Regional Victoria looks to bid for 2030 Commonwealth Games hosting

11 regional Victorian towns and cities, including Shepparton, Geelong, Mildura and Ballarat, have come together to launch a campaign to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030.

The City of Greater Shepparton is leading a taskforce to put the case to the Victorian Government for a feasibility study on staging the events in the Greater Shepparton region, Wodonga, Bendigo, Ballarat, Warrnambool, and Traralgon.

Officially launching the bid today, Greater Shepparton Mayor Dinny Adem said the city and its surrounds would generate enromouse benefits if it won the right to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030.

Mayor Adem stated “for us, Greater Shepparton with our rich multicultural mix is truly representative of what the Commonwealth Games is all about.

“13% of our population are born overseas and we’re home to the largest Aboriginal community outside of Melbourne, just as the Commonwealth Games is representative of many faiths, races, languages, cultures and traditions.”

Mayor Adem said the proposal was a “ground-breaking concept” that would leave a legacy for millions of people living in regional towns, bring optimism to the area, and provide social and economic benefits.

A taskforce comprising former professional basketballer Lauren Jackson, Athletics Australia board member John Steffensen, marketing professional Mitch Catlin and former AFL player Nick Holland has formed to help the councils involved to develop a feasibility plan.

Catlin said the bid had similarities to England's proposal to hold the 2022 Commonwealth Games across multiple cities to spread the cost and to utilise existing sports infrastructure.

Catlin stated “the experience and the model is now there to look at spreading the load, because there are fewer and fewer places that are able to hold these events because of the cost required and the infrastructure needed.”

The mayors and chief executives of the participating municipalities will attend a workshop on 28th April to table their ideas about how the concept could work. Representatives from the City of Melbourne have not been invited to take part, with the proposal calling for the entire games to be held in regional Victoria.

Mayor Adem added “naturally, we do envisage that some temporary infrastructure will be required to house athletes and Games activities as part of a satellite approach.

“The legacy of such upgrades is that regional cities and towns would be in a prime position to successfully bid for future national and international events for years to come.

Some of the suggested sports venues are: aquatics including para-swimming events at the Greater Bendigo Indoor Aquatic Leisure Centre; boxing at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports and Entertainment Complex; netball at Ballarat Sports and Events Centre; and road cycling through Warrnambool and Port Campbell.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was tentatively supportive of the proposal, saying a cost-benefits analysis would need to be done first.

He told reporters “you have got to be careful that in prioritising one event you are not having to take money away from a range of other important areas.

“The costs of putting on an event like that, well that money has got to come from somewhere and therefore wouldn’t be available for other things.”

Proposed Games locations:

Shepparton: Basketball, squash, lawn bowls, athletics, triathlon
Bendigo: Basketball, diving, track cycling, swimming
Geelong: Hockey, rugby sevens, gymnastics
Traralgon: Boxing, weightlifting,
Ballarat: Badminton, netball
Warrnambool: Road cycling
Nagambie: Rowing
Wodonga: Tennis
Yarrawonga: Sailing

Images: The Regional Victoria Commonwealth Games 2030 bid logo (top) and current work on Ballarat’s Eureka Stadium (below).

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