Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria will no longer be hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026 because the state simply cannot afford it. Naturally, this has pissed off the big Commonwealth Games bosses, who claim the Victorian Premier only gave them “eight hours’ notice” before pulling the plug on the event.
It’s a big time to be someone who throws a ball around for a living, as the fate of the Commonwealth Games continues to spin up in the air.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Commonwealth Games, from why it is no longer being held in Victoria to what the top bananas behind the event think about it being cancelled. Spoilers: they’re not fkn happy.
Why did Dan Andrews call it quits on the Commonwealth Games?
Andrews revealed the estimated cost of putting the games on would be somewhere between $6 billion and $7 billion in a press conference on Tuesday morning.
This cost is a far cry from the $2.6 billion he claimed was originally “budgeted and allocated” for the games. Who knew it was so costly to get a bunch of Aussies to throw and catch balls?
“I’ve made a lot of difficult calls, a lot of very difficult decisions in this job,” said Dan Andrews.
“This is not one of them. Frankly, $7 billion for a sporting event, we are not doing that.
“We will instead deliver all and more of the legacy benefits in housing, sporting infrastructure and tourism and we will unpack all that tomorrow and throughout the week and there will be further details of all of that as well as the process to deliver that.
“I will not take money out of hospitals and schools to host an event that is three times the cost estimated and budgeted for last year.”
Honestly, the man’s got a point. We’re in dire times, we really do not need sporting events to go forth right now.
What’s happening with the money saved up for the Commonwealth Games?
Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed that money saved up for the Commonwealth Games would still be used for previously promised sporting infrastructure upgrades.
Ballarat’s Eureka Stadium and Bendigo’s aptly named Bendigo Stadium will still receive upgrades.
On top of this, $1 billion will be put into the Regional Housing Fund to help build 1,300 new homes.
What do the Commonwealth Games officials have to say about this?
Ooooh boy, the Commonwealth Games heads are NOT happy.
Essentially, the authorities behind the games blame Dan Andrews for upping the cost of the games unnecessarily. They claim the games should cost nowhere near $6-7 billion.
“Since awarding Victoria the Games, the [state] government has made decisions to include more sports and an additional regional hub, and changed plans for venues, all of which have added considerable expense, often against the advice of the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia,” a spokesperson for The Commonwealth Sport Movement wrote in a statement.
“We are disappointed that we were only given eight hours’ notice and that no consideration was given to discussing the situation to jointly find solutions prior to this decision being reached by the government.
“Up until this point, the government had advised that sufficient funding was available to deliver the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games. We are taking advice on the options available to us and remain committed to finding a solution for the Games in 2026.”
Looks like Andrews has left the Commonwealth Games bosses in a bit of a pickle.
Speaking of bosses, Commonwealth Games Australia Chief Executive Craig Phillips also had a go at Andrews, saying he had no idea who was responsible for the cost estimates the Victorian Premier was using in his statements.
“We’ll be doing all we can to make sure the numbers produced today by the Victorian government are not taken on face value,” he said.
“I can only assume it’s within government or Treasury.
“Beyond this, the Victorian government ignored recommendations to move events to purpose-built stadiums in Melbourne, and remained wedded to temporary expensive venues in regional Victoria.”
Well. Someone’s pissed.
What do Dan Andrews’ enemies have to say about this?
Naturally, the news of Dan Andrews saying literally anything controversial gave Opposition Leader John Pesutto a semi.
He came through with his own statement about how shit it was that the Commonwealth Games would not be going forward in Victoria.
“This decision is a betrayal of regional Victoria and confirms that Victoria is broke and Labor simply cannot manage major projects without huge cost blowouts,” he said.
“The cancellation of the Commonwealth Games is hugely damaging to Victoria’s reputation as a global events leader.
“Instead of a lasting legacy of housing, sporting and community infrastructure, Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan’s botched Games will only leave a legacy of failure and missed opportunities.”
Alright chief, cool it. Nobody is going to remember this a year from now.
Good on Andrews for actually considering the cost of this thing before going ahead anyway and breaking the bank.
Will any other states step in to host the Commonwealth Games?
Well, it’s not looking likely.
Tassie originally wanted to host the games but now, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has shut down the idea.
“We can get a lot of things done in Tasmania, [but] setting ourselves up for the Commonwealth Games in 2026, now in 2023, is a stretch,” he said in a statement.
Sydney probably won’t be taking on the responsibility either.
In an interview with Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie, NSW Premier Chris Minns said it would be silly of him to take on the games when Sydney is almost $180 billion in debt.
“I don’t think we could,” he said.
“And I understand that a lot of people would look to Sydney, particularly because we’re about to host the Women’s World Cup final.
“We held the Olympics in the year 2000. We’re good at hosting these big sporting events. But the timeline between now and 2026 is so tight.
“And you’ve got the Victorian government saying it’s a cost of about $6 billion. And it’s important to note that our predecessor government, the Dom Perrottet government, looked at these games and rejected putting in a bid in the first place. So I don’t want to be in the same situation as Victoria.”
Wise words, king.
