Victoria 2026 - Commonwealth Games

[Australian Kiwi]

13 hours ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

10 billion over 10 years is not a lot of money- and most of this going towards building facilities, infrastructure and for remodeling right across SE Queensland as it transitions to a mega city 3-4-5 million. 

I actually think it is the type of long term planning Brisbane- GC needs to make them more sustainable and livable. There are a lot of great long term deliverables coming from the Olympics.

All of that could happen without the Olympics . Its inconsequential . Remember when they said they "bidded for the Olympics to get better trains"?

They should just admit that they put themselves forward to mark up their profile and had a golden opportunity in Coates being a massive bully who was on their side. Oh, and that its warmer than Sydney or Melbourne. They got incredibly lucky, and they are even more lucky having funding from THREE levels of government. This is not a sustainable model for the Olympics moving forward. Most other potential beta level cities can't just leverage $10bn in infrastructure funding. Its wildly contradictory.  

[TorchbearerSydney]

Q: They should just admit that they put themselves forward to mark up their profile and had a golden opportunity in Coates being a massive bully who was on their side  .......

 

I think they should just organise the best Games they can, and use it to improve their city and profile on the International stage.

And provide a great experience for athletes and spectators- for many the highlight of their life.

[Sir Rols]

39 minutes ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

I think they should just organise the best Games they can, and use it to improve their city and profile on the International stage.

And provide a great experience for athletes and spectators- for many the highlight of their life.

As they should… and I think scrutiny and criticism is a valuable and vital part of that journey 

[Australian Kiwi]

10 hours ago, TorchbearerSydney said:

Q: They should just admit that they put themselves forward to mark up their profile and had a golden opportunity in Coates being a massive bully who was on their side  .......

 

I think they should just organise the best Games they can, and use it to improve their city and profile on the International stage.

And provide a great experience for athletes and spectators- for many the highlight of their life.

Brisbane will put on a fabulous Games in 2032 - there is no question of that . 

I'm just finding it difficult to comprehend the murkiness of how it game to fruition. 

Part of how remarkable both 1956 and 2000 are for Australian sport is that they both so nearly never happened at all --- just three votes from IOC members are what enabled the first two Australian Olympics. The same can't be said for 2032. 

[Victorian]

https://timesnewsgroup.com.au/geelongtimes/news/victoria-2026-hq-in-geelong-to-double-in-size/

 

 

[Victorian]

https://www.wsp.com/en-au/insights/2026-commonwealth-games-creating-gold-medal-transport

[RooBlu]

On 3/13/2023 at 5:54 PM, Victorian said:

https://www.wsp.com/en-au/insights/2026-commonwealth-games-creating-gold-medal-transport

Yikes!!! Please tell me somebody that the Games Planners are not intending to shift all patrons too and from Mars Stadium from the Ballarat main train station (which is 2.9 km from Mars Stadium) and the designated parking zones solely by bus. That would be a chaotic disaster. I would calculate a minimum of 600 bus lifts (assuming that the average bus holds 50 passengers) would be needed to ferry people too the stadium and back again. Further they would have to do this for two athletics sessions per-day.

If they are not intending to build any sort of train platform at or near Mars Stadium then they should forget the whole thing and just swap the athletics to Kardinia Park in Geelong (which has a train station nearby) and give the hockey to Ballarat which can be played at the smaller Morshead Park.

These Games are supposed to be about delivering a legacy of development. I can't see much legacy being delivered to Ballarat or Mars Stadium if there is no train platform to be built to help with ongoing hosting of AFL games after the Comm Games. Further there are no plans being heralded to widen or upgrade the capacity of the Midland Highway. 

I think that Ballarat should cut its losses now, do no further upgrades to mars Stadium and instead focus upon development of Morshead Park for soccer beyond the Games.

Anyway, that's my two bits worth, for what it's worth. If they attempt to put 30,000 people into a temporary arena that is supported with pop-up everything and shift them there by busses only then it will be a farce.

[Australian Kiwi]

thats a Opinion piece from WSP - not the work of the organising committee.

