Overview
The Commonwealth Games are not coming to regional Victoria. One year on from its announcement and just three years out from the event, the 2026 games are going to have to find a new host after Victorian Premier Dan Andrews announced his government had pulled the plug on hosting the global sporting event.
In a press conference on Tuesday, July 18, Andrews announced the decision had been made after the reported cost to host the games had nearly tripled since it was first budgeted for back in 2022.
"What's become clear is that the cost of hosting these games in 2026 is not the $2.6 billion that has been budgeted and allocated," said Andrews. "It is, in fact, at least $6 billion and could be as high as $7 billion.
"[This] is well and truly too much for a 12-day sporting event. I will not take money out of hospitals and schools to fund an event that is three times the cost as estimated and budgeted for last year."
The plan for the 2026 games was to share the event between four regional hubs – Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland – each with their own athletes' village and sports program.
Robert Blackburn, Visit Victoria
While the games were set to deliver billions in regional upgrades and tourism, the state government has instead announced a $2 billion+ regional fund. This will invest in sporting facilities, tourism, community sport and social and affordable housing across the state's regional areas. Included in the package is a commitment to deliver the facilities promised to these regional hubs as part of the 2026 games. As well, 13,000 new homes that will be built across regional Victoria.
Andrews promised that the Victorian Government had "looked at every option", including moving the games to Melbourne. However, all alternatives far exceeded the original $2.6 billion budget.
The premier said talks with Commonwealth Games authorities had been amicable and productive, but no plan for where the games would now be hosted was announced. Neither the Commonwealth Games nor Commonwealth Games Australia have made an announcement yet.
Australia only recently held the games, back in 2018 on the Gold Coast and still has a massive sporting event on the horizon, with the 2032 Olympic Games already locked in for Brisbane.
Bit of a long one this morning.
You might have heard the news this morning that Victoria will no longer be hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
And I wanted to tell you about the decision.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) July 17, 2023
The Commonwealth Games will no longer take place across Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland in 2026. Head to Victorian Premier Dan Andrews' Twitter for a full run-down of why the government has pulled the plug.