City of Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he was truly excited to unite people worldwide in a celebration of sport and culture, but now that event won't ever happen..Recently, Sohi said he was informed directly of the Government of Alberta’s decision to not continue with a bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games..“I appreciated being notified by Minister Schow as soon as the decision was made by the provincial government to withdraw its support," Sohi said.."As one of the 40 best sports cities in the world, we were truly excited to unite people worldwide in a celebration of sport and culture, advance reconciliation with our indigenous partners and create infrastructure and program legacies for future generations.".READ MORE: UCP government drops bid for 2030 Commonwealth Games.The UCP government said on Thursday the numbers didn't add up and has dropped its bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.."We promised to remain transparent with Albertans about the costs of hosting international sporting events and clearly demonstrating a return on our investment for the people and communities of Alberta," Alberta Minister of Tourism and Sport Joseph Schow told the Western Standard in an emailed statement.."In the case of the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the numbers just didn’t add up for our government to commit taxpayer’s money with the games estimated to cost $2.68 billion.".Sohi said the talented City of Edmonton has an "incredibly strong community and drive for success."."Sports are part of our DNA and we love how it brings people together. Edmonton will continue hosting national and international events and showcase talented athletes of all ages and abilities while building legacies and lifetime memories for our community," Sohi said.."We want to thank all partners who participated in this provincial bid exploration. We look forward to continued work with our government partners.".Sohi said he appreciated Schow’s commitment to continue to work with the City of Edmonton to continue to build and rehabilitate sports infrastructure and advance sports tourism for the city, province, and country.
