Commonwealth Games sporting venues busier than ever one year on

The Gold Coast’s Commonwealth Games sporting venues are busier than ever a year after the international sporting competition came to a close. Here’s why.

THE Gold Coast’s Commonwealth Games sporting venues are busier than ever a year after the international sporting competition came to a close.

Billions of dollars were spent building or upgrading 14 world-class facilities in the years leading up to the Games, including Carrara’s Metricon Stadium and Southport’s Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.

New data released by Gold Coast City Council reveals the venues have continued to be busy and packed out hosting new events.

GAMES ‘KICKSTARTED’ MAJOR EVENTS INDUSTRY

The Southport Aquatic Centre under construction. Photo: Kit Wise

In the second half of 2018 alone the former Games venues hosted 323 events, injecting around $61 million into the city’s economy.

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Mayor Tom Tate said the Games had elevated the city’s profile as a sporting and events hub.

“We are now seeing that through record overseas tourism numbers and the arrival of new world and national sporting events for the Coast,” he said.

“The World Parachuting Championships have come and gone, we have secured national lawn bowls titles for the next five years, our venues are heavily booked until 2020 and we will next month host SportsAccord.

The Gold Coast Sports Precinct's Metricon Stadium at Carrara. Photo: B1gr1g Photographics.

‘SportsAccord brings together the decision makers of world sport and they are here for one reason: to see what this city can offer given its exceptional GC2018 delivery.

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“I would not be surprised if one day we hosted the biggest athletics events on the planet here on the Gold Coast.”

In the eight months following the Games, the Coast has attracted 17 training camps for elite national and international athletes; and 46 sporting events to the Gold Coast.

And it’s not just major sporting events — grassroots sports have benefited from using the venues.

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The World Parachuting Championships happened in October last year.

The council’s Active and Healthy Program has grown off the back of the Games while the aquatic centre has seen the number of people taking learn to swim classes increase by 200 per cent after the Games.

And there are growing expectations the Gold Coast’s Commonwealth Games venues will again be used in a major capacity if the Southeast Queensland bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games is successful.

While the Gold Coast City Council is not planning to contribute any funding towards the bid so soon after hosting the Games, the two stadiums, aquatic centre and sporting facilities are set to form a significant part of the bid, being led by the Brisbane City Council.

Metricon Stadium was the first Games venue to be created, having been built to replace the old Carrara Stadium.

The new stadium was presented as part of the successful Games bid in 2011 while the Aquatic Centre was fast-tracked and build in 2014 so it could host the Pan Pacific Masters Games.

The remaining venues were completed a year out from the Games and were widely praised.