Ross Solly says very few would disagree with Dan Andrews’ decision to scrap the Commonwealth Games in Victoria if the figures do stack up. Photo: Dan Andrews Facebook.
Whether you agree with the decision or not, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews surely owes it to the Australian public to lay all the cards on the table that led to his shock decision to pull the plug on the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
If he wants to claim the cost of hosting the games has blown out from around $2 billion to $7 billion, he needs to provide the figures. Given the price of hosting the past three Commonwealth Games has come in at $2 billion or less, it’s hard to work out how this games could cost so much.
Certainly, Commonwealth Games Australia and the Commonwealth Games Federation were having no truck with the numbers. Australian boss Craig Phillips said the figures were a “gross exaggeration”.
If the figures do stack up, very few will disagree with the decision taken by Andrews. Seven billion dollars is an extraordinary amount of money to pay for less than two weeks of sport.
What worries me about this decision is that Andrews made no attempt to discuss with Phillips or the Commonwealth Games Federation what he was planning to do. He made no effort to discuss ways to save money. Phillips said there were lots of ways to cut costs, but the conversation never happened.
Critics will say, and I don’t necessarily disagree, that the Commonwealth Games has been struggling to remain relevant for a while. The fact no one has been willing to put their hand up to hold the multi-sport competition is a bad sign.
But there are a lot of positives that come with hosting events like this. It instils national pride, it brings communities together, it brings tourists to your region and it provides a boost to your economy.
It provides opportunities for athletes who have devoted years of their lives preparing to compete on the big stage. In a previous life, I worked as a media consultant for a whole raft of sports that were on the Commonwealth Games program.
I can tell you how hard these athletes worked. They sacrificed a lot, making next to no money but still being inspired to continue by the dream they could one day compete for Australia.
Maybe most importantly, it inspires kids to be active. And now, more than ever, children need to be encouraged to get out and get moving. We know there’s an obesity issue in Australia, and we know getting kids to put down their phones is becoming increasingly challenging.
History shows a lot of world-class athletes were inspired by watching the very best competitors in action at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games or world championships. And many were planning to use 2026 as a valuable warm-up before the LA28 Olympics.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr was quick to rule out Canberra taking over the 2026 Games, and rightly so. However, a suggestion has been put forward that several cities could combine to host the event.
If this is to happen, and cities like Newcastle, Geelong and Wagga Wagga all put their hands up, why would we not? There are plenty of sports on the Commonwealth Games program that could easily be held in Canberra.
It’s a great shame our city is not hosting a FIFA Women’s World Cup match. It would also be a shame, if the opportunity arose, that we couldn’t host a Commonwealth Games sport.
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