Before Christmas, former Commonwealth Games champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee endorsed The Yorkshire Post’s campaign for the major cities of the north to explore the feasibility of uniting to save the friendly Games in 2026.

Victoria in Australia had pulled out as hosts because of rising costs.

The idea behind a joint bid from the likes of Sheffield, Leeds, Hull, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle would be that costs would be spread across the local authorities and existing facilities be used.

Is it worth it?: Fireworks erupt over the Alexander Stadium during the closing ceremony for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, in 2022. (Picture: Glyn Kirk/AFP for Getty Images)

On Tuesday, while distancing themselves from an immediate bailout in 2026, UK Sport did suggest that such a model, or a sustainable proposal to host the Games, represents the best chance for the Commonwealth Games going forward.

Simon Morton, the deputy chief executive of UK Sport, said: “The UK has hosted the Commonwealth Games three out of the last six occasions, and when we hosted in Birmingham in 2022, it was the UK stepping in because the Games couldn’t be hosted somewhere else.

“It feels to us like now is the right time for the Commonwealth Games Federation to really take stock and look at the model that sits behind the Commonwealth Games. And to be fair to them, they are doing that already and that work is ongoing.

“From our perspective we would really like to see the vision for a more sustainable Commonwealth Games in the future before we put it on our list. That said we’re open-minded, we really hope the CGF find a solution because it would be an awful shame if the Commonwealth Games weren’t to be staged again.”

Alistair Brownlee of England crosses the line to win gold in the Men's Triathlon at Strathclyde Country Park during day one of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games on July 24, 2014 (Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

What further strengthens a possible combined bid from northern cities is the fact that UK Sport is exploring establishing a new central body to help deliver events where sports and cities are unable to do so.

The general feeling at the announcement on Tuesday was that local authorities are still keen to pursue hosting major sporting events, should the economic impact and civic pride outweigh the costs. The funding body’s latest list of major event targets announced on Tuesday consists of the women’s football World Cup alongside a World Athletics Championship in 2029 or 2031 and a men’s Rugby World Cup in 2035 or 2039.

The list comprises 70 events – including 18 world championships – across 32 sports taking place between 2024 and 2040, with inclusion on the list just the first of a number of steps before a decision to bid is made.

Yorkshire is no stranger to hosting major sporting events. Three times in the last decade the county has staged games in rugby World Cups, league and union, and next year York is a host city of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Sheffield and Rotherham hosted games at football’s 2022 Women’s European Championships while arguably the biggest event was the Grand Depart of the Tour de France back in 2014 when five million people packed the roadsides. Per UK Sport, 92 per cent of residents who watched stages one and two said it had been good for their local area.

In January 2026, Sheffield hosts the European Figure Skating Championships. Esther Britten, head of major events at UK Sport, said: “We have emerging talent in that sport and we also have a city in Sheffield that is really keen to bring that event to the city.”

What does UK Sport's list of 70 events mean for future of Commonwealth Games