Regional sporting clubs and communities are “gutted” by the Victorian government’s decision to cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Key points:
- Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says a major cost blowout meant he has sought to terminate the contract
- The state government says it has a $2 billion spending package for regional Victoria to make up for the loss
- Social housing advocates want a portion of that money to be spent on areas outside those slated for athletes’ villages
The government had promised to host the 12-day, world-class sporting event in regional Victoria, but Premier Daniel Andrews this morning said a major cost blowout meant he has sought to terminate the contract.
The state government has committed to a $2 billion spending package for regional Victoria to make up for the loss of the Games, which was to act as a boost for facilities in the host centres.
Bendigo Bowls Club president Geoff Briggs said he was very disappointed to hear the Commonwealth Games would not go ahead.
“I felt absolutely gutted. Absolutely deflated,” he said.
“What a kick in the guts this is going to be for lots of communities.
“To have the Games in regional cities, and here in Bendigo, it was so exciting. It was exciting for everybody — for youngsters, for oldies … now it’s a real feeling of disappointment.”
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Mr Briggs understood the club would still have its facilities upgraded but is seeking clarification from the state government
“We’ve spent hundreds of hours on this. We had so many plans put in front of us for the development of the club. There are a lot of unanswered questions,” he said.
Athletes disappointed
Bendigo cyclist Alessia McCaig represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year.
Her home city was set to host the track and para track cycling as part of the 2026 Games.
“I was really looking forward to competing in front of a home crowd and having the opportunity to have a lot my friends and family there watching me,” McCaig said.
McCaig said she had also been looking forward to the Commonwealth Games bringing athletes and spectators from around Australia to the Bendigo area for track cycling.
She had written to Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan to advocate for track cycling to be staged in Bendigo.
Cost blowout questions
The government had previously spruiked the Commonwealth Games as a major economic boost for the regional host cities of Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Gippsland.
Greater Shepparton City Mayor Shane Sali said the decision was “devastating”.
The northern Victorian region helped launch regional Victoria’s bid for the Games in 2017.
The mayor said he was taken aback by the scale of the financial woes proposed.
“How does a $2.6 billion project, [after] a year or two, blow out to $6-7 billion? I think that’s the question that needs to be asked,” he told ABC Victoria Statewide Mornings.
Cr Sali said it was imperative that money promised to the regions was still delivered.
Shepparton was slated to host the BMX competition, but was not selected as an athlete hub.
Despite this, Cr Sali said he expected money that was earmarked for the Games to flow to the city’s sports stadium — which was due for an upgrade.
“Our expectation is that our sports stadium, that we had on the table for a state government [upgrade] commitment, can be met with this funding. We want to see that upgrade,” he said.
“That can be a legacy item that can be achieved with the funding that will go to regional Victoria.”
No longer ‘burdened’
Latrobe City Mayor Kellie O’Callaghan said councils that were due to host the Commonwealth Games were disappointed by the decision to cancel the event.
But she said she was worried about the tight time frames for delivering infrastructure, and Latrobe City had been clear it would not “enter into any undertakings” that would place extra financial pressure on the community.
“So I think in that way we’ve got to be grateful for a decision that will ensure that we aren’t further burdened,” Cr O’Callaghan said.
“But we’re pleased to see that the commitments made around [delivering] the infrastructure.”
Before today’s announcement, the Latrobe Valley was set to host shooting, para shooting, badminton, rugby sevens, and women’s Twenty20 cricket.
She said the ability of the state government to deliver the large-scale infrastructure required to host the Games “would have been a challenge”, particularly for regions receiving stadium redevelopments.
“The [athletes’] village would have been a bit of a challenge in terms of so many across the state building them all at once,” Cr O’Callaghan said.
“That capacity of industry to be able to get in and do that work was always going to be a bit of a challenge.
“[The] increased cost on everything that anyone’s needing — to purchase, engage with, or contract at the moment — has escalated to the point where it’s just become an unreasonable burden.”
Silver linings?
The Victorian government has yet to detail how money from the proposed $1 billion Regional Housing Fund would be spent.
Four athletes villages were proposed to be built in regional Victoria in Bendigo, Ballarat, Morwell, and Geelong.
Cellia Adams, the CEO of Seymour-based housing agency Beyond Housing said she hoped all of regional Victoria would benefit from the package.
“We urgently need more social and affordable housing,” she said.
“I also think it’s hard to celebrate an international event when we have people in absolute dire straits, sleeping on the streets, sleeping in cars, and not being able to afford their rent and mortgage.”
Ms Adams said she felt for the athletes and tourism operators that would not benefit from the Games.
She said she hoped some of the money would be sent to areas other just than those earmarked for athletes’ villages.
“Difficult decisions need to be made,” she said.
Premier apologises for job losses
Abandoning the Games suddenly leaves some without jobs.
It is not known how many people were directly employed as part of the state government’s Games team.
But Mr Andrews apologised to those impacted.
“There’s a relatively small amount of people who will no longer be required,” Mr Andrews confirmed.
“I’m very sorry for the challenge that that will present them. It will be a difficult time for them.
“At the same time, a lot of the work they’ve done will be central to delivering, for example, the facility upgrades.
“We will fully comply with our industrial relations obligations to them.”
Venue upgrades worth $2 billion
The Victorian government said a $2 billion regional funding package would be honoured to complete some of the sporting venue upgrades already promised.
The Eureka Stadium in Ballarat will be renovated to seat 10,000 people.
Deputy Premier and member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allen, announced that four new basketball courts will be built at the Bendigo stadium, and the promised upgrades to the Bendigo Showgrounds and lawn bowls centre will also be completed.
Mountain bike and BMX trails will be completed at Shepparton and Creswick, and the Ted Summerton Reserve in Moe will also be upgraded.
A new community sporting facility at Miners Rest will still be built.
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