The 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games went through three extensive host selections.
First selection Accepted bid •
Belfast,
Northern Ireland With the backing of the
Northern Ireland Assembly and the Commonwealth Games Council for Northern Ireland, Belfast submitted an official bid for the games. On 29 November 2015, it was confirmed that Northern Ireland was the only official, and thus the preferred, bid. They were named the official hosts in January 2016, with the Games originally scheduled for 27 July to 1 August 2021. Robert McVeigh, the Chair of the
Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council, said he was "delighted" that the bid was successful. In June 2018, Belfast was stripped of the Games due to uncertainty surrounding funding for the event during the absence of a functioning
Northern Ireland Executive. This was as £3 million of grants had not been signed off by the Executive before it collapsed in January 2017, meaning the Games had a significant funding gap.
Withdrawn bids •
Gaborone,
Botswana The Botswana National Olympic Committee stated it was preparing a bid for the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games, •
Saint Helier,
Jersey Jersey was considering a bid in early 2015 but pulled out of the bidding process in June 2015. The withdrawal came as Botswana and Northern Ireland placed bids - Paul du Feu, Jersey's
Commonwealth Games Association leader commented that "when you're up against opposition with a bigger population and totally different infrastructure you have to be realistic".
Second selection Following the stripping of the games from Belfast, a new selection process has been initiated, which lasted for six months.
Accepted second bid •
Trinidad and Tobago Other bids •
Gibraltar City,
Gibraltar ==Postponement==