[RooBlu]

Three years countdown until 2026 Commonwealth Games

Ballarat Courier - Nieve Walton

On this day, in three years time the world will be watching Victoria host a key sporting event. March 17, 2026 will mark the start of the regional Victorian Commonwealth Games, with three years officially on the clock, what do we need to achieve by then and how far have we come?

Eleven months ago Premier Daniel Andrews announced at Eureka Stadium (commonly known as Mars) a starting line-up of events for 'a game like no other'. What followed was a flurry of excitement as marathon gold medalist Steve Moneghetti said he could have never imagined the Commonwealth Games coming to his hometown.

This continued as the realisation hit home, this would be more than just a sporting event, its influence and legacy will impact many sectors of the city's tourism, culture and infrastructure.

Artist rendering of Eureka Stadium for Commonwealth Games 2026. Image supplied.

Since April 2022, more sports have been locked in. Despite Ballarat missing out on rowing, the council secured a bid for the marathon and Creswick gained mountain bike riding. Legacy is still a key aspect of the game's delivery.

 

City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said in a statement long-term legacy for both infrastructure and social inclusivity was a goal for the council. The boost to the city is expected to "span generations", Cr Hudson said.

In August, the games were pushed back into the limelight as Ballarat representatives travelled to Birmingham to learn from the 2022 games. When Stuart Benjamin returned he was filled with optimism that the Ballarat games would be a success, but still had some logistic concerns surrounding accommodation, transport and ticketing systems.

Two months later the state government finally announced $200 million spend in Ballarat to upgrade the train station and Eureka stadium. These two projects along with the athlete's village are the major set of works needed for the games.

Aside from the three major upgrades other infrastructure works will be needed including upgrading Creswick Road and developing bike and pedestrian paths to allow around 30,000 people to exit the stadium and head back to their accommodation in Ballarat or on to public transportation back to Melbourne.

New deadlines have been set, civil work expressions of interest were released in March 2023 for the athletics village and work is expected to start later this year. Remediation work has also begun on the site which should be completed by late 2025.

Alongside major work, tourism sectors are gearing up in an effort to showcase all the Ballarat can offer alongside our strong sporting assets. "Victoria 2026 will showcase regional Victoria to the world," a government spokesperson said.

More detailed timelines for upgrades to the stadium and train station are still to be released. We have our to do list and the clock is ticking.

[Victorian]

Could we see the logo unveiled today to mark 3 years to go? 

[Victorian]

Vic 2026 has it's own website now!

https://www.victoria2026.com.au/

[Victorian]

 

 

 

[AustralianFan]

 

[Gonzo]

Is the deluded spruiker here going to post the article saying that Latrobe Council is set to pull out it's support for hosting in Gippsland and Ballarat council will refuse to put in any additional funds and the Vic Govt is now going cap in hand to Canberra asking for money

[RooBlu]

8 hours ago, Gonzo said:

Is the deluded spruiker here going to post the article saying that Latrobe Council is set to pull out it's support for hosting in Gippsland and Ballarat council will refuse to put in any additional funds and the Vic Govt is now going cap in hand to Canberra asking for money

I reckon that the respective Councils know that they will benefit in infrastructure and development funding that will outstrip any up front costs to them. As the former Mayor of Ballarat said late last year, the investment and infrastructure that will fall out over the next three years will be the equivalent of what the city would have normally expected over 15 years. As he said, it's a once in a generational opportunity.  

[RooBlu]

Further to my previous post, no other part of Victoria is set to transform more over the next 15 years than the Latrobe Valley. Their biggest industry being brown coal mining and power generation will be completely shut down by the mid 2040s and they are welcoming any investment and opportunities that will expose and promote their amazing and stunningly beautiful region as a place to invest and to live. For the sake of investing $50 million of rate payer monies into local infrastructure and running costs associated with supporting the Games, each Council would have also calculated the longer term overall benefits and gains, which is why so many other regional cities including Shepparton, Warrnambool, Mildura, Wangaratta and Wodonga were also eager to get on board with hosting sports and associated events when the Games were first announced.

