Premier Jay Weatherill wants 2030 Commonwealth Games to be held in South Australia

PREMIER Jay Weatherill has confirmed the State Government is preparing a bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

Premier Jay Weatherill. Picture: Simon Cross.

PREMIER Jay Weatherill has confirmed the State Government is preparing a bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

Speaking at the Premier’s Games Appeal in Adelaide last night, Mr Weatherill said he wants SA to host the Games in 14 years’ time providing proper cost analysis is done.

He said the first step would be to conduct an audit of the state’s sporting venues which are in line for a significant upgrade.

“I want our State to bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, but I want to carefully explore both the potential costs and benefits before we make a bid,” he said.

“We have world-class stadia and other venues, and we’ve demonstrated expertise in holding major national and international sporting events.”

The State Government has flagged an increase in sports funding in Thursday’s budget and Mr Weatherill said some of that money would bolster SA’s chances of bidding for a Commonwealth Games.

“For example, $10 million will be spent on the construction of eight artificial soccer pitches across the state, along with clubroom upgrades and better lighting,” he said.

“The government is also putting $2 million towards a new UCI-standard BMX track at O’Halloran Hill.

“The number of BMX riders in South Australia has doubled in the past five years, and about half of them are from Adelaide’s southern suburbs.

“The new facility will allow the BMX stars of the future to live and train here in South Australia — rather than being forced to go interstate.

“It will help them follow in the wheel tracks of Sam Willoughby of Happy Valley — who already has an Olympic silver medal and is going for gold in Rio.”

Gold Coast is preparing to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games and in 2022 they will be held in Durban, South Africa.

Long-time advocate of SA bidding to host the Games has been businessman Robert Gerard who in May urged the government to seriously consider a report by urban designer David Cooke into the economic impact of the event.

The study said hosting the Games and building the required infrastructure would cost about $2.6 billion but deliver an economic hit of about $4.4 billion, including creating 41,000 jobs, over a decade.

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