Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games venue opens in Carrara

One of the major venues that will host the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) is now complete, with the purpose-built $105 million Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre in Carrara officially opened on Saturday (29th April).

Located next to Metricon Stadium at the heart of the main Commonwealth Games precinct, the venue features a show court, 14 multi sport courts suitable for basketball and netball along with change rooms, function rooms, meeting room and a café.

The venue’s show court, with 5,001 retractable seats, is the world's largest retractable seating installation.

The venue also features an additional 400 undercover car parks with the precinct also offering new elite playing fields (that will be converted into the warm up athletics track for GC2018), artificial training surface and a new front plaza featuring 10 indigenous inspired pylons that will link the new facility to Metricon Stadium.

During 2018 Games, the venue will be converted into two x 2,500 capacity halls to cater for the badminton, weightlifting and wrestling competitions.

Opening the venue, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the GC2018 venue stated “this world-class sporting venue is part of an important legacy of community infrastructure for South East Queensland that will help attract elite athletes and prestige events to the State.”

Federal Minister for Sport Greg Hunt emphasised the importance of creating community legacies from new sports infrastructure and from the Games event itself, adding “the Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre is a world class competition venue for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

“Our athletes will benefit significantly from having this facility available to them for competition, and it will also provide an exceptional atmosphere for fans to enjoy during the Games.

“Before and after the Games, the facility will be a centrepiece for community sport and active recreation, encouraging people from the Gold Coast and South-East Queensland to be active and healthy.”

Now complete, the venue is already attracting international sporting events with the Sudirman Cup, the FIVB World League Volleyball competition, as well as big national events such as the Australian National Judo championships booked to use it.

Seats for the retractable seating installation were supplied by Australian seating experts Starena.

Images: The opening of the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre in Carrara (top) and the facility from the air and its entrance.

Article amended 2.30pm, 1st May 2017.

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