Victoria to host 2026 Commonwealth Games throughout cities; capturing, wrestling not in preliminary checklist of sports activities

Victoria will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games with the Australian state’s regional centres organising nearly all of occasions in a break from the standard single host metropolis mannequin.

The Games will likely be staged in March 2026 throughout a number of cities and regional hubs together with Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland, every with its personal athletes’ village.

The opening ceremony will happen on the iconic 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) introduced on Tuesday.

The announcement follows an unique dialogue interval between the CGF, Commonwealth Games Australia (CGAus) and Victoria.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games are heading to… Victoria! 💚💛

Alongside @VicGovDJPR and @CommGamesAus, Victoria 2026 would be the first regional Games, utilising a multi-city mannequin to create a legacy for the entire of the area.

Find out extra ⬇️#CommonwealthSport | #Vic2026CG

— Commonwealth Sport (@thecgf) April 12, 2022

An preliminary checklist of 16 sports activities, together with Twenty20 cricket, have been put ahead for the Games, with additional sports activities to be added later this 12 months.

The preliminary checklist, nevertheless, doesn’t function disciplines reminiscent of capturing and wrestling, sports activities wherein India has finished effectively within the earlier editions of the sporting extravaganza.

Archery additionally doesn’t function within the checklist.

Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews mentioned: “It’s an excellent honour to have Victoria chosen because the host venue for the 2026 Commonwealth Games – we will’t wait to welcome the world to all of our state.

“The Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria is great for jobs, hospitality and our economy.”

Australia has staged the Commonwealth Games on 5 events, with Victoria enjoying host to the Melbourne 2006 Games; broadly thought-about one of the profitable editions of the occasion in historical past.

The nation has additionally staged the Games in Sydney in 1938, Perth in 1962, Brisbane in 1982 and most just lately Gold Coast in 2018. Victoria has additionally hosted the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo in 2004.

CGF President Dame Louise Martin mentioned: “The Commonwealth Games Federation is totally delighted to award the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Victoria.

“Commonwealth Games Australia and the Victorian Government have set out a bold and innovative vision for hosting our major multi-sport event. In Victoria, we believe we have found the perfect partner for the next stage of our journey.”

As per the CGF’s new “strategic roadmap” unveiled at its 2021 General Assembly on October 11, athletics and swimming would be the solely obligatory sports activities within the CWG from the 2026 version, permitting host cities higher freedom to incorporate disciplines of their selection from a proposed core checklist of twenty-two sports activities.

The proposed core checklist of the Commonwealth Games Federation after a evaluation contains capturing, wrestling and archery. Disciplines which have beforehand been listed as optionally available sports activities reminiscent of T20 cricket, seashore volleyball and three×3 basketball have been additionally introduced below the proposed core checklist of sports activities.

The roadmap was permitted on the CGF’s General Assembly, which was held just about final 12 months.

The 2026 Games would be the twenty third version of the foremost multi-sport competitors, which first started in Hamilton, Canada in 1930.

Victoria is a world-leading main occasions and tourism vacation spot. The state has a robust observe file for staging excessive profile sporting competitions together with The Australian Open tennis grand slam, the Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup.

The state additionally frequently hosts elite cricket, golf and Australian Rules Football competitors.