The Commonwealth Games in 2026 will be held among four regional centres in Victoria, breaking away from the usual single-city model. Victoria was given an exclusive negotiating opportunity to secure the Games in February because no other countries made a bid. The 2006 Games were held in Melbourne, and the 2026 Games opening ceremony will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but the sports will be scattered across the country.
Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland are namely the four hubs where the Commonwealth Games will take place in Victoria.
Geelong will host events such as swimming, gymnastics, beach volleyball and other events as it is a port city.
Ballarat, which is the third-largest city in Australia in collaboration with Bendigo will host events such as athletics, boxing, netball, squash and weightlifting.
Gippsland, which is the power-hub of the country will be responsible for conducting events such as Rugby sevens, cycling and badminton.
“It’s a great honour to have Victoria chosen as the host venue for the 2026 Commonwealth Games — we can’t wait to welcome the world to all of our state,” stated Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews.
The 2032 Brisbane Olympics will utilise Victoria as a ‘runway.’ “We now have a second major home Games in prospect,” stated Australian Olympic Committee Chief Matt Carroll. “Commonwealth Games in 2026 is a major marker on that runway.”
The Games are expected to bring in more than A$3 billion ($2.22 billion) to Victoria’s economy and create thousands of employment opportunities.
The New Zealanders are also very happy with this situation since the event is happening in Australia they’ll save on travelling and get more time to prepare for the event. “Bringing the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Victoria is fantastic news for New Zealand,” the NZOC (New Zealand Olympics Committee) revealed in a statement.
“New Zealand athletes will have a home advantage with better travel, training and performance opportunities, and only a quick flight for friends, whanau (family) and fans to support the team on the ground.”
Birmingham, England, will host the 2022 Commonwealth Games from July 28 to August 8, succeeding South Africa, which was stripped of the Games in 2017 due to a lack of progress in preparations.