[RooBlu]

On 3/17/2023 at 1:14 PM, Victorian said:

 

 

 

Yes I am sure that we will steadily start to see momentum build herein as now much of the foundational and planning work is starting to take shape. We will likely see plans for sports stadiums released in the forth quarter of this year while the plans for the athlete's villages will emerge late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter as construction is due to begin on them in October for completion by October 2025. At this stage the time lines for the stadia is broadly between late 2023 with most venues scheduled to be completed by October 2025, perhaps to allow for a few test events to be conducted at each of the venues to test and fine tune public transport, ticketing and support infrastructure.

[Gonzo]

Local councils are basically broke and don't have $5 million let alone $50 million to spend which is the whole issue and don't have the ability to raise anymore revenue due to the State Governments rate capping policy

Ask the good folk of Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland if they are willing to pay extra taxes to fund the CG - the answer will be a big fat NO

[RooBlu]

On 3/17/2023 at 2:17 PM, AustralianFan said:

 

"Borobi" was seriously a creepy teal coloured version of Stewie from Family Guy  Definitely something that people in 2018 "Marketing" hodge-podged together as a mish-mash of Aussie stereotypes and thought was a good idea at the time. That said, Melbourne's "Karak" was probably a great idea that made a lot of appearances before the Games but had no presence at the Opening Ceremony or in anything significant after. I perhaps thought that a marketing opportunity was lost by not getting Cadbury or Haigh's Chocolates on board to market CG themed "Karak" chocolate eggs promoting the Games with profits going toward preservation of the endangered Southern Black Cockatoo at the time.

[RooBlu]

12 minutes ago, Gonzo said:

Local councils are basically broke and don't have $5 million let alone $50 million to spend which is the whole issue and don't have the ability to raise anymore revenue due to the State Governments rate capping policy

Ask the good folk of Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland if they are willing to pay extra taxes to fund the CG - the answer will be a big fat NO

"Storm in a tea cup" - Every level of Government across this wide brown land is broke ATM. Heavens, they're even trying to sneak in $150 levy in one inner Melbourne Council to fund garbage collection as a way of sneaking around the rate rise caps. No, the regional councils were properly briefed on what they were signing up for and the current Mayor of Ballarat, Cr Des Hudson is being up-front with the city and local media. I refer to an article in the Ballarat Courier from the 3rd of March:

Councils brace for Commonwealth Games cost

By Adrian Black

 

Five Victorian regional hubs are jumping at the chance to host Commonwealth Games events in 2026 despite concerns over the likely costs. Geelong City councilor Anthony Aitken said recent financial data suggested the state's second biggest city, which will host nine events and the closing ceremony, could not afford the Games outlay within its present budgetary structure. "Council wholeheartedly supports the delivery of the games in regional Victoria ... but the reality is that our latest financial results indicate that we can't afford it," he told a recent council meeting. Cr Aitken suggested possible exemptions from council rates-caps as a solution to help raise the funds.

His comments came as Geelong City reiterated its support for the Games coming to the region. "The event will deliver around $650 million in infrastructure investment in Geelong, which will be a hugely beneficial outcome," Mayor Trent Sullivan said in a statement.

Cr Sullivan noted cost escalations had put pressure on the council's capital projects program, but it would consider investment where the facilities met the community's needs. "We are in discussion with the Victorian government about how much we will be expected to invest," he said. Geelong will host more events than any other regional hub.

Commonwealth Games Bendigo director and acting council chief executive Andrew Cooney said cost pressures associated with the Games could mean reorganising the city's capital works pipeline. "It's just potentially a change in the priority of our expenditure," he told AAP.

Mr Cooney said Bendigo, which will host six sporting events, was not looking at a rates-cap exemption and sports infrastructure was only one part of the Games' legacy. "We're really excited about the arts and cultural programme that we're going to provide," he said. "We want to give people a wonderful experience for the year and hopefully entice them to come back. For us, the legacy is beyond just the sports infrastructure."

