KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 18 — Former youth and sports minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu has said that hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games may hurt Malaysia financially as the country only has two years to prepare after Australia withdrew in July 2023.

Ahmad Faizal said that a thorough study needs to be conducted before agreeing to host the games, Sinar Harian reported today.

"In two years, I am worried that it will be a heavy burden where it can put the country in a difficult position.

"A thorough study is much needed before making this big decision. Especially financially,” he was quoted as saying.

Had the offer come sooner and a study was conducted earlier, hosting the games would not be a problem, he said.

In a press release dated March 11, this year, the Olympic Council of Malaysia announced that the offer to host included a financial investment of 100 million GBP for local delivery and legacy planning of the games.

Last Saturday, New Straits Times reported Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as saying that the government was discussing the matter and a decision would be made within a week.

Bernama reported that Australia withdrew due to increased organising costs from an initial estimate of 2.6 billion AUD (about RM8.09 billion) to 7 billion AUD (approximately RM21.78 billion).

India had also reportedly said it had no interest in hosting the 2026 edition of the Games, and the province of Alberta in Canada also withdrew itself from the bidding process for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.