The Australian city of Geelong will receive significant investment in its sporting infrastructure ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which will take place in the state of Victoria.
Geelong will host nine sports and the closing ceremony during the Games, and Victoria’s Labor Government has announced plans to invest up to A$292m (£162m/€188m/$186m) in purpose-built sporting infrastructure in the Waurn Ponds and Armstrong Creek communities.
The closing ceremony will be held at Kardinia Park (pictured), which will also stage the final of the T20 cricket event. The Government is already investing A$142m in redeveloping Kardinia Park, with work due to be completed in mid-2023.
A new aquatics centre in Armstrong Creek will host swimmers, para swimmers and divers during the Games, after which it will serve as a community pool facility. A new artistic gymnastics and weightlifting venue in Waurn Ponds will become seven multi-sport courts, a dance studio, and a regional-level gymnastics centre after the Games.
Geelong will also host golf and coastal rowing events during the Games, while an event village will be set up in the Waurn Ponds Station Precinct. The village will be designed in consultation with the local community and traditional owners, celebrating the culture of the Wadawurrung people.
Other sports that will take place in Geelong include triathlon and para triathlon, beach volleyball and hockey. The Victoria 2026 Games will be the first multi-location edition of the event, with Melbourne, Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland also featuring on the host-city list.
Jacinta Allan, Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery, said: “Tens of thousands of people will come to Geelong for Victoria 2026, and we’re investing in the world-class housing and sporting infrastructure that will benefit not only Games delivery but the community for years to come.
“What a win for Torquay to see a new Commonwealth sport (coastal rowing) get underway at one of the world’s finest beaches, as a centrepiece of our regional Games.”
Earlier this month, plans were announced to upgrade Ballarat’s Mars Stadium ahead of the Games. The stadium, which will stage athletics and para athletics events during the Games, will see its permanent seated capacity rise by 5,000 to 16,000, with an additional 18,000 temporary seats to be installed.
