Sport SA sends a message to the public aimed at swaying opinion in favour of Adelaide hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games

Worried that people don’t seem to care about SA hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Sport SA wants to point out a couple of things. To start — 21,500 potential new jobs in the lead up.

Concerned by a perceived indifference of public opinion around the idea of Adelaide hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, South Australia’s peak sporting body has penned an open letter aimed at swaying the public in the favour of the concept.

Sport SA chief executive officer Leah Cassidy said when she was recently interviewed on radio about the possibility of hosting the Games, it was clear that “the public isn’t really that sold on the idea”.

In a three-page, 1400-word open letter supplied to The Advertiser, Cassidy set out a number of arguments about why hosting the Games would be good for SA, including the potential $2.5 billion that could be injected into the local economy.

Using figures based on the economic impact report of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Cassidy said Adelaide stood to create more than 21,500 new jobs in the lead up to the event.

“The Games report, recently released by the Queensland government, indicates that the Commonwealth Games injected $2.5 billion dollars into the economy and approximately 82 per cent of Games-wide contracts were awarded to Queensland businesses, worth nearly $1.7 billion,” she said.

“More than 1.2 million tickets were sold to events and an international audience of 1.5 billion people tuned in to watch the Games.

“While more than 6600 competitors from 71 countries competed in the Games and their support staff numbered in the thousands more.”

Cassidy said SA would also benefit from the upgrading of the state’s sporting venues.

“It is true we already have great sporting venues that are Games ready and great entertainment venues that can be converted to be Games ready, but inevitably with hosting an event of this scale there will need to be upgrades and/or new venues purpose built,” she said.

“This creates jobs and investment and creates new or upgraded venues that can be used by the community post Games. Exactly the outcome that has occurred on the Gold Coast.

Sport SA chief executive Leah Cassidy has written an open letter urging the South Australian public to get behind Adelaide’s bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Picture: BIANCA DE MARCHI

Flag bearer Kurt Fearnley poses for a photograph with teammates during the Closing Ceremony at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games on April 15, 2018. Picture: MICHAEL WILLSON

“Another potential community benefit is the athletes village. The 6600 people have to sleep somewhere … wouldn’t it be great if the village was designed in a way that it could be used for affordable housing post-Games, what an incredible Games legacy this would be?

Cassidy said the Comm Games offered a unique opportunity to show the “world we exist”.

“Let’s show the world that we welcome them here as tourists, to trade and invest with us, and for 12 days we will also host the best athletes in the Commonwealth and our next generation of aspiring athletes will be able to attend and watch them live and aspire to be like them.

“Sport SA has been quite clear with government that the opportunity to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games is an opportunity that should not be missed.

“And let’s be clear here, the Commonwealth Games committee has already indicated that SA is the preferred site for the Games — it’s ours for the taking, we just have to reach out and take it.

Sport SA chief executive Leah Cassidy says hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games offers Adelaide a unique opportunity to give a lasting legacy to SA. Picture: AIRBORNE PHOTOGRAPHY

“What a legacy this government would be leaving if we put our hand up to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

“Come on South Australia, we can do this, let’s get behind it, let’s make 2026 the year the whole world discovers SA.”

The state government’s feasibility study is due to be completed by August 31, 2019.

Should the government decide to progress to next stage, the Commonwealth Games Federation has indicated that a submission will need to be made by May 2020, with the successful host city to be announced around September 2020.