Commonwealth Games
New hosting model as Victoria officially confirmed as host of 2026 Commonwealth Games
A total of five cities and regions are set to play a role in the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Australian state Victoria was today officially confirmed as the host.
The announcement followed a successful exclusive dialogue period launched in February between the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Commonwealth Games Australia and Victoria, where a proposal to stage the major multi-sport competition across the state was agreed.
In what will be a first-ever predominantly regional Commonwealth Games, Victoria 2026 will be staged in March of that year in multiple cities including Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland.
The Opening Ceremony, as first reported on insidethegames last month, will take place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), it was confirmed at a launch attended by CGF President Dame Louise Martin and Daniel Andrews, the Premier of Victoria.
The approach will showcase the best of what the state has to offer and ensure a uniquely Victorian experience for the athletes and spectators, it is claimed.
An initial 16 sports have been put forward for the Games, including T20 cricket, a figure which could increase by up to seven when the final programme is announced at the end of this year.
Along with cricket, swimming and diving, athletics, badminton, boxing, beach volleyball, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, rugby sevens, squash, table tennis, triathlon and weightlifting are the first group of sports to be confirmed on the programme for Victoria 2026.
Swimming, athletics, lawn bowls, table tennis and triathlon will host Para sports, while powerlifting will also be included.
Official confirmation that Victoria will follow Birmingham 2022 as the next host will be a massive relief for CGF officials, who had been struggling to find somewhere to stage the Games.
They have hailed the 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap, which provides renewed flexibility to be innovative and creative in delivering the Games, as having persuaded Victoria to step in.
“The Commonwealth Games Federation is absolutely delighted to award the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Victoria,” Dame Louise said.
“Commonwealth Games Australia and the Victorian Government have set out a bold and innovative vision that provides an exciting new blueprint for hosting our major multi-sport event.
“In Victoria, we believe we have found the perfect partner for the next stage of our journey.
“This a very special moment for the Commonwealth Sport Family and on behalf of the entire Movement, I would like to congratulate Commonwealth Games Australia and Victoria on their successful Games submission.
“We now look forward to a bright future as we work together to stage a Commonwealth Games like no other.”
Currently, Melbourne, which hosted the 2006 Commonwealth Games, is scheduled only to stage the Opening Ceremony.
Geelong, Victoria’s second-largest city behind Melbourne, is currently scheduled to host seven sports, including swimming and diving at the GMHBA Stadium, which recently underwent a multi-million-dollar investment, including the open-air swimming pool.
The port city is also due to host beach volleyball, gymnastics, hockey, table tennis and triathlon.
Geelong is also set to stage T20 cricket along with Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland.
It is currently not clear whether cricket will be contested by both genders and, whether like Birmingham 2022, there will be only a women’s tournament.
Ballarat, where gold was discovered in 1851, sparking a massive boom in the city’s fortunes, will stage athletics and boxing, as well as cricket.
Bendigo, 100 miles north-west of Melbourne and which hosted the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games, is currently scheduled to stage lawn bowls, netball, squash, and weightlifting and powerlifting.
It will also be the final destination for the cycling road race, which will start in Gippsland.
Gippsland, a rural region that makes up the south-eastern part of the stage, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the southern side of the Victorian Alps, is also due to host badminton and rugby sevens.
The plan fulfils Andrew’s promise for the Games to be spread around Victoria.
“It’s a privilege and honour to have Victoria chosen as the host venue for the 2026 Commonwealth Games – we can’t wait to welcome the world to Victoria,” he said
“Sport is part of the fabric of our state and regional Victoria will provide the ideal hosting environment for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.”
This will be the sixth time that Australia has staged the Commonwealth Games.
Besides Melbourne 2006, they have been staged in Sydney in 1938, Perth in 1962, Brisbane in 1978 and the Gold Coast in 2018.
“The Commonwealth Games is a pinnacle of world sport and Victoria 2026 will bring a comprehensive sports programme to world class stadia across regional Victoria, after an Opening Ceremony on the hallowed turf of the MCG,” Victoria’s Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said.
