By: Yuning Xiang

Gina Rinehart is an Australian billionaire who joined several groups to help support the Commonwealth Games, a multi-sport event that’s held every four years. The 2026 games were supposed to take place in Victoria, Australia, but politician Dan Andrews canceled the event because it is projected to cost over one billion dollars. The government instead wants to spend the money on the 2032 Olympics.

Rinehart, along with Swimming Queensland, Volleyball Australia and Artistic Swimming Australia, want the government to reconsider their opinion. Tom Tate, the mayor of Gold Coast, wanted to have Rinehart back the bid for the Games. A survey showed that thousands of people wanted to support the bid.

Kev Hasemann, a swimmer, said that the Games are a time for the Queensland Swimming Team to improve their skills for the Olympics. The 2018 games prepared the Australian team to win 13 gold medals in the 2021 Olympics.