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Other options for 2026 Swimming Venue in Regional Victoria

Outside of Melbourne and MSAC, and in line with the Regional-led thrust of the 2026 Com Games bid, are other options besides Kardina Aquatic Centre in Geelong.

Take Rome, Italy, for example who installed temporary above ground pools on the top of tennis courts for the successful 2009 FINA World Swimming Championships (Myrtha Pools).

This opens up other Victorian regional centres for the location of a temporary swimming venue

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Credit: Outdoor swimming pool ROME 2009 XIII FINA World Championship - archiexpo.com

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All will be revealed next month when the government have to go firm with a commitment. No venues have been set in stone yet. The government is committed to using the games as a leverage to revitalise regions, not Melbourne. If athletics are held in Ballarat then it's likely that the city's dated and aging Llanberris Reserve will be closed and athletics in Ballarat would be moved to a new site on the old Showgrounds which would become the training track during the games and the permanent home for the Ballarat athletics after the games. A new pavilion would make a useful media centre during the games. The Ballarat Council have already raised a submission for a huge lighting upgrade at Mars Stadium and are seeking to ultimately have that stadium developed with 15,000 permanent seats. This would likely see the ground developed quickly with one end to remain open which would have a temporary scaffold stand erected if it were to host athletics. Now that's just one example of how a regional games will benefit the development of one significant sports venue that the State Government have already indicated that by 2030 they want to have as Victoria's 4th premier sports arena. This would give Victoria four world class stadiums of varying sizes to fit all manner of uses economically, and also delivering economic benefits to regions and cities. If we consider that by 2030 we will have the MCG, Marvel Stadium, Kardinia Park with 40,000 capacity and Eureka Stadium in Ballarat filling a niche with 20,000 capacity.

As I said, it's all speculation until the government makes a firm announcement in April. We have to trust that the government will make the right choices based upon existing infrastructure and identified venues that they have a longer term strategy for developing. That said, I think that we can rule out the MCG and Kardinia Park for athletics. The government have already stated that those grounds are not to be interfered with by the construction of a temporary athletics track because of the disruption that it would cause to the AFL season. Particularly the loss of income that it would cause the Geelong region if their stadium were out of AFL action for up to half of the 2026 season. There has already been government discussion about using Kardinia Park for Opening and Closing ceremonies which can be conducted with minimal disruption to the Kardinia Park playing field.

Much conversation has been about venue sizes. Okay, it's like this. The scale of the Olympics and even the Commonwealth Games has become so gargantuan that the cost of staging the events and developing massive stadia has become off-putting to many potential candidates. If we consider how Melbourne blew up the Comm Games to an Olympic Scale event which I think was largely to salve it's wounded pride for being-white anted by the AOC when bidding for the 96 Olympics. Of course when New Delhi tried to match that in 2010, the costs blew up and their games went massively over budget. When we consider that with the Olympics, the games have blown up from $6.6 billion to over $44 billion spent on Beijing and recently $30 billion at Tokyo. This is why the IOC jumped in and locked in Los Angeles for the 2028 games because they knew that they were running out of interested cities to host the games. Brisbane didn't so much win its bid, they were just the only ones left expressing any interest.  Brisbane's bid is predicated on downsizing the games significantly and this will become the new template for both the Olympics and the Comm Games.

Consider that Brisbane's main stadium will be a 50,000 capacity redeveloped Gabba, the smallest main Olympic Stadium since Amsterdam 1928. The Victoria Regional Comm Games is as much about bringing the Comm Games back to an aspirational event that smaller countries and cities can manage. If hosting a downsized games across established or upgraded venues across regional Victoria works then it's perfectly feasible and achievable now for African countries to bid for or perhaps for Northern NSW, or Far NQ in the future to host without risk of breaking the bank and leaving cities and towns with a legacy of white elephants and a hangover of debt.

The benefits of taking the Comm Games exclusively into regional Victoria, particularly if timed to coincide with school holidays between Vic Labour Day and Easter would encourage many from Melbourne to have an excuse to travel and explore regional Victoria and all that the cities and towns in the regions have to offer. It will provide massive economic stimulus throughout the state as well as promote regions not only as places to visit but also give many Melbournites and perhaps potential immigrants watching the games from India and across the Commonwealth a different perspective of life in regional Australia as a place to move to and live.

It's food for though folks.

