Melbourne could host the Commonwealth Games in 2026, two decades after last hosting the event.
The Commonwealth Games Federation has reportedly asked the Victorian government to consider hosting the event in Melbourne.
A senior government official told The Age: “We’re looking at a 2026 Games, but we’ve made no commitment.”
Committee for Melbourne CEO Martine Letts said hosting the event would be well worth it.
“It’s a terrific opportunity,” she told 3AW on Wednesday.
“We are a visitor economy.
“We’ve got some extraordinary facilities, and I don’t just mean on the sporting side but also everything else that Melbourne has to offer in events, arts and culture – all the things that we’re well known for, that we’re desperate to revive in a post-Covid situation.”
A state government spokesman on Wednesday said: “Victoria is Australia’s premier events state and we’re always working hard to attract new major events.”
Australia has hosted the Commonwealth Games five times including Sydney in 1938, Perth in 1962, and Brisbane in 1982.
Melbourne hosted the event xjmtzywin 2006 and the Gold Coast became the fifth Australian host city with the Games in 2018.
When Melbourne last hosted in 2006, it was the largest sporting event ever staged in the city, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams and athletes competing and events held.
More than 4,000 athletes from 71 Commonwealth Games Associations competed and it was the largest Commonwealth Games in history to that point.
The sporting events took place at 13 venues around the city, but also took the Games to regional Victoria with events held in Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Lysterfield Park and Traralgon.
The site for the opening and closing ceremonies was the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was also used as the centrepiece of the 1956 Summer Olympics.
