The government of Alberta has pulled its support for a bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games due to rising costs.

A joint bid was being considered by the Canadian province, centred around the cities of Edmonton and Calgary.

Tourism Minister Joseph Schow said the bill was estimated at $2.6bn (£2m) – a burden “too high for the province to bear”.

It comes a week after Australia pulled out of hosting the 2026 games in Victoria due to budget blowouts.

The initial plan was to host the games over 11 days in August 2030 with competitions and events spread between Calgary and Edmonton, as well as the Tsuut’ina Nation and Enoch Cree Nation.

In a statement Mr Schow said: “The corporate sponsorship model and limited broadcast revenues for the Commonwealth Games would have put 93% of those costs and risks on taxpayers.

“We committed 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 in Alberta.

“That is why we have made the decision not to continue pursuing the bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.”