ANALYST Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli won't be surprised if the Commonwealth Games is scrapped or repackaged drastically in the future.
Pekan said there are various factors which are causing the Games — which made its debut in 1930 — to lose its lustre and subsequently become a less attractive proposition for both athletes and host nations.
Among the Commonwealth Games' objective is to foster closer relations among Commonwealth nations.
The Games' relevance has, however, increasingly come under question in recent years.
"It is likely that many nations continue to compete in the games as their governments would like to maintain positive relationship with the UK," said Pekan when contacted yesterday,
"But the younger generation from some countries have questioned the need for their nations to be part of the Commonwealth Games.
"This is because many of them were born after their nation gained independece and were no longer under British rule.
"Thus, they see no reason to continue competing in the Games. This, however, has yet to happen in Malaysia."
Pekan pointed out that the quality of competititon at the Commonwealth Games has not been the highest.
Top athletes have been known to sit out the Games to focus on bigger competitions.
"I think the standard of the competition has continued to decline over the years," he said.
"There is less motivation for top athletes to compete in the Games as not all the top nations in their respective sport are there.
"While we have done well in badminton and weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games, it has not been against a full-strength field.
"China, for example, who dominated both sports at the last Olympics, is not in the Games.
"In weightlifting, we are able to win gold medals at the Commonwealth Games but struggle to do so at the Sea Games, which says a lot."
Pekan said the exorbitant costs to host the Games is also a major factor.
"With the exception of Canada (1994) Malaysia (1998) and India (2010) in recent decades, the Games has mostly been rotated between Australia and the UK," said Pekan.
"This is because it just costs too much to host the Games, and it is very difficult to see an adequate return of investment.
"We saw what happened to Birmingham after they hosted the Games and Victoria, which pulled out from hosting the Games after realising the costs of organising it have skyrocketed."
Pekan believes that these factors are a sign that the Games needs to reinvent itself or face the possibility of being scrapped.
"I would not be surprised if the Games disappears completely or is drastically remodelled to become more sustainable," said Pekan.
"The Games may have to be remodelled to become smaller and include fewer sports to make it more affordable.
"The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) could also offer grants or scholarships to study in the UK to winners. This would make the Games more attractive. A new, more attractive format would help the Games remain relevant."
Birmingham hosted the Games in 2022 for a reported £778 million (RM4.67 billion) and subsequently the Birmingham city council went bankrupt.
Australian state, Victoria, which was scheduled to host the 2026 Games, withdrew last year citing escalating costs - expected to reach up to A$7 billion (RM21.7 billion).
Malaysia yesterday rejected an offer to step in as a replacement host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games despite the CGF dangling a £100 million (RM602 million) investment carrot to support local delivery and legacy planning.