A joint bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games from Alberta cities Edmonton and Calgary could be launched ©Getty Images

Civic leaders in the Canadian province of Alberta have hinted at a joint bid for the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030.

Groups in Calgary and Edmonton are pushing to host the Games after the withdrawal of Hamilton in Ontario following difficulties securing funding.

Hamilton had long been seen as the frontrunner as it had hosted the first British Empire Games in 1930. 

But lack of State and Federal support forced them to abandon their bid last month. 

"I do know that we have a very active group in our community that would like to see the Commonwealth Games come here," Alberta Mayor Jyoti Gondek told CBC Television News.

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi would not be drawn on specifics but conceded, "There are two great cities in Alberta and if we can partner on a equal basis promoting both cities to the international community we should be looking for those opportunities."

Edmonton previously staged the Commonwealth Games in 1978 Getty Images
Edmonton previously staged the Commonwealth Games in 1978 Getty Images

Edmonton hosted the 1978 Commonwealth Games and used the same stadium for the 1983 Summer Universiade and 2001 World Athletics Championships.

The 1988 Winter Olympic Games were staged in Calgary and drew high praise from the International Olympic Committee.

Edmonton did launch a bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games but it was withdrawn in 2015 after officials cited the fall in global oil prices as a major factor,

Last year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham required £778 million ($934 million/€875 million) in public funding to take place.

Edmonton had originally proposed shifting the focus of their future bid  to 2026 but later abandoned this idea to concentrate on bidding for matches in the FIFA World Cup, which is to be joint hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico in the same year. 

The 2026 Commonwealth Games were subsequently awarded to Victoria in Australia, the first time that a region rather than an individual city has been chosen.

Edmonton, meanwhile, was overlooked by FIFA to host World Cup matches with Vancouver and Toronto chosen as Canada's representatives. 

Calgary was a successful host city for the 1988 Winter Olympics and is considered likely to partner Edmonton in a bid for 2030 ©Getty Images
Calgary was a successful host city for the 1988 Winter Olympics and is considered likely to partner Edmonton in a bid for 2030 ©Getty Images

"I don’t really envision that we are going to see a single city try and digest these events," former Alberta Government senior economist and Concordia University professor Moshe Lander told Canadian television channel Global News.

Canada has hosted the Commonwealth Games on four occasions but not since 1994 when the Games were staged in Victoria in British Columbia,

Phil Mauger, the Mayor of Christchurch in New Zealand, which hosted the 1974 Games, is also understood to be keen to bring the Games back to his city.