By Steve Larkin

Australia has ruled out bidding to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games but is hell-bent on retaining its superpower status at the sporting event.

Glasgow will host a pared-down event next year, salvaging the Games after Victoria reneged as host, citing contentious cost blow-outs.

Commonwealth Sport, formerly known as the Commonwealth Games Federation, is seeking expressions of interest in hosting the 2030 edition, but Australia won’t bid.

“Realistically for us, ’30 is not on our radar,” Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips told AAP.

“If a government put their hand up and said ‘We want to do it’, we would certainly talk to them, but we’re not really pursuing it.

“We haven’t been out to governments at all, and we have done that deliberately because we’re not sure that really ’30 is for us.

“We have got Brisbane’s ’32 Olympics and Paralympics – I just think ’30 is difficult timing from that point of view.

“Our plan to host ’26 was part of our Green and Gold Runway (towards the ’32 Olympics) – that wasn’t to be.

“But we think ’30 is just a bit too close when you look at what is required from commercial partners, what is required from various levels of government. It becomes a little bit challenging with an Olympics and Paralympics coming.”

Phillips said the 2030 Commonwealth Games could be a multi-city or multi-national event.

Glasgow’s Games next year will feature 10 sports, down from the 19 on the program at the last edition in Birmingham, England, in 2022.

Australia topped the medal tally in Birmingham for the 12th time in the 20 editions of the Games dating back to the inaugural event.

Since 1994, Australia has led the medal table at all but one Games, in Glasgow in 2014 when England prevailed.

But some 82 per cent of Australia’s medal events in Birmingham remain on the Glasgow program.

Phillips had no hesitation in predicting Australia would again top the medal tallies next year.

“We don’t shy away from it… we have every expectation that we will,” he said.

“We don’t set a number of medals in particular, but our ambition is to top the gold and overall medal tallies… and medal in as many sports as possible.”

Phillips forecast between 270 and 300 Australian athletes would compete in Glasgow, with about 30 per cent  contesting para sports.

Some Australian officials, including chef de mission Petria Thomas, last week were in Glasgow assessing the city’s preparations for a Games partly funded by Victoria’s government, which paid $380 million in compensation to the CGF, from which $200 million was directed to Scotland to help cover costs.

“They are moving pretty fast,” Phillips said of Glasgow organisers.

“When Glasgow did step in, we didn’t have many concerns about their ability because they obviously hosted the Games very successfully in 2014.

“They have made it their business to make Glasgow an events city.

“That sort of capability was mobilised very quickly… they have a long way to go still, but we know they’re making good strides forward.”

Organisers have announced changes to the King’s baton relay ahead of the Games, with each of the 74 Commonwealth nations to have its own baton.

Each baton will carry one word of the King’s message, to be revealed at the opening ceremony.

“We want to make sure every Commonwealth nation and territory gets to experience the power of the baton coming through their communities, and this is a more cost-effective way of doing it,” Phillips said.