Victoria presents formal bid to host 2026 Commonwealth Games

Events at four regional centres across Victoria, each with their own Athletes' Village, and an Opening Ceremony MCG were among plans revealed this week as Victoria formally presented its bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

On Tuesday, Victorian Sports Minister Martin Pakula was part of an official delegation who made their presentation to host the event the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Executive Board.

The concept of a regional Games is being championed in a new roadmap launched earlier this year by the CGF, who had struggled to find a host city to follow this year’s event in Birmingham.

This means that the Games will not be focussed solely on Melbourne, which hosted a successful Commonwealth Games in 2006.

However, the MCG will stage the Opening Ceremony along with other, as yet unspecified sports.

Other regional centres are still to be officially announced, but, when launching the bid last month, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews claimed the state was "spoilt for choice", referencing stadiums in Geelong and Ballarat.

Ballarat is the likely home of the athletics events, with the city's Mars Stadium being considered.

Geelong's GMHBA Stadium approaching the final phase of its multi-decade redevelopment is also being considered for events along with the recently upgraded Bendigo Basketball Stadium.

It is expected that athletes will stay in each of the regional centres they are competing and rather than a single athletes village.

Ballarat is the likely home of the athletics events, with the city's Mars Stadium being considered.

Geelong's GMHBA Stadium approaching the final phase of its multi-decade redevelopment is also being considered for events along with the recently upgraded Bendigo Basketball Stadium.

It is expected that athletes will stay in each of the regional centres they are competing and rather than a single athletes village.

Under the new CGF roadmap, athletics and swimming are the only compulsory sports that must be included on the program, giving hosts an unprecedented flexibility, including the prospect of adding sports popular locally.

The Victorian bid expects to include between 19 and 22 sports in 2026, although AFL has already been ruled out.

By comparison, this year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham has 283 events in 20 sports while the Melbourne 2006 Games featured 245 events in 17 sports.

Reports suggest that first set of sports will be announced when Victoria is formally awarded the 2026 Commonwealth Games next month once the CGF have officially gone through their bid document.

Minister Pakula was joined as part of the Australian delegation by Linda Dessau, the Governor of Victoria, and delegation from Commonwealth Games Australia including the President Ben Houston and chief executive Craig Philips.

Visit Victoria, the state’s tourism and events company were also represented by chief executive Brendan McClements. 

Images: The MCG will host the Opening Ceremony when Victoria stages the 2026 Commonwealth Games (top, credit: Shutterstock) and Victorian Sports Minister Martin Pakula tweet about submitting the 2026 Games bid (below).