In a series of recommendations to increase hosting benefits and make the Games even more cost effective, whilst engaging new audiences, the Commonwealth Sport 2026-2030 Strategic Roadmap invites future hosts to explore innovative concepts, including co-hosting and mass participation event.

As part of an ongoing consultation with International Federations, there are ambitions for a revised Sport Programme to provide hosts with more flexibility to choose from a wider list of core sports. This will now include disciplines that have previously been listed as optional sports such as T20 Cricket, Beach Volleyball and 3x3 Basketball. This will allow hosts the ability to propose entirely new sports, relevant to their nation or culture, to enhance cultural showcasing and community engagement.

To provide a blueprint for flexibility and certainty, the recommendation from the CGF is for approximately 15 sports to feature at the Commonwealth Games. There will be flexibility with the maximum number of sports, with athletics and swimming proposed as the two compulsory sports. This is due to their historical place on the programme since 1930 and based on universality, participation, broadcasting, spectator interest, Para inclusion and gender balance.

Engagement will continue with Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) and International Federations over the coming months in line with the vision, intent and direction of the Roadmap.

The CGF will continue to work with future hosts to agree the minimum and maximum cap on athlete numbers, helping ensure that the size, scale and cost of the multi-sport event is continually optimised and carefully managed.

This will allow the host to generate maximum value, impact and legacy from staging the event, with this work supported by the Commonwealth Games Value Framework. Coupled with a strong proposition for prospective hosts, the roadmap will allow a more sustainable long-term agenda, with increased awareness of how sport and culture can positively impact communities. Amongst other approved recommendations, the Strategic Roadmap has outlined that:

• An integrated Para sport programme must remain a key, focal part of the Games
• Future potential hosts will be encouraged to consider alternative Athlete Village solutions, rather than being required to accommodate athletes in a new build environment or on a single site
• International Federations will be encouraged to propose new innovations and sports/disciplines to drive growth and youth engagement
• The Federation will continue to prioritise sustainability, social purpose and legacy planning as part of discussions with potential hosts
• Hosts will be encouraged to consider mass participation events as part of their health and well-being programmes

The Strategic Roadmap was approved by the CGAs at the 2021 CGF General Assembly, which was held virtually in October 2021.

CGF President Dame Louise Martin said: “We are delighted to unveil our direction of travel with this new Strategic Roadmap, which I believe marks the start of an exciting new era for the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Sport.

Our Games need to adapt, evolve and modernise to ensure we continue to maintain our relevance and prestige across the Commonwealth.

After a long period of hard work and consultation, incorporating the views and opinions of our membership and experts across the world, we are excited to move forwards with this Roadmap. I would like to thank all our 72 Commonwealth Games Associations for their support.

Our next step is to work closely with our International Federation partners to ensure they can contribute to the vision and direction of the Roadmap in order to underpin the future of the Games.”

Download the document below to view the 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap recommendations Summary

The Commonwealth Games Value Framework Report, which was conducted for the CGF by leading professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is based on extensive research and data from multiple Games and highlights that since Manchester 2002*, hosting the event has boosted GDP in the host city/region by £0.8 billion – £1.2 billion**.

Hosting the Games boosts local, regional and national GDP. Gold Coast 2018 has demonstrated the biggest uplift of £1.2 billion, followed by Manchester 2002 (£1.1 billion), Melbourne 2006 (£1 billion) and Glasgow 2014 (£0.8 billion).

From a host city perspective, hosting the Games has provided the host city with a fiscal dividend from national, regional and other levels of government. In the UK, for every £1 of local government spending on total Games-related expenditure (operating and capital), the host cities attracted between £2.7 (in Manchester 2002) and £3.0 (in Glasgow 2014) from national and devolved government. In Australia, the state government has been the key funder of the Games, contributing between 75% (Melbourne 2006) and 79% (Gold Coast 2018) of total public sector Games-related expenditure.

The Commonwealth Games has generated between 13,600 and 23,000 full time equivalent (FTE) years of employment before, during and after the competition. In addition, there has been a successful volunteering legacy with the report revealing that hosting the Games has improved community cohesion. At Melbourne 2006, over 14,000 Games-volunteers were involved in the planning and hosting of the Games, of whom 50% indicated they wanted to keep volunteering.

Amongst other significant benefits of hosting the Games, the report revealed that the event has led to increases in tourism of up to 25% in the three years after hosting, as well as Commonwealth trade deals and investments of up to £400 million into the host city.

Host cities have consistently been able to accelerate or enhance capital investment into infrastructure related projects. For example, Glasgow City Council used the Games in 2014 as an opportunity to accelerate investment in transport infrastructure (£474 million) and regeneration of the East End (£96m).

The Games also showcases the host city worldwide, with a TV audience of between 1 and 1.5 billion.

One of the most illuminating aspects of the Value Framework Model was the depth of evidence supporting the social benefit opportunities available to Host Cities.  Hosting the Games can build and ‘showcase’ the city’s economic profile; position it as a  desirable place to live, work, study;  support physical, economic and social regeneration and transformation; strengthen trade, investment and tourism links with other parts of the  Commonwealth and the rest of the world;  promote community sports participation and elite sporting success; inspire community pride and confidence; and be used to encourage communities to adopt positive behaviours.

With the CGF currently in dialogue with potential future Commonwealth Games host cities, the Commonwealth Games Value Framework Report can provide key information to help determine the value of hosting the event in what is now a difficult economic climate.

CGF CEO David Grevemberg said: “The CGF recognise, particularly in the difficult global climate we are in, that the costs of staging a major sporting event such as the Commonwealth Games is a huge commitment to those cities that have competing priorities for funding.

“Prospective candidate cities, who correctly are under increasing scrutiny from taxpayers, need to be able to justify the commitment of increasingly scarce government resources as good value for money for their city, region and country.

“That is why the Games Value Framework is so important because it clearly defines, in more detail than has ever been done before, the benefits and costs of hosting the Commonwealth Games, while articulating how these should be assessed.

“The report collates the existing evidence from recent Commonwealth Games, draws out critical success factors and guides prospective host cities on how to assess the anticipated costs and benefits of hosting the Games aligned with the Commonwealth Sport Movement’s vision to create peaceful, sustainable and prosperous communities.

“Aligned to our new Games delivery model to drive down operating costs by delivering the Games more efficiently, we feel there is now a clear blueprint outlining how our event can be used as a real catalyst for regeneration following the difficult situation we are collectively facing.”

* The report assesses available evidence of the costs and benefits of four of the last five editions of the Games from Manchester 2002 to Gold Coast 2018. Delhi 2010 has been excluded from the analysis because the available evidence on costs and benefits is less complete.

**All data on costs and funding have been converted to a common currency and consistent price basis (£ at 2018 prices).