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19 hours ago, RooBlu said:

All will be revealed next month when the government have to go firm with a commitment. No venues have been set in stone yet. The government is committed to using the games as a leverage to revitalise regions, not Melbourne. If athletics are held in Ballarat then it's likely that the city's dated and aging Llanberris Reserve will be closed and athletics in Ballarat would be moved to a new site on the old Showgrounds which would become the training track during the games and the permanent home for the Ballarat athletics after the games. A new pavilion would make a useful media centre during the games. The Ballarat Council have already raised a submission for a huge lighting upgrade at Mars Stadium and are seeking to ultimately have that stadium developed with 15,000 permanent seats. This would likely see the ground developed quickly with one end to remain open which would have a temporary scaffold stand erected if it were to host athletics. Now that's just one example of how a regional games will benefit the development of one significant sports venue that the State Government have already indicated that by 2030 they want to have as Victoria's 4th premier sports arena. This would give Victoria four world class stadiums of varying sizes to fit all manner of uses economically, and also delivering economic benefits to regions and cities. If we consider that by 2030 we will have the MCG, Marvel Stadium, Kardinia Park with 40,000 capacity and Eureka Stadium in Ballarat filling a niche with 20,000 capacity.

As I said, it's all speculation until the government makes a firm announcement in April. We have to trust that the government will make the right choices based upon existing infrastructure and identified venues that they have a longer term strategy for developing. That said, I think that we can rule out the MCG and Kardinia Park for athletics. The government have already stated that those grounds are not to be interfered with by the construction of a temporary athletics track because of the disruption that it would cause to the AFL season. Particularly the loss of income that it would cause the Geelong region if their stadium were out of AFL action for up to half of the 2026 season. There has already been government discussion about using Kardinia Park for Opening and Closing ceremonies which can be conducted with minimal disruption to the Kardinia Park playing field.

Much conversation has been about venue sizes. Okay, it's like this. The scale of the Olympics and even the Commonwealth Games has become so gargantuan that the cost of staging the events and developing massive stadia has become off-putting to many potential candidates. If we consider how Melbourne blew up the Comm Games to an Olympic Scale event which I think was largely to salve it's wounded pride for being-white anted by the AOC when bidding for the 96 Olympics. Of course when New Delhi tried to match that in 2010, the costs blew up and their games went massively over budget. When we consider that with the Olympics, the games have blown up from $6.6 billion to over $44 billion spent on Beijing and recently $30 billion at Tokyo. This is why the IOC jumped in and locked in Los Angeles for the 2028 games because they knew that they were running out of interested cities to host the games. Brisbane didn't so much win its bid, they were just the only ones left expressing any interest.  Brisbane's bid is predicated on downsizing the games significantly and this will become the new template for both the Olympics and the Comm Games.

Consider that Brisbane's main stadium will be a 50,000 capacity redeveloped Gabba, the smallest main Olympic Stadium since Amsterdam 1928. The Victoria Regional Comm Games is as much about bringing the Comm Games back to an aspirational event that smaller countries and cities can manage. If hosting a downsized games across established or upgraded venues across regional Victoria works then it's perfectly feasible and achievable now for African countries to bid for or perhaps for Northern NSW, or Far NQ in the future to host without risk of breaking the bank and leaving cities and towns with a legacy of white elephants and a hangover of debt.

The benefits of taking the Comm Games exclusively into regional Victoria, particularly if timed to coincide with school holidays between Vic Labour Day and Easter would encourage many from Melbourne to have an excuse to travel and explore regional Victoria and all that the cities and towns in the regions have to offer. It will provide massive economic stimulus throughout the state as well as promote regions not only as places to visit but also give many Melbournites and perhaps potential immigrants watching the games from India and across the Commonwealth a different perspective of life in regional Australia as a place to move to and live.

It's food for though folks.

I hope so.

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On 2/17/2022 at 9:16 AM, Gonzo said:

So basically you are going to level the whole joint, removing all the trees people use for shade in the summer

Trees are easily replaced and once temporary stands are removed it affords the opportunity to do some creative building and landscaping to compliment the nearby Kardinia Park surrounds. So losing some old gum trees isn't so bad. ;-)

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On 2/16/2022 at 9:48 AM, SportLightning said:

For the Birmingham 2022 closing ceremony. Birmingham, UK could handover the flag to Melbourne and Greater VIctoria.

My guess is that the Pemier of Victoria (Mr Dan Andrews) will accept flag on behalf of the State of Victoria (perhaps accompanied by a delegation of Victorian Mayors); although the State Governor might be a more appropriate person to accept this honur and certainly would be potentially less divisive. If the Pemier accepts the flag it may be construed as political opportunism with a State Election only three months later. Time will tell. Personally if it were up to me I'd be going with Option 2.

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5 hours ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

Maybe a trditional owner, an Aboriginal elder could accept the flag for Victoria.....would be nice symbolism

I like that idea too, but you just know that certain elements within the community would whine that it was a tokenistic gesture. Some people are just not happy unless they're being outraged by something. ;)

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On 2/18/2022 at 9:59 PM, Australian Kiwi said:

You're an absolute troll - I don't understand how you are not banned. 

Suck the air out of every room. Nauseating. 

Confused? To whom are you referring? I see no trolling activity here. There are a couple of passionate and focussed members here, and nothing that I have read in this thread has been off topic. Some variance of opinion, but we are allowed to have that as long as members remain respectful and remember that not everybody will agree with what we have to say. :mellow:

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