a statement, Tom Tate said: "We did our best and that's all people can expect.

"In simple terms, it seems our Games' vision doesn't align with the vision of the state or federal governments."

The move comes after the Australian state of Victoria announced in July that it was to withdraw as host due to the cost of the event breaching estimates by around five billion Australian dollars (€3.1 billion).

Then state premier Daniel Andrews told media in Melbourne at the time he was not prepared to spend up to A$6bn (€3.7bn) on a "12-day sporting event".

The state ultimately agreed to pay A$362m to the Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Games Federation Partnerships and Commonwealth Games Australia for its decision.