Ballarat mayor Des Hudson conceded current price pressures couldn't be ignored when it came to budgeting. "The City of Ballarat is always faced with balancing competing priorities, this is being made more challenging in an inflationary environment," he said. Ballarat will host three Commonwealth Games sporting events. "Right now, it is too early to estimate what the financial implications of the Commonwealth Games will be on future council budgets," Cr Hudson said.

Latrobe Valley mayor Kellie O'Callaghan said the council was working closely with the state government to maintain clear lines of communication. "We're still talking to the state around the planning... (and) what it is that we will need to be doing in terms of preparation," she told AAP. "We're making sure that the state understands what our capacity is, in terms of how we contribute and how we partner in the games."

Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said the city was excited to deliver its Games events. "We look forward to welcoming visitors and competitors to our region," Cr Sali said in a statement. "The ambitious idea for a regional Victoria Commonwealth Games was launched right here in Greater Shepparton more than five years ago and we are excited to see the concept come to life in 2026."

[TorchbearerSydney]

Australia just announced $365 Billion for new submarines......I think we can scrape together for the Com Games..and the Olympics for that matter!

[AustralianFan]

9 hours ago, RooBlu said:

"Borobi" was seriously a creepy teal coloured version of Stewie from Family Guy  Definitely something that people in 2018 "Marketing" hodge-podged together as a mish-mash of Aussie stereotypes and thought was a good idea at the time. That said, Melbourne's "Karak" was probably a great idea that made a lot of appearances before the Games but had no presence at the Opening Ceremony or in anything significant after. I perhaps thought that a marketing opportunity was lost by not getting Cadbury or Haigh's Chocolates on board to market CG themed "Karak" chocolate eggs promoting the Games with profits going toward preservation of the endangered Southern Black Cockatoo at the time.

In a kind of continuing theme from the hordes of Dame Edna lookalikes at the Melbourne 2006 Closing Ceremony, I like that idea of a Possum being the mascot for Victoria 2026.  The leadbeater Possum.

If the Dame is up to it, she could launch it too - come on Possums!

[AustralianFan]

9 hours ago, RooBlu said:

"Borobi" was seriously a creepy teal coloured version of Stewie from Family Guy  Definitely something that people in 2018 "Marketing" hodge-podged together as a mish-mash of Aussie stereotypes and thought was a good idea at the time. That said, Melbourne's "Karak" was probably a great idea that made a lot of appearances before the Games but had no presence at the Opening Ceremony or in anything significant after. I perhaps thought that a marketing opportunity was lost by not getting Cadbury or Haigh's Chocolates on board to market CG themed "Karak" chocolate eggs promoting the Games with profits going toward preservation of the endangered Southern Black Cockatoo at the time.

 

12 minutes ago, AustralianFan said:

In a kind of continuing theme from the hordes of Dame Edna lookalikes at the Melbourne 2006 Closing Ceremony, I like that idea of a Possum being the mascot for Victoria 2026.  The leadbeater Possum.

If the Dame is up to it, she could launch it too - come on Possums!

 

Leadbeater’s Possum

One of Victoria’s fauna emblems.

The Leadbeater’s Possum is a small, quick and elusive marsupial. They were thought be extinct until their rediscovery near Marysville in 1961.

They are now one of Victoria’s state Faunal Emblems.

A very small lowland population is found only in Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve.

Highland populations of Leadbeater’s possums are found further east, in the tall, wet forests of Victoria’s Central Highlands.

 

Leadbeater’s Possum - Energy, Environment and Climate Action - Victorian Government

 

[Gonzo]

[RooBlu]

11 hours ago, Gonzo said:

That is literally the funniest thing that I have seen all day. It would only be completed by having all of the cars turned nose in toward Mars Stadium hooting their horns every time somebody scores a Games record or gets a gold medal ... Welcome to country footy 

I love everything about that drawing from the flies around the toilets, the crackly sound system, the ciggy's and mobile on the dash of the ute, and the dress sense of the locals.