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Don’t forget that the Gippsland Region to the east is seriously beautiful and deserves to be included just as much as the bigger regional centres on the other side of Melbourne. Gippsland is beautiful. But it’s people and infrastructure suffered very badly from bushfires on Black Saturday in 2010 and again, even more so, during the terrible recent 2019/2020 Bushfires. Since then there has been massive recovery efforts and funds, including tourusm inventives, road, community and business and infrastructure repair and replacement funds and action pumped into that region from Federal, State and Local Governments as well as many amazing volunteering efforts to repair and rebuild - as well as mental health care and support in these communities. These Games will further stimulate sport, tourism and the economies in Gippsland and all of the state before, during and after the Games. Forget what you say “sounds more sleek” when talking about citites and regions west of Melbourne. “Sounding sleek” has got nothing to do with it, seriously. You should take a trip out to beautiful Gippsland, it’s stunning and so are the people. The events in Gippsland will be fantastic and will be great television and also in-person as a spectator including the Gippsland to Bendigo Cycling Road Race which will link the east and west. These are the innovative and groundbreaking Victoria 2026 Games. (not the ‘Western Victoria Games’).

Eye roll That’d be right - Victoria finally discovering an interest in “thugby” when there’s some serious international exposure involved

I've never been to a rugby game (I've really wanted to for so long), but I sincerely hope Dallas, Kansas City, St Louis or Denver are selected to host, given they are the closest major markets to where I live.

Good calls I guess, although I'm a little bit weary of how Australia is basically hosting every big event in the later part of the decade - not because you'll be bad hosts, you're always great hosts* but just because there's normally a spread of these around the world - although I guess it's not much different to the UK in the early 10s, right down to the FIFA men's World Cup-shaped hole. Personally I'd have sooner had Argentina get the chance they deserve or South Africa 2. US is just very intriguing - genuinely no idea how it'll go. Every team getting a home crowd, with the American market finally turned on to rugby is the best case scenario. Getting the venue choice right will be hard - I hope they get Canada involved too, at least to play their pool games at home. *Just keep anyone involved in the Gold Coast closing ceremony as far away as possible. Greenland should do.

The clue's in the name. But seriously, two good picks for these World Cups. Australia is a known quantity and safe as houses as a host, I'm much more curious about America in terms of which stadiums they'll pick, how good their team might be, and how well it'll be supported. High risk, but high reward.

With Premier Dan Andrews saying that all sports will be played in Regional Victoria, one would expect that a covered velodrome is going to be built away from Melbourne. But outdoor, uncovered velodromes do exist, like this one used in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Interesting that a wooden competition track is exposed to the elements like this. Is an uncovered velodrome on it’s way to Regional Victoria?

2027 and 2029

I'm not trolling anyone. If literally any other country and one of their cities wanted the Commonwealth Games, they would have gotten it. I'm just stating the facts, since no one else wanted it, the Commonwealth Games Federation asked if we wanted to host it. I'm all for it being regional, but Geelong (with Ballarat and Bendigo) sounds more sleek than "Victoria" 2026. Having events spread out as far as Gippsland is a tad too much. We'll see if it ends up working logistics wise or for those who want to see one event in say Geelong then have to travel all the way out east. So basically, I have no problem with the decision, just the approach to it.

Umm, you host the games no one else wanted for next to nothing? And ensure it makes a profit? No need to build any new arenas and general infrastructure projects are being done anyways.

The problem with the arena in Salt Lake is that it was designed primarily for basketball and not so much for hockey, let alone for figure skating which requires a much larger ice surface. As a result, here's what the arena looked like (I was there myself for 2 nights of short track)... I think some renovations were done there about 5 years ago. Not sure if they would make this conversion any easier to pull off again or if Maverik Center would be easier to hold figure skating at

No you are misquoting. The decision to shift the masters rowing to Ballarat from WA was made six months ago when WA were locked down indefinitely, nothing more, nothing less. The full article in the Ballarat Courier only references rowing and the Comm Games in the context that the city has the capacity to stage and manage world class sporting events (the Masters Rowing in this instance). This wasn't a pitch to host rowing, although it would be a beautiful rowing venue, rowing would benefit Nagambie more.

If you want to actually reduce costs, just have it in Melbourne! Do an Innsbruck 1976 where all you need to build is the athletes village.

The same Paris city hall which that did with the failed 2012 Olympic bid.

Sounds like the IOC have realised even they couldn't be brazen enough to go for St Petersburg now, so they'll try for Putin's Mini-Me instead. I'd have thought Samaranch would be better off convincing his own country to bid now the Winter plan's basically dead and they've finally got a genuine chance for Summer victory.