Victoria to axe Commonwealth Games plans due to financial concerns
Victoria to axe Commonwealth Games plans due to financial concerns
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will this morning announce that plans for the state to host the Commonwealth Games in 2026 will be cancelled, the ABC understands.
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Official statement was that the promised housing and sports facilities were still going ahead, just not the games themselves so win/win
Yeah, opposition (and parroted by the media) is calling it an 'embarrassment' but IMO it's a great thing. Money better spent elsewhere.
I agree it's probably the right thing to not host, especially given the ROI is bad (at least according to some other states...)
But even though I think it's a good thing, it is an embarrassment.
Announcing that you're going to host, putting money / effort state-wide into preparing, and then dropping it is embarrassing. It sends a message that you can't adequately plan for large events, and that your commitments aren't worth much. I can't really blame the opposition for trying to make some hay from it.
Worth noting that they only looked at it because nobody else would host it for the same reasons they're dropping it now. Once fully costed figures were in it didn't make sense.
The Commonwealth Games themselves need to rethink their entire approach if they want to continue to exist entirely.