Hamilton100 says the Province of Ontario submitted an expression of interest in exploring a bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games. The group posted a letter from Hamilton East—Stoney Creek Member of Provincial Parliament Neil Lumsden, in his capacity as Minister of Sport, confirming provincial support for a bid.
Hamilton City Council has committed to exploring a bid, provided no municipal monetary contribution is required.
There is not yet a full commitment by the Province or Hamilton Council – yet.
Other GTHA municipalities are moving forward without Hamilton and making their support conditional on some other level of government paying.
Burlington’s mayor wrote a letter of support, York Region passed a resolution, Durham Region passed a resolution, and Markham Council says it is interested in whether the Games can bring more GO train service.
In February 2023, Hamilton’s 2030 bid ended because the Government of Ontario declined to endorse it.
At that moment, it appeared that the 2026 Australia Games might be the final Commonwealth Games.
Then, everything changed when Australia announced it was cancelling its plan to host 2026—the luckiest thing ever for the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) because the Australian province of Victoria had to pay a $242-million (USD) cancellation fee.
More importantly, the CGF realized it is no longer a major sports event that can justify costs in the billions, or even hundreds of millions.
Flush with this cash, the CGF is funding the 2026 edition of the games in Glasgow, Scotland.
For 2030, the Games propose a more streamlined slate of sports with a format no longer constrained to a geographical region—the “Games” as a brand.
This new format has revived the hopes of a group of Hamilton businesses and sports organizations to host the opening and closing ceremonies for the centenary edition of the Games in 2030.
The first Empire Games, as they were originally named, were held in Hamilton in 1930. They were a massive success and left a series of legacy buildings that served Hamilton for decades to follow.
Naturally, local sports and entertainment industry groups saw the opportunity to host the 100th anniversary and leverage it to advance their goals.
While 2030 may seem a lock for Ontario/Hamilton, there is another bidder in the process.
Reuters reports that India sees the 2030 Commonwealth Games as ‘potentially the perfect dress rehearsal for the country’s bigger dream of hosting the Olympic Games six years later. ‘
Production Details
v. 1.1.0
Published: April 3, 2025
Last updated: April 7, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version
v. 1.1.0 added clarify the sentence that neither the Province nor Hamilton City Council have yet made a full committment to a 2030 bid.