By: Jenny Zhou
Currently, sporting groups and the mayor of the Gold Coast have been trying to rescue the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games were originally planned to be hosted in Victoria, but recently Premier Dan Andrews said that the region would no longer be hosting the Games because the costs were higher than expected.
Now, billionaire Gina Rineheart is working together with organizations like Swimming Queensland, Volleyball Australia and Artistic Swimming Australia to help Tom Tate, mayor of the Gold Coast, host the Games. Rineheart hasn’t offered to pay for the games, but has said that she will try to do what she can for them to be hosted in the Gold Coast.
Tate said that it was fantastic that Rineheart was also supporting his offer of hosting the event. “We must show what we are capable of as a country,” Tate said. “The Aussie athletes deserve it, as does every young kid who dreams of representing their country.”
Tom Tate has offered to host the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, but the state and federal government refused, and instead selected Queensland to host the Olympics in 2032.
“With Rineheart’s help, and support from Swimming Queensland, Volleyball Australia and Artistic Swimming Australia, the higher government might reconsider whether to host the Games or not.”
“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. Especially with Rineheart’s support, the athletes will experience that joy once again.
The mayor hasn’t asked the government to help him fund the Games. Instead, he asked for the money set aside for the Victorian Games be given to the Gold Coast so that it could host the event.
Swimming Queensland boss Kev Hasemann said that he was supporting Tate and Rineheart’s bid to save the 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.
The Games were previously held in the Gold Coast in 2018, which Kev Hasemann said led to them participating in the 2020 Olympics and in the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka.
Tate said that Victoria’s decision to back out of hosting the games was an embarrassment for Australia: “Aussies are known for being fair dinkum when it comes to their word so, politics aside, we must honor our country’s commitment to the 2026 Games.”
Link to article: https://www.kidsnews.com.au/sport/fresh-support-for-gold-coast-bid-to-host-commonwealth-games/news-story/2ec5d9bfb83ec6299db9bbecf335cd50