THE SQUIZ
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has pulled out of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, announcing yesterday that it was beyond the state’s means. The cost has blown out from an estimated $2.6 billion, Andrews says, and “frankly, $6 billion to $7 billion for a 12-day sporting event, we are not doing that.” He added that it was not a difficult call to make because he “will not take money out of hospitals and schools”. Commonwealth Games Australia boss Craig Phillips (who was informed of the decision 1.5 hours before it was announced) says the predicted blowout is “a gross exaggeration and not reflective of the operational costs.” Note: the 2018 Gold Coast Games cost $1.2 billion and last year’s Birmingham Games cost $1.8 billion.

WHAT WAS MEANT TO HAPPEN?
It was April 2022 when we heard that Victoria would host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with a lot of the action happening in regional centres. Yesterday’s announcement means that Bendigo will no longer host world-class lawn bowls or squash; Ballarat’s athletics events have raced away; Gippsland will pack away its badminton gear; Shepparton has been told to get on yer bike; and Geelong says farewell to table tennis and beach volleyball. Victoria’s unconventional pitch to host the event came after the Commonwealth Games struggled to find another interested city from the 50+ Commonwealth nations… Last year, Andrews said he was “very, very confident that this will deliver jobs, it’ll deliver better facilities, better housing, and it’ll be a showcase to the world.” But yesterday, he said it “does not stack up.” Yesterday, Australia’s former Olympics impresario John Coates said the regional model was never going to work.

WHAT COMES NEXT?
Australia’s other state leaders sprinted away from the suggestion that they might step up to play host faster than Rohan Browning… And rubbing salt in the wound, Western Oz’s new premier Roger Cook said that the Games “aren’t what they used to be”… Exactly how the 2026 Commonwealth Games will proceed is hard to answer at this stage, and criticism continues to rain down on Andrews. Victorian Coalition leader John Pesutto said pulling out is “hugely damaging to Victoria’s reputation” and “a betrayal of regional Victoria”. Others say it’s a good call that will allow for scarce public dollars to be spent on priority areas. Andrews has promised that the Games’ budget will be diverted to regional Victoria, including $1 billion for 1,300 new homes. He says he’ll have more to say about the decision this week.