KUALA LUMPUR: Sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli believes that a two-year timeframe is critical for Malaysia to organise the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
When speaking to the New Straits Times, he disagrees with the notion that this opportunity is once-in-a-lifetime and cannot be missed.
"Is it in context because this time the offer comes with a RM601 million injection of funds, so we are willing to take the plunge?
"Or is it because this is a special offer based on respect and trust by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) without the need for a bidding process?
"Or is it in the context that if we reject it, Malaysia will no longer be trusted by the CGF and will no longer have the opportunity to host the Commonwealth Games?" he asked.
Pekan said Malaysia should be wary of attempts to shift the risks of failure onto the country.
He said Malaysia also needs to realise that the Commonwealth Games no longer attract interest from most Commonwealth countries to host as they involve increasingly high hosting costs and uncertain returns on investment.
"That is why in the last six editions of the Commonwealth Games, except for 2010, when India hosted, the other hosts have been Australia and the United Kingdom only.
"Durban, South Africa, also could not afford to host it until Birmingham became a last-minute replacement for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
"Birmingham's stubbornness in hosting it led to 'Birmingham City Council' being declared bankrupt a year later due to mounting debts. It worried the 2026 host, Victoria, Australia, which eventually withdrew."
He believes this scenario might happen again by the time the next Commonwealth Games come around, and he said Malaysia does not need to rush into it.
Pekan warned against rushing into commitments, likening it to a risky business venture where both ends might vanish if they do not carefully consider all aspects.
"Think carefully because this is not a small-scale business that we want to gamble with.
"Don't be like the Malay saying'berniaga buluh kasap, dapat hujung pangkal lesap'," said Pekan refering to the proverb about how doing something without knowledge and expertise would only lead to losses.
Pekan echoed former Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, who said Malaysia should study the prospect of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games thoroughly before accepting the CGF offer.
Reezal had said the country would only have two years to make preparations for replacing the Australian state of Victoria, which pulled out abruptly in July last year.
He had also said it was not a suitable time for Malaysia to host the Games, as the government did not have sufficient time to prepare the venues, volunteers and security, as well as engage other agencies.