By: Avery Lin
The mayor of the Gold Coast , Tom Tate, volunteered to host the Commonwealth Games in 2026 but underestimated the cost. The mayor said that the cost of hosting the games had tripled. It used to be around two billion dollars but now it’s around seven billion dollars. That was before Australia’s richest woman joined them after Victoria refused to host the games.
The Commonwealth Games are a multi-sport competition that takes place every four years. It has only ever been canceled during World War II. The Commonwealth Games were last held in April 2018.
Gina Rinehart is an Australian billionaire. She has allied with Swimming Queensland, Volleyball Australia, and Artistic Swimming Australia to help mayor Tom Tate host the Commonwealth Games. As a fan of Australian sport, Rineheart is prepared to help Gold Coast host the games, but not to pay for the games. She helped Olympic Australians with a $60 million investment. She was even in the stands, watching Australians win 13 medals in Japan at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
“Having seen the joy that athletes and their families experienced when competing in front of a home crowd for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Ms. Rinehart would certainly welcome the 2026 event to again be held in Australia, especially at the Gold Coast, where it was run so successfully before,” Rinehart’s spokesman said.
Kev Hassland is a swimming star. He said his organization is helping the Gold Coast host the Commonwealth Games.
“The Commonwealth Games give Australia’s best swimmers a vital opportunity to hone their racing skills for the pinnacle events on the world stage: the World Aquatics Championships and the Olympic Games,” he said.
Sources: https://www.kidsnews.com.au/sport/fresh-support-for-gold-coast-bid-to-host-commonwealth-games/news-story/2ec5d9bfb83ec6299db9bbecf335cd50