The Australian state of Victoria
announced Tuesday that it will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with all
sporting events taking place outside of the state capital Melbourne.
The state’s premier, Daniel Andrews, praised the Commonwealth Games
Federation for embracing Victoria’s pitch for the international multisports
event, admitting that “it’s a bit riskier than just running it in the middle
of a large city”.
The 2026 Games will be held in four regional hubs in the towns of Geelong,
Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland, each with its own athletes’ village.
However, the opening ceremony will be held at Australia’s largest sports
stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which can hold more than 100,000
spectators.
The state has confirmed 16 sports for the Games so far, including
aquatics, cycling and Twenty20 cricket, with further announcements promised.
The Commonwealth Games Federation’s president Louise Martin described
Victoria’s pitch as “a bold and innovative vision” for the event.
“In Victoria, we believe we have found the perfect partner for the next
stage of our journey,” she said.
It will be the sixth time that Australia has staged the Commonwealth Games
and the second time in Victoria, after Melbourne hosted the 2006 event.
Andrews said the 2026 Commonwealth Games were expected to bring a “$3
billion boost to the Victorian economy”, which had to weather long lockdowns
during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Australia’s Gold Coast in Queensland was home in 2018 to the last edition
of the “Friendly Games”, as the Commonwealth Games are called.
The Games, held every four years, attract more than 4,000 athletes from
the 54 nations of the Commonwealth, almost all of whom are former territories
of the British Empire.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games are due to be held in Birmingham, England,
from July 28 to August 8.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)