Australian state Victoria announced on Tuesday that it will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with all sporting events taking place outside the state capital Melbourne. Head of State Daniel Andrews praised the Commonwealth Games Federation for adapting Victoria’s pitch for an international multisports event, acknowledging that “it’s a bit riskier than driving it in the middle of a big city”. The 2026 Games will be held in four regional centers in the towns of Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland, each with its own athletes’ village.
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However, the opening ceremony will be held at Australia’s largest sports stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which can seat over 100,000 spectators.
The state has so far confirmed 16 sports for the Games, including aquatics, cycling and Twenty20 cricket, and promised announcements.
Commonwealth Games Federation President Lewis Martin described Victoria’s pitch as “a bold and innovative vision” for the event.
“At Victoria, we are confident we have found the right partner for the next leg of our journey,” she said.
This will be the sixth time Australia has staged the Commonwealth Games and the second time in Victoria since the 2006 event in Melbourne.
Andrews said the 2026 Commonwealth Games were expected to provide “a $3 billion boost to the Victorian economy”, which had to remain shut during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Australia’s Gold Coast in Queensland was home to the last edition of the “Friendly Games”, as the Commonwealth Games are called, in 2018.
Held every four years, the Games attract more than 4,000 athletes from 54 Commonwealth countries, almost all of whom are former territories of the British Empire.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games are to be held in Birmingham, England from 28 July to 8 August.
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