Victorian regional bid for 2030 Commonwealth Games stalled due to Coronavirus

A proposed multi-centre bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games across cities in Regional Victoria has been put on hold due to the Coronavirus crisis.

The bid, launched nearly four years ago by the City of Greater Shepparton, planned to host the 2030 Games at venues around the state in Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Nagambie, Traralgon, Warrnambool, Wodonga and Yarrawonga.

Promoted as ‘the People's Games’, proposed venues included a new stadium at the Shepparton Sports Precinct to hold athletics events, aquatic sport at the Greater Bendigo Indoor Aquatic Leisure Centre and rugby seven’s at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium. Ballarat Badminton Centre, the Geelong Stead Park Hockey Centre and Shepparton Park Bowls Club were to be among other venues utilised.

While a completed pre-feasibility study for the bid has been completed, the Coronavirus crisis has intervened in it being presented to regional councils.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Kim O'Keeffe is still hopeful the bid will be finalised.

Mayor O'Keeffe advised earlier this month “the aspiration to have the 2030 Commonwealth Games across eight regional cities is still strong if we are able to do so, but like a lot of things at the moment there is uncertainty.

“Greater Shepparton already has attracted major sporting events.

“We already have some world class facilities and have proven we can host the best of the best.

“The proposal of having the games across the proposed eight cities is exciting and would give an incredible economic boost as well as give the locals an opportunity to experience an elite level of sport.

“There would be extra infrastructure needed to host the Games which would be an exciting addition to some of the participating cities’ sporting facilities and would remain for the regions to continue to maximise other sporting event opportunities in the future.”

Mayor O'Keeffe said if it wasn't for the pandemic, the pre-feasibility study would have been released to relevant councils by now and she hoped the work on it would resume as soon as possible so they could plan which events would be held where and to determine what extra infrastructure would be needed.

The Commonwealth Games Federation is currently looking for a host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games to follow Birmingham, which is are due to stage next year’s event.

Adelaide had expressed an interest in bidding for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but the South Australian Government has refused to back it.

It has left Hamilton in Canada as the only city who have publicly confirmed their interest, but it also requires support from their Provincial and Federal Government.

Image: Members of the taskforce behind the 2030 Commonwealth Games bid, including former Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallist John Steffensen [fourth from left] and former AFL player and Chief Executive of the EJ Whitten Foundation Nick Holland [far right] at the launch of the bid in 2017.