The Asian country last hosted Games in 1998 and was offered £100m to host the 2026 edition

Malaysia has rejected the opportunity to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, meaning that it could be cancelled for the first time since World War Two.

The Malaysian government was offered £100m by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) but that was regarded as "insufficient" and the time frame was also too short.

Malaysia's sports ministry said the offer "would not cover the overall cost of hosting a large-scale sports event".

Malaysian government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil added: "If we had a longer time, we would definitely do it, but because there's such a short time, we definitely can't do it.

"When we assessed the viability of hosting the Games, the length of time needed and the cost was seen to be particularly prohibitive."

The Australian state of Victoria was the initial host of the 2026 Games but pulled out last summer due to rising costs.

Gold Coast, which hosted the Games back in 2018, then stepped in but they themselves withdrew last December, citing the same issues.

With five out of the past six editions having been held in either the UK or Australia, a change of scenery would've been a welcome sight for organisers, who will now just hope to keep the Games alive.

That's because the Canadian province of Alberta – the initial host for 2030 – also backed out last year, with 2030 being the 100th anniversary of the Games.

It means the Commonwealth Games doesn’t have a host for either 2026 or 2030 and questions will now be asked if Birmingham 2022 will end up being the last ever edition.

Over 5000 athletes from 72 nations competed at Birmingham 2022, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire.

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