KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – President of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), Christopher Samuda has labelled the decision of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to set athletics and swimming as the only two compulsory disciplines at the Games from 2026 onwards as a “body blow to sports”.
Samuda said the decision was based solely on the economics of running a multi-disciplinary games and felt it would impact the development of sport.
“The reduction of the compulsory sports from 16 to two by the CGF is really a body blow to sports,” Samuda told the Jamaica Observer newspaper.
“But clearly it is a response to the growing financial challenges host regions are experiencing in delivering what has become a huge commercial undertaking.”
He said: “Going forward only a few cities will be able to host multi-sport games and therefore the CGF is creating flexibility in the negotiating process for prospective territories that will give a greater menu of choices to them, and which will allow the games to survive and not just survive but thrive.
“It’s an economic decision that is informed by the sense to survive amidst the social and logistic cost and certainly the cost attendant up on the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic which will be around for some time.”
Samuda said the JOA will continue to support the concept of multi-discipline games in whatever form they came and the development of sport in general.
“The JOA nonetheless will continue to deepen and broaden the nation’s representation at regional and international games, for whatever the global economic challenges of sport, our business at the JOA remain sustainable and our goal to provide opportunities for many sports to excel, remain constant, remain steadfast,” he told the Observer. The CGF said athletics and swimming will be the only compulsory sports at future Commonwealth Games under a proposed “strategic roadmap” to give hosts more flexibility, increase the event’s appeal and drive down costs. Next year’s Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, England, will feature 19 sports, but the CGF recommended that “approximately 15 sports” feature at future Games from the 2026 event onwards.
The CGF is still searching for a host city for the 2026 Games, but the organisation said in a statement on October 11, athletics and swimming would be afforded protected status due to their historical place in the programme, popularity, para(sport) inclusion and gender balance.
“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,” the CGF said in the statement.
“This will now include disciplines that have previously been listed as optional sports such as Twenty20 cricket, beach volleyball and 3×3 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.”
The CGF stated there would be no requirement for future hosts to have an athletes’ village, instead encouraging alternative solutions to reduce costs.
CGF president Louise Martin said in the statement: “Our games need to adapt, evolve and modernise to ensure we continue to maintain our relevance and prestige across the Commonwealth.”
“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.”
