Why NZ’s Commonwealth Games hosting bid is on hold as Glasgow 2026 is set to start

Sunday, 12 July 2026

New Zealand’s bid to host the 2034 Commonwealth Games isn’t racing towards the finish line.

Less than a fortnight out from the start of the 2026 Games in Glasgow, the testing financial climate has led to “a waiting game” for the New Zealand Olympic Committee as to whether to pursue to host the event here for the first time in 36 years.

NZOC chief executive Nicki Nicol said the organisation was waiting on a timeline for when the formal process of making a bid - or not - will begin, with the 2030 Games to be held in Ahmedabad, India.

“We believe the bid process for 2034 won't start until at least the end of next year,” Nicol told the Sunday Star-Times.

“So we have a period of time - and I think that's a good thing because at the moment, it's a really difficult environment, economically here, and across the world.

“So I think that gives us time for us to look at what a sustainable bid could be and then we will relook at that, probably going into early 2028.”

Nicol said feasibility studies regarding a hosting bid would include input from the Government and local cities.

“It probably would be a two-to-three-city bid, I would expect for that sort of size in New Zealand. If you get too big, you add costs, and if you get too small, you're not utilising the resources and the sporting infrastructure that we have across New Zealand.

“We do an assessment around the commercial revenue - ticketing, sponsorship, and broadcast - and then we would have to look at what is the cost model.

“From a government perspective, it's really knowing what are their objectives and if you look at the major events program, how would an event like the Commonwealth Games support the government objectives - whether that be being a good Commonwealth citizen and whether that's around tourism, around economic activity, around playing a role in Oceania and the Pacific.

“Sport diplomacy is the word that seems to capture a lot of those themes - we would have to work hand in hand with the government to understand what their objectives are and make sure that our event could meet those needs.”

So does the NZOC have any confirmation 18 months out from a formal bid that one would still be likely?

“We don't at this stage, and really, we haven't had to go back and have that conversation.

“I think right now, given the really tight fiscal environment, that would be really difficult if we had to go to market now. I think that would be a really tough conversation. So I think we've got the luxury of time.

“And again, it will only go forward if we believe it's going to meet the outcomes and needs of the government. At the moment, we'll focus on getting the team to Glasgow, and then on to Los Angeles [for the 2028 Olympic Games].”

The program for the 2026 Games in Glasgow - which starts on Friday July 24 - has been notably reduced to just 10 sports, after the Scottish city stepped in at a late stage to host the event just 12 years after it previously did. The ‘big three’ of athletics, swimming and cycling are joined by 3x3 basketball, bowls, boxing, gymnastics, judo, netball and weightlifting.

Yet the cost of the 116-strong New Zealand team to contest the Games is approximately $8 million, after costs grew when the state of Victoria in Australia backed out of hosting the event due to financial concerns.

Nicol said unrest in the Middle East, which has led to increased fuel prices, has also led to rising costs.

“We've been really well supported by High Performance Sport New Zealand, who have buffeted some of that. You can't plan for everything, but there's part of our contingency already used.”

Nicol said about 12% of the NZOC funding is from the government, while more than 50% of it is from commercial investment, and 25% from donations.

Two new partnerships - with ASB and One New Zealand - Nicol said was “great timing just before we had a lot of cash go out the door.”

In Glasgow, the athletes will be accommodated in three different hotels, as opposed to the usual Games village, but that won’t be a major adoption as the 2022 Birmingham Games team was also spread across three locations, on the back of the Covid pandemic.

Nicol said logistics and operational planning include how the hotels are set up, medical staff and health support, massage therapists, and the preparation and recovery areas.

“So ice baths, access to gyms, nutrition; all those sorts of things are a huge part of our focus in making sure that the athletes are set up so that they've got everything that they need when they're not in the competition zone.

“And we work really closely with the sports around what they usually have and what we can replicate in a multi-sport environment.

“Then the other big part of our team is actually the funding for the athletes to get to the Games, because obviously we support them. So while we get some government support, 85% of our revenue comes from commercial or philanthropic sources.”

Nicol said the Commonwealth Games still remained relevant for NZ athletes.

“The critical thing for us in New Zealand, and in Australia, is that we don't have a very competitive continental games.

“In the US, they have the Pan Pacs, and in Europe, they have the European championships. So for our athletes wanting to go to a multi-sport event in preparation for the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games is really important.

“And I think we really saw that when the smaller program came out for Glasgow, you could see the sports that missed out were really concerned and disappointed not just because their athletes didn't get the opportunity, but concerned because actually it is a really important part of the pathway through to the Olympics.”

Nicol said the Commonwealth Games also provided excellent value in two other key areas.

“One is for sports that aren't on the Olympic program - so think of pinnacle events for bowls and netball as examples.

“That's really important for them, and also for our sports where there is really good depth - and you think cycling, swimming, athletics - the Commonwealth is a very competitive environment around that.

“From a fan's perspective, it's in our top three most-viewed global events and globally it's in the top 10 major sporting events, so it is still a very material program in its own right.”

Nicol said she expects future Commonwealth Games to have between 15 to 18 sports on their programs.

“I think once we get into a rhythm of regular sports on a regular program, that will become those sports’ pathways, and other sports will find other ways to do that.

“And we're starting to see that language with the Olympics as well. They want to have a tighter program.

“The program for Los Angeles has grown, and they have said before they announced Brisbane, which is the next Olympics in 2032, they will pull that program in tighter, and I, I think we will see the word sustainability come up a lot.”