The Road Paved With Good Intentions...
In 1992, after a discussion with the Commonwealth Games Federation that began in 1990 after the successful Auckland games, it was announced that Kuala Lumpa '98 will host a new up sized Mega Games to include team sports and more singular events. It was hoped that this would gain advertising revenue and better TV coverage in what was still an analogue broadcasting era but with early digital and newfangled www.internet.com show a "future potential" as a media medium...We farewelled the "original era" in Victoria, BC, Canada 1994. Looking back now, although considered a "Games on a budget", probably the best financially managed.
Today in 2025, we stand in the ruins of that era with the morbidly obese Commonwealth Games suffering for a spectacular cardiac arrest in 2023 and nearly having life support switched off in 2024. The answer was simple...The CWGs needed to go on a crash diet and trim down.
2026 is going to look so different for so many younger Games Bids members here...But for older members who have seen the sun pass the yard arm...Its a big step back into a manageable and affordable past.
So let us assess with is now the "Mega Games Era"... What were your memories as well as Best and Not So Great CWGs.
No Games have really been truly awful but some, for me, stood out better than others.
I would like to start a discussion on this, especially want to involve all generations here on Games Bids Forums...
Kuala Lumpa '98.
The first Mega Games with Sevens, Hockey, Squash, and even 50/50 Cricket making an appearance. Malaysia laid it on with a purpose-built Main Stadium that hosted a truly spectacular Opening Ceremony that was so filled with Nationalistic celebration, (Concept Vision 20-20), they almost forgot why everyone was there for. Australia still dominated the medal table but not on the spectacular 90% they did in 1994. Events were held with military precision and, generally, ran smoothly. The closing ceremony was held back from its usual relaxed atmosphere until all the official ceremony was done. The athletes rather gingerly being let out of their barriered in area. Not bad for Asia's first hosting considering the sudden global economic recession that hit during the year. However, repercussions did begin with smaller economies (of scale) thinking twice about staging the games. For me it was the sad realisation that the strong bid from Wellington for 2006 couldn't make it even with a semi regional events sharing plan, the money just wasn't there at the time. 7/10
Manchester '02.
After the militaristic event of '98, Manchester also had the dubious honour of hosting a major "summer' multisport event after 11 September 2001. It was also the first time the main stadium was to be completely converted for other uses immediately after the event. Also, an early attempt at sustainability made itself noticed. The Manchester Opening and Closing ceremonies also put on the first of a spectacular "lights, music, and dance" relaxing show with teams no longer having to march out in perfect lines. Events ran smoothly and everyone agreed that 2002 was what a perfect Mega Games should be about. Costs were kept down but there was still a niggle over price verses relevance. It did trigger some of the larger Commonwealth economies to throw cities forward as potential hosts. For me, probably the best of the lot 10/10. The next host would see a long overdue hosting from Australia by a city that would trigger the CWGs downfall...although not knowing it at the time.
Melbourne '06.
If there is one city in the World that was solely designed for hosting ANY sports, let alone a Mega multi-sport event - that city is Melbourne. It will be the only former Olympic host to hold the event in the Mega-Games era and only did because, rather tellingly, nobody else wanted them or bother to front up against the super city (Only one other contender, Wellington NZ, withdrew from the process early). If there was ever going to be a blame for triggering a "one-up-man-ship" challenge to future hosts, Melbourne has to wear it. With Sydney 2000 still in fresh memories and Manchester successfully hosting a spectacular post 9/11 event, Melbournians simply had to top it all...The MCG having a track laid down nearly a year before and then buried for the Ashes cricket test series proved what was coming...An Olympic sized games right from the Opening Ceremony, with the Queen sitting high up in the main stand, having Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sing happy birthday to her, watching all things Australian with a Melbourne flavour play out...a generally well-run Games themselves, there were minor problems...And a closing ceremony that would hand over to a shocked and awed 2010 host who would now try and match, if not better it. For the first time proposed bidders for 2014 started to question the viability of the event...Host city citizens always are left with the debt afterwards when everyone goes home and start to let memories fade. Bidders would start to drop away. This was the first real discussions on the size and sustainability of the Commonwealth Games came into question. 8/10. The answers came four years later.
