KUALA LUMPUR: While hosting the Commonwealth Games may be an unattractive proposition, sports observer Sadek Mustaffa believes the games still remains relevant when it comes to athlete development.
The Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sports and Recreation Faculty senior lecturer said the games offers up-and-coming athletes a chance to experience a higher level of competition that will prepare them to compete at the Olympic level.
"When it comes to participation in the games, I believe the Commonwealth Games is still relevant," said Sadek when contacted today.
"It is still an important part of the process of preparing our athletes for the Olympics.
"I would consider it to be the second step up after the Sea Games and one step lower than the Asian Games.
"While not all countries compete in the Commonwealth Games, the standard of competition is still high, especially in sports which are not dominated by China.
"It is a good chance for our athletes to test themselves and learn how to compete against stronger athletes."
Certain quarters have questioned the need for the games to remain in the 21st century as it is indirectly seen as a reminder of past British colonial rule.
Sadek, however, stressed that benefits derived from being a Commonwealth nation should not be brushed off.
"It (Commonwealth) extends far beyond just sports.
"It also fosters relations in regards to trade, economy, tourism and even security, among others.
"There are many benefits that we enjoy from being a Commonwealth nation which should not be belittled.
"One simple example is that we are able to travel to the United Kingdom without having to apply for a visa."
Sadek, who was among those who recently opposed bringing the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Malaysia, said that Malaysia should only consider hosting the games when it financially prepared to do so and has sufficient time to plan for the event.
"When it comes to hosting, I think Malaysia should not be involved.
"It costs a significant amount of money to organise the event.
"If we still want to host the games, we should conduct an in depth study and determine whether we are really financially prepared to take it on.
"It also takes a very long to prepare to host the games."
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 on Friday 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.