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Commonwealth Games
Nigeria Steps Up Bid to Host 2030 Commonwealth Games as Delegation Arrives London
A high-powered Nigerian delegation has arrived in London, United Kingdom, for the decisive phase of the country’s campaign to host the centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games in 2030.
The team is led by Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, and the Commission’s Director General, Bukola Olopade, who are set to present Nigeria’s final case before the Games’ decision-makers on Wednesday.
Dikko had delivered Nigeria’s preliminary pitch last month, laying the foundation for this week’s crucial engagements. If successful, the bid would make Nigeria the first African nation to host the Commonwealth Games since the event’s inception in 1930.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has repeatedly reaffirmed the Federal Government’s full backing for the bid, assuring the international sporting community that Nigeria is ready to deliver a world-class Games.
Only last week, the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, joined other senior government officials in welcoming the Commonwealth Games Bid Evaluation team during their inspection visit to Nigeria.
Further demonstrating the administration’s commitment, the President’s Special Assistant on Public Communication and Presidential Spokesperson, Sunday Dare, is part of the London delegation.
Other members of the Nigerian contingent include Bid Coordinator Mainasara Ilo; President of the Nigerian Olympic Committee, Habu Gumel; Minister of Arts and Culture, Hannatu Musawa; five-time Olympian and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Mary Onyali; and current para-badminton world number one, Eniola Bolaji.
Nigeria’s 2030 bid is anchored on themes of inclusivity, legacy, and development, with promises to stage a Games that not only reflects the Commonwealth spirit but also creates lasting opportunities for sport, culture, and youth empowerment across Africa.
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Nigeria’s push to become the first African country to host the Commonwealth Games gained momentum on Tuesday as the National Sports Commission (NSC) received the Commonwealth Sport Bid Evaluation Committee in Abuja.
NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko and Director General Bukola Olopade reaffirmed the Federal Government’s determination to secure the hosting rights for the 2030 Games, describing the bid as a landmark opportunity for Africa and a historic milestone for Nigeria.
Dikko stressed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has thrown his full weight behind the bid, highlighting it as a platform to showcase Nigeria’s growing influence in global sports.
“We are delighted to welcome the Evaluation Committee to Abuja as a sign of our seriousness,” Dikko said.
“President Tinubu sees the Commonwealth Games as more than just an event; it will be a celebration of Africa’s sporting passion and Nigeria’s role as a continental leader.”
Olopade added that Nigeria’s bid is built on four critical pillars—modern facilities, political will, private sector support, and strong public enthusiasm.
He noted that the Bid Committee, led by veteran sports administrator Mainasara Illo, has prepared a “robust document” to strengthen Nigeria’s case.
“With our preparations, engagements, and strong government backing, we are confident Nigeria can win the right to host the Games,” Olopade said.
Underscoring government commitment, the delegation was hosted at the Presidential Villa by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside nine Federal Executive Council members, including Minister of Youth Ayodele Olawande, Minister of Culture and Creative Economy Hannatu Musa Musawa, and Minister of Women Affairs Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.
The visiting delegation, led by Darren Hall, Director of Games and Assurance at the Commonwealth Sport, included Ann-Louise Morgan, CS Director of Sport, and Ezera Tshabangu, Regional Development Manager for Africa and Europe.
Nigeria’s bid, if successful, would make the 2030 Commonwealth Games the first ever to be hosted on African soil, fulfilling a long-standing call for inclusivity in the Commonwealth sporting family.
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Nigeria may have a major African challenger in the bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. South Africa is preparing to join the competition. The Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) had announced a Nigerian bid in April. This follows the failed bid in 2007 for the 2014 Games.
The earlier bid was made to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the amalgamation. This amalgamation joined the Northern and Southern Protectorates with the Lagos Colony to form Nigeria.
Sports Village Square has gathered that South Africa, through its Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), is making a bid and is merely waiting for cabinet approval.
The country intends to use the Commonwealth Games of 2030 as a dress rehearsal for the bigger Olympic Games.
According to the SASCOC president, Barry Hendricks, the 2030 Commonwealth Games hosting will be part of the learning curve for the Olympics. “… it teaches us what we can do over the next eight years to get to 2040.”
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