New Delhi '10.
India's capital city had been on and off bidders, having bid for 1990, 94, and finally having success in 2010. This would be the second Mega-Games hosted outside the regular hosting circuit and in the Commonwealth's most populous nation. They really needed to deliver an "arrival" event as spectacular the Kuala Lumpa twelve years earlier on an even grander scale that Melbourne. It began to fall apart a year before as proposed Olympic sized venues started to fall behind in construction, and the horror of the Games athlete's village started to reveal themselves. It also drove the first real wedges of doubt over the viability of the Commonwealth Games as an event in itself considering it's next host openly said don't expect a Games if you expect an Olympic spectacle... All too late for New Delhi as the spectacular Olympic sized opening ceremony got underway as venues were still being built and the city in a shambles. Athletes heading back to the village with un-flushable toilets, showers not working, items going missing and in some horrifying discoveries, hidden cameras placed in female bathrooms. internet voyeurism had come of age. Events were held in stifling conditions due to power outages shutting down air conditioning and of course, cases of "Dehli Belly"... The Closing Ceremony couldn't come soon enough with many teams already heading home, disappointed. 5/10 Irony is with the better more focussed management of India's Government's burgeoning GDP and wealth in 2025, another Indian hosting would be possible.
Glasgow '14.
Some serious navel gazing was to be had after 2006 and 2010. The Games were too big. Finding a host for 2014 proved that singular cities of "modest" proportions couldn't justify costs with a near awarded host pulling out on the verge of victory leaving the second placegetter as host. (Here on GB Forums, a rather got out of hand battle over allowing another developing nation host (Abuja) verses circuit regulars Canada (Halifax) and Scotland (Glasgow, but only if Halifax doesn't want them) created some VERY strong and robust debates). By handover in 2010, Glasgow settled down on the new era of SUSTAINABILITY. They unashamedly said they will make use of already built facilities and would also use some of London's post 2012 downsized venues. ( As an aside...In 2011, the bidding to host for 2018 was also underway with an unusual situation of a relatively unknown city in Sri Lanka, Hambantota as well as yet another bid from Australia in the form of Gold Coast City...A bid from Auckland. NZ collapsing at the last minute was supposed to be a shoe-in.)
Glasgow hosted the new concept with spectacular success. The future looked so bright for the games, especially with the Games Federation allowing, host picked sports, onwards. The first time a split Opening and Closing Ceremonies venues took place in the Mega Games era. The CWGs had found a balance and excitement was to be had as bids for 2022 would step aside for the nation many were waiting for to host. BUT first, another variation on the Sustainability theme was to be had, and for many, one of the most fun games. 10/10.
Gold Coast '18.
The idea of a major holiday/seaside/adventure resort city in Australia hosting a CWGs was eyebrow raising and very appealing when they were chosen by default in 2011, nobody else wanted them. With the new concept of cutting costs started by Glasgow seeing a bright future, it took another minor global recession to place doubt and cause costs to rise again. But the Games themselves were a spectacular success with records tumbling and local volunteers and officials providing that old "friendly games" atmosphere that seem to have come back in 2014. The Opening Ceremony was one of the more unusual spectacles with what felt like Australia was running out of ideas to tell the story of itself again. Another well hosted and manageable Games, with only one real blemish that still haunts them...The awful Closing Ceremony... and the flag handed over to the near last minute 2022 host, Birmingham. 9/10 (because that awful Closing Ceremony)
Birmingham '22.
