Victoria famously withdrew as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in July last year, leaving the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to find a new host. Victoria's sudden move and the lack of an obvious alternative sparked a debate about the future of the Games, which are held every four years and will last be held in Birmingham in 2022.

In response, the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia emerged as a possibility. Malaysian Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh confirmed that the government was considering the plan to host the games. "The most important thing is that when the decision is made, we assure you that it will be made after considering all possible aspects," she was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

However, the prospect of hosting the Games has been met with dissent, with a former sports minister criticising the idea as "reckless" with the Games just over two years away. Faced with the possibility of hosting the event, albeit in a different format to accommodate the short time frame, Mohamad Nazifuddin Najib said: "For example, it doesn't have to be 15 sports. It could be 10 sports, which will result in a smaller opening and closing ceremony," said the OCM Secretary General. 

"All this can be discussed, but we'll leave the decision to the cabinet." However, the CGF has suggested that Malaysia is not the only country that could potentially host the 2026 Games. Neighbouring Singapore, which is keen to host more major sporting events, said last week that it was "studying the feasibility" of the CGF's invitation to host the Games.

The city-state (which split from Malaysia in the 1960s) hosts the annual Formula One night race and will host the World Swimming Championships in 2025. Singapore also hosted the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

Some observers have said that both Malaysia and Singapore should co-host the event, a point also raised by the OCM. "There is a possibility that we can co-host with Singapore, but there is also a possibility that Singapore may decide to take over as the organiser and we miss that opportunity," said Nazifuddin.

Song Seng Wun, economic consultant with CGS International, said that "a significantly scaled-down Games would be more feasible, but would still require a significant amount of money". A joint bid could be "the only solution on paper", he told AFP. "Singapore is too small and needs more investment in infrastructure," Song said.