KAJANG: The Malaysian government is expected to decide soon whether to replace Victoria, Australia, as the new host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said her ministry is preparing a cabinet paper encompassing the results of studies on various aspects of organising the multi-sport Games for the Cabinet.
"I cannot comment on this matter (on being interested as host). We will submit all the study results to the Cabinet for a decision. Need to wait.
"It's not just financial. There are many factors that need to be looked at and studied, so I can't comment. The Cabinet Paper is almost ready," she said when asked if Malaysia was interested in hosting the Games.
She told reporters after officiating the Women's Day celebrations and launching the Safe Sports Code video at Uniten here today.
The fate of the 2026 Commonwealth Games remains in question after Victoria pulled out from hosting it last year due to increased hosting costs from the initial AUD2.6 billion (about RM8.09 billion) to AUD7 billion (approximately RM21.78 billion).
The Victoria government reportedly agreed to pay AUD380 million for breach of contract for failing to host the Games on March 17-29, 2026.
Of the 74 countries and territories that are members of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), only England, Canada, Australia, Wales, New Zealand, Jamaica, Scotland, India and Malaysia have hosted the Games. --BERNAMA