We returned to England for the XXII event...But why? Simple, Durban, South Africa couldn't afford to host them without the help of Pretoria who weren't in any state economically to front up extra cash - in hindsight we now know they just couldn't be arsed with rampant corruption raging at the time in 2017 when the CWF had no choice but to strip them of the games to save embarrassment. Birmingham, the original 2026 host came up with a sustainable Plan that would use legacy facilities within two hours of the city. But once again costs rose due to an unforeseen global pandemic that nearly suspended the event for a year as had happened to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The city did put on what is now considered the best Commonwealth Games ever. High spectator numbers at all events which included Women's 20/20 Cricket, took the sting out of the cost. All this happening in Her Majesty's 70th year of reign. We knew all was not well when then Prince Charles arrived to open the Games in a delightfully good but still a little too spectacular Ceremony. The Closing came, reluctantly, two weeks later and the flag passed to yet another Australian host...This time for a new concept in hosting...a regional games in the State of Victoria...This would share costs throughout the State with mid-sized cities given events while Melbourne only using minor venues. Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo were to be focus cities. 10/10 Birmingham City Council would later announce in 2023 that thanks to sudden rises in loan interest rates to host the 2022 games, they were technically bankrupt. There were still no takers for the 2030 hosting originally wanted by 1978 host Edmonton, but they withdrew.
Queen Elizabeth II died on 8th September 2022, a handful of weeks after Birmingham 22. It really did feel like the end of an era. She was the Commonwealth's number one supporter. The Commonwealth itself sort of becoming an anachronism almost overnight. Though there really hasn't been a mass exodus to leave it...In fact there is a small queue of nations that have applied to join. Kind of not great if you want to host a Games. (And a certain recently re-anointed major global leader of a very extremely powerful nation has previously said his nation has a right to join in because English is that nation's official first language...)
CARDIAC ARREST...Resuscitation, rehabilitation, a shaky future.
On 18 July 2023 I was listening to the news and thought it was a joke when it was announced that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews pulled the plug on the 2026 Games. Wow, and he was happy to pay out the Cancellation fee of around $300mil to the CGF as it would be far cheaper to do that rather than put the State into a position of a nearly 2 Billion Dollar debt risk...fair enough but damaging all the same.
The Mega Games concept had priced themselves out of existence, they were just too large to host for what they were worth globally. After some 11 hour, 59 min, 59 sec panic negotiations involving potential host cities from NZ, Australia, Canada and England... Glasgow comes to the rescue with a very downsized and jury-rigged games plan, 20 months out from hosting. Farewell to all the large Team Sport events...and even events taken out of the 10 core sports left behind. 2026 should be seen as a Start Point for what is still considered a very shaky future with no host for 2030 - The Centennial Games - set in stone, and all of a sudden, the need to think about 2034...And only one nation had put it's hand up but that was in the Mega Games era...
...Now firmly behind us...
Your memories, thoughts and ideas...
What went right?
What went wrong?
What would you have done better?
Are you still interested?
Lots of raw emotions coming out here... Don't let America's somewhat beginning of its Rome decline get to you. It would be a heartbreaker for LA to NOT host 2028. (Pretty much bookending my life...LA84 was my first real Olympic experience of memory). LA is strong and resilient...Also not forgetting the place is truly MASSIVE! What a great target event it would be for Angelinos to get it all back together in 2028 as a healing process. We cannot let Snoop Dog down! As for the polarisation and "banged on about" decline of Anglo/Euro Western Society with its sharp and obvious shift to the RIGHT. That IS something to be of concern about. Regional power blocs are well and truly forming, Moreso that the "leader" nation is going through a major social upheaval that could see its decline hastened by Trump Round Two. The last thing we need is USA standing for "Untied States of America" in a couple of years' time and BOTH sides of the house will be to blame for it. That's when extremists make their move...And in the current climate, that would have dire and deadly consequences. (There's your potential Gilead). (As someone who currently is living through painful by design "technical recessions" to lower inflation rates from phenomenally stupid spending sprees of a previous administration...I can clearly see where my once "laidback, easy-going nation that New Zealand was, is heading. It's a very divided and different country now...and a certain woman who took it to the extreme, can never come home. How bad?... Scotguy II went home...To the UK!!! Sheesh!)