Should New Zealand host the Commonwealth Games? - The Front Page

Joelle King and Tom Walsh were the New Zealand flagbearers for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Photo / Photosport

New Zealand’s signal of interest in hosting the Commonwealth Games has sparked fierce debate about whether the country should be making this move at all. This comes at a time when the country is facing enormous economic pressure and a cost of living crisis.

Critics say that we should not be putting money toward hosting expensive events at a time when there are more pressing priorities to focus on.

Speaking to The Front Page podcast, Newstalk ZB sports news director Clay Wilson said it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Commonwealth Games Federation to find hosts willing to fork out the cost for this event.

“If you look at the Birmingham Games, it cost them about £780 million to put that event on, so you’re talking about $1.5 billion,” says Wilson.

“So, will they get all that money back in revenue? You get some of it back from sales of tickets, sponsorship, merchandise and broadcast rights, but I don’t think any of the host cities ever get all that money back.”

This has contributed to the Commonwealth Games Federation opening up the hosting rights at a national rather than city level – opening the door for various cities across one country to share the cost burden.

“A big reason why New Zealand hasn’t considered hosting it since 1990 is simply that it doesn’t stack up to try to host it in one city,” says Wilson.

Spreading the events across the country will require less infrastructure to be built in a single city because different events can be held in different areas.

“You could spread the events across the country. Outside some of the big events, you could have cycling in Cambridge because they already have a world-class velodrome. We could have swimming here in Auckland… Really, all we’re lacking is a main stadium for the athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies.”

Given that this comes during a tough economic period, Wilson concedes that it will take some work to convince the public that investment in this type of event would be good for the country.

“It’s about how we do it smartly,” says Wilson.

“We need to look at what projects need to be done across the country and how they could be included in an event like this. If we’re going to do it, we’re going to have to keep the purse strings pretty tight, because people aren’t going to cop a massive price tag for something like this.”

Wilson says there has to be an emphasis placed on the longer-term value of investing in the infrastructure to put an event like this.

The pressure will be on local officials to explain to New Zealanders why it’s worth pouring millions into something that will be over after only a few short weeks.

So, what does the Government need to do to get Kiwis on board? What are some of the longer-term benefits we can derive from events like this? And are the Commonwealth Games even as prestigious as they once were?

Listen to the full episode of The Front Page podcast to hear more about the country’s interest in this sporting event.