The immediate future of the Commonwealth Games appears in disarray but multi-medallist Eddie Dawkins expects the Games will go on, despite the shock announcement Victoria has withdrawn from hosting duties for 2026.
Yesterday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced the Australian state would be withdrawing from hosting the 2026Commonwealth Games saying the forecast costs had gone well over the expected figure.
The state was revealed as the host only last year, shared among Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland. It comes after Durban withdrew from hosting the 2022 event in 2017, being replaced by Birmingham. Andrews told media the forecast figure of AU$2.6 billion ($2.8b) was looking to more than AU$6b ($6.46b).
Kiwi cyclist Dawkins competed at three Commonwealth Games collecting two golds, two silvers and three bronze medals at the velodrome to go with his Olympic silver medal won at the Rio Olympics. He says the Commonwealth Games are vital to New Zealand athletes.
“It’s a shame. Obviously hosting an event of that size is a massive financial cost for whoever puts their hand up for it, but it’s a shame for it to potentially not happen. It’s definitely been an avenue for New Zealand athletes to make that big step internationally and it’ll be a shame for it not to go ahead,” Dawkins told Newstalk ZB’s Natham Limm.
“I think from a New Zealand athlete perspective, it definitely puts you in front of the public eye more so than your individual world championships.
“In my career as a cyclist, only cycling people knew about cycling world championships until very recently where it’s been like, Facebook has become a thing and, and Instagram and all the social media and stuff. But the Commonwealth Games is where people knew about cycling. And it was definitely a big jumping off point for the profile of the athletes. It also gave them that platform as well to perform in front of the nation, not just in front of their cycling friends.”
Eddie Dawkins, Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster celebrate their medal in the men's team sprint at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. Photo / Getty Images
Dawkins first competed at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games where he claimed medals in the 1km time trial and the team sprint, an event he went onto win gold in Glasgow 2014 and on the Gold Coast four years later.
“It gives more eyes to the sport, creates more fans allows for potentially more sponsorship and more funding,” Dawkins added.
“It allows the sport to grow more organically instead of coming instead of cyclists only coming from cycling families, it allows maybe people and this is just from a cycling perspective, people outside of the sport to understand a little bit more about it and potentially it could be an avenue for them or for their children or even as a fan going forward.”
The 2026 Games had been scheduled for March 17-29 in the regional centres of Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland and Shepparton. The Commonwealth Games Federation is now scrambling to find a replacement.
“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,” the CGF said in a statement.
Dawkins doesn’t think it signals the end of the Commonwealth Games, which first started as a multi-sport event in 1930. With the exception of 1942 and 1946 it has been run every four years since, however
“I don’t think so. It’s been going for a very long time and it was the Empire Games beforehand and I think it will be here very long into the future.
“It has a significance to the Commonwealth countries. It’ll probably be a part of the sporting calendar for most sports for the length of the relevance of the Commonwealth itself. Maybe as the Commonwealth itself is losing its popularity, maybe the games might go with it. But, hopefully it sticks around because it’s definitely a very fun time in my career and I hope many athletes get to get to experience it.”
“It’s gonna be tough for anyone to pick it up, especially late notice.
“All the publicity around is going to be ramped up because it’s obviously everything, it was geared towards Victoria hosting it.
“I think it would be tough. It probably has to go in my opinion, to a country or to a city that’s hosted it before because they have the infrastructure and the venues and stuff like that in place already.”
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