Commonwealth Games: Multiple host cities possible for future
Jenkins, who competed at the 1984 Olympics as a Welsh rowing coxswain and eventually became CEO of Commonwealth Games Wales for 16 years, is passionate about the future of the Games and even wrote a PhD on how to make the Games more sustainable Bachelor of Science.
He is now incorporating this research into his work as CGF president, and he is confident in the progress he is making.
Jenkins’ first big task is identifying the 2026 host city. Glasgow will host a 10-sport event across four venues.
There will be no road events, such as marathons or cycling road races. Existing accommodation – including some hotels – will be used to house athletes.
“I think Glasgow is a start,” Jenkins said. “Glasgow shows how to create together.
“We have cut costs by more than 50%. This will be a very, very compact Olympics.
“But I also think it will demonstrate the first phase of the reset. Using existing accommodation, existing venues, making good use of indoor facilities – maybe for ceremonies.
“That’s one of the things I’m excited about about Glasgow.”
While Glasgow has been praised for hosting a “compact” Olympics, in the future they could look completely different.
In the future, the game may cover multiple cities or even countries.
For Jenkins, one of the main ways to make events cheaper is to not build anything. He hopes future organizers will first see what they can wear and then ask neighboring cities or countries to host other events if they have existing facilities.
It could be the first time the Olympics return to Wales since Cardiff hosted the then British Empire Games in 1958.
“There are cities that could host an entire Olympics,” Jenkins insisted.
“Or a country could host it. I don’t want to name a country but I can think of a couple of the best places in a country. If we host it in Wales, it could be a couple of cities or a couple of countries in Wales. towns.
“And, further, some countries have some facilities and their neighbors have other facilities. What we are saying is: don’t build, use existing venues, use existing accommodation. It could be co-location.
“So this really changes the model dramatically and our members are very enthusiastic about it.”
