Schow announces Province will not pursue bid for 2030 Commonwealth Games

Southern Alberta Newspapers

Minister of Tourism and Sport, and MLA for the Cardston-Siksika riding, Joseph Schow made a statement on the decision for the Province to withdraw their support for the 2030 Commonwealth Bid.

Since receiving his mandate letter from the Premier in July, Minister Schow did not confirm whether or not a referendum would be held on the matter of pursuing a bid for the 2030 event, but told reporters the bid would, “need to make sense” for Alberta taxpayers.

In a statement issued Aug. 3, Schow said, “Alberta has a successful history of hosting major, international multi-sport games in our province and any proposal to host major games is considered with the interests of Alberta taxpayers at top of mind.”

According to the Province, current bid estimates show hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games could cost as much as $2.68 billion. Citing the corporate sponsorship model place and “limited broadcast revenues,” for the event, Schow announced the Province had opted to not continue pursuing the bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, after it was determined that 93 per cent of costs and risks of hosting the event would be placed on taxpayers.

Schow said when exploring the feasibility of hosting the event, “we committed to remain transparent with Albertans about the costs of hosting international sporting events and clearly demonstrating a return on our investment for the people and communities in Alberta.”