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.
-insidethegames
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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For the second time, Nigeria has announced a bid to host the Commonwealth Games, this time, the 2030 edition.
The country had earlier in 2007 bid for the 2014 Games which could have marked the 100th anniversary of the country following the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates with the Lagos Colony to form Nigeria.
That bid was spearheaded by General Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State and a respected person in the Commonwealth of Nations.
The project which was constructed as an “African Bid” failed following the award to Glasgow.
Another bid has reopened as the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) announced it had met the deadline to express interest in hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Abuja.
The new bid has not secured the necessary government backing. An NOC press release stated that Nigeria can only commence a formal bid if the Federal Government backs the project.
The NOC noted that Nigeria’s bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Abuja will present a unique opportunity to showcase its development, enhance its global standing, and invigorate its sports culture.
“A bid process would enhance an investment in sports infrastructure as bidding for the Games can catalyse investments in sports infrastructure and facilities across the country, particularly in Abuja, which can revitalise the local sports economy and improve national sports facilities for future generations,” the statement read.
But with the spate of countries with stronger economies withdrawing from the hosting of the Commonwealth, it is doubtful if the Nigeria bid will achieve success.
Most of the sporting facilities are in ruins leading to the country being confined only to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo as the only arena considered good enough to host international matches of both CAF and FIFA.
The cost of hosting is also another issue leading to some countries stepping down after a successful bid. Victoria in Australia was awarded the 2026 Games but announced withdrawal in July 2023 owing to the high cost of hosting a 12-day multidiscipline sports fiesta. Glasgow which stepped in as a replacement announced a smaller scale of hosting.
South African city of Durban initially won the bid to host the 2022 Games when the rights were awarded in 2015. It withdrew and the Games were rescheduled for Birmingham.
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Glasgow was confirmed as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Tuesday. The Scottish city stepped in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew due to cost concerns. Organisers are set to deliver a pared-down edition of the multi-sport event.
Among the sports to be axed from the programme are badminton, cricket, hockey and rugby sevens.
The Games, which will run from July 23 to Aug. 2 in 2026, will feature 10 sports across four venues – athletics, swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
It will also feature para sports including athletics, swimming, track cycling and wheelchair basketball.
“Glasgow 2026 will have all the drama, passion and joy that we know the Commonwealth Games delivers even if it is to be lighter and leaner than some previous editions,” Commonwealth Games Scotland chief executive Jon Doig said.
“It will be more accessible, delivered on a smaller footprint which brings our fans closer to the sporting action.”
Glasgow also hosted the event in 2014 and Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) CEO Katie Sadleir said the legacy of that edition would provide sporting, transport and accommodation infrastructure, as well as world-class venues and expertise.
The Games were originally slated for Victoria but the state withdrew as host in 2023 due to rising costs. Malaysia briefly considered an offer to stage the event but rejected it in March citing time constraints as well as costs and funding issues.
Glasgow stepped in as a back-up venue in April and the Scottish government backed the bid to host a scaled-down version, with the CGF offering 100 million pounds ($130 million) in supporting funds.
Commonwealth Games Australia has also committed to a multimillion pound investment to help the Glasgow bid.
Five of the previous six editions of the Games were held in Australia or Britain and questions continue to swirl about their relevance, with top athletes often electing to skip them.
Canada’s Alberta province last year withdrew its support for a bid for the 2030 Games and the CGF has yet to find a host for the centenary edition of the event.
-Reuters
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