KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sports and Recreation Faculty senior lecturer Sadek Mustaffa still believes that Malaysia should not step in as replacement hosts for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
This is despite the Olympic Council of Malaysia's (OCM) intent to host a downsized games here which could feature as low as 10 sports instead of the 18 to 20 that are usually included. This is to reduce costs.
Australian state Victoria, who were scheduled to host the 2026 games, withdrew last year citing escalating costs - expected to reach up to A$7 billion (RM21.7 billion) - and have reportedly agreed to pay A$380 million (RM1.1 billion) to CGF for breach of contract.
A number of parties have publicly stated that hosting the games here would burden the government.
Organising the games in Malaysia is expected to cost at least RM1 billion for a simple event though could go much higher than that the more lavish it gets.
"I still don't agree to hosting the games here," said Sadek when contacted today.
"Victoria could have downsized the games if they wanted to but they didn't and they were even willing to pay over RM1 billion in compensation to get out.
"This is because they learnt from what happened to Birmingham and knew that the implications would be substantial if they did not withdraw. OCM should read into that.
"Even Brisbane have announced that they are scaling back on spending for the 2032 Olympics.
"The real issue here is the economic impact to the country.
"Some people have suggested that Malaysia should privatise the organising of the games but is that really realistic? I don't think the corporate sector want to spend that much money on a competition.
"At the end of the day, the government will still have to step in and help fund the games. This is how it has always been for multi-sport competitions.
"Aspects such as security, which is one of the highest expenses when organising any multi-sport games, cannot be privatised.
"It will still have to involve government bodies because it involves national security."
Sadek added that even former Sukom Ninety Eight Berhad chairman (Tun Hashim Ali) has advised against hosting the games as the accounts of the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games remain unclosed.
Birmingham hosted the last edition of the games in 2022 for a reported £778 million (RM4.67 billion). The Birmingham city council has since gone bankrupt. Hosting of the 2022 games has, among other issues, been blamed.
Meanwhile, sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli said that not all Commonwealth nations may agree with a move to downsize the games.
"I am not sure if the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) will allow the games to be downsized substantially because after all, this is the second biggest competition (participation) after the Olympics," said Pekan when contacted today.
"It does not appear to be a practical solution, it could end up being smaller than the Sea Games.
"We don't want it reach the point where it looks like we are just organising the event for the sake of having it.
"What would the other countries say? Most of them are prepared to send a contingent to compete in 18 to 20 sports.
"I think reducing the number of sports to 17 or 18 would be a more acceptable margin."
CGF have offered an £100 million (RM602 million) investment to countries willing to host the 2026 games. The investment is intended to support local delivery and legacy planning for the event.
The cabinet is expected to discuss the issue on Friday though it is unknown whether a decision can be made on the same day.