Including the sweet sweet cash from the IOC vs virtually nothing for CG including Australia’s fed govt, which Roy Masters has written a piece in the SMH tonight.
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Meanwhile, AFR taking News Corp’s view of anti-Dan or Vic Govt ‘are bad’ etc. Also being reported lawyers for Vic Govt flew to London to inform CGF and was anywhere from 11 to 8 hours notice.
While, The Australian reports tonight that many claims today are false or misleading and that GCF have revealed to them exclusively that other Australian states and other countries have expressed interested already today and that there may be a financial incentive as well on the table
Who knows what to believe. There’s going to be a lot conjecture tomorrow and coming weeks, media driven, but yeah what a mess. Wonder what CGF and the Royals/Commonwealth and UK will say too?
Agreed, I reckon it’s just News Corp drumming up gossip and click bait.
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Unless of course they also know something we don’t about one of the Premiers not really telling the truth today in their statements and using it as some sort of Labor/Dan-backing goodwill and smoke screen to later back-flip?
I’m surprised that there isn’t a topic created already regarding the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Even when it was announced last year that it was going to Victoria. And now with the news of the cancellation of Victoria’s bid.
Looks like that the 2026 Games will be 99% cancelled. And in 2023, one last “hoorah” could happen in the UK, before officially cancelled.
The Age editorial today on Victoria’s withdrawal from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games
Irrespective of how Premier Daniel Andrews might fashion it, his government’s decision to cancel Victoria’s promise to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games is a colossal embarrassment.
Globally, it pitches Victoria as a state that does not follow through on major commitments, one that cannot afford to develop, manage and sustain long-term multibillion-dollar projects. It also raises questions about the Andrews government’s trustworthiness, transparency and integrity in dealing with partners.
The model that spread the 2026 Games sporting schedule predominantly across the regions was fundamentally flawed from the outset. It was foolishly optimistic because it mostly overlooked logistical constraints on the regions’ accommodation, transport and ancillary infrastructure.
In a normal government, the person or people responsible for the Commonwealth Games debacle would resign. This is no normal government, however, and accountability will not be counted among its virtues.
It is a lost opportunity for Seven to be the host broadcaster. Commonwealth Games are one of the highest rated events on TV, especially a home games. The 2018 Games on the Gold Coast gave Seven 40% shares on many nights and weekly averages around that mark. The Opening Ceremony of the last Melbourne games is one of the highest rated events in Australian TV history (3.56m metro). These would have somewhat offset the loss of the Olympics to Nine.
Most commercial and sporting organisations would realise a couple of things, 1) that the financials have to stack up and 2) the Commonwealth Games are a dead duck. You could argue of course they shouldn’t have signed up in the first place BUT Durban did the same thing for 2022 (albeit with a few different circumstances).
Although they seemed the most likely, we’ll never know if Nine or 10 were potential serious bidders. Just imagine if Nine swooped, they’d almost have everything, Melbourne Cup rights process also happening of course.
Good to see the Herald Sun and The Age both oblivious to the fact that since the announcement the cost of everything has ballooned and what was affordable before is now unaffordable.
The quantum of the increase suggests theres more then the cost of everything increasing going on here - the numbers that the government were talking about prior to yesterday were derived at a time when a lot of the factors that were increasing prices were reasonably known.
The SMH reported that Seven were the only broadcaster and had an exclusive negotiating period. Seven were looking at 2 games + an option for the third.
I reckon it is extremely unlikely that Brisbane 2032 will get cancelled (unless The Greens get in power in QLD, which at this stage is very unlikely, if not never). The Olympics has only been canned 3 times, all due to World War 1 & 2. The Commonwealth Games is like The Reject Shop version of